Author's Note 02/27/14: I'm going to be out of the country for a short while, so I'm probably not going to be able to get chapter 12 out for a bit. Just in case you start worrying that this story went dead.

Here's the latest chapter, which I think is also the longest one word wise.

This one also had three different versions, but the other two I chose to cut because they opened up too many bridges that would take too long to cover.

Anyway, I keep forgetting to put up that reviews are welcome.

Chapter 2-11: Everyone, Gather Round

"She's…obsessed about Devil. Ever since that day, she almost always thinks about him, she has a hard time getting to sleep, when she does she calls his name in her sleep, and she's skipping school to train for when she finally fights him. She acts like a completely different person."

-Kawakami Kazuko

I groan groggily as I force myself up from the dirt. A thick mist surrounds me so I can't see anything ten feet away. I can feel blood dripping from my chin, but I can't feel any pain. I don't even know if it is blood, actually. My body is so numb that I can barely feel it. I look around, even though I know that the mist won't let me see much.

"Hello?" I ask loudly, hoping that I'm not alone. I don't hear anything, so I look to the left, "Hello?!," then the right, "HELLO?!".

I hear a small whisper from behind me, calling my name. "Kawakami Momoyo…"

I quickly turn and shout "Who's calling me?" but nobody answers.

I walk forward a few steps only to stumble over my own foot. I'm so weak…

"Momo-senpai…" A familiar voice calls out to me.

I clumsily stand up and start to walk again. "Momo-senpai…" another familiar voice calls out to me.

I move faster and faster, until I manage to move into a sprint. The further I go the more voices call out to me. "I'm coming! Don't leave me!" With every voice I run faster and become more desperate. After the seventh voice, I hear wet sounds beneath my feet. I stop immediately and look down.

Blood. A lot of blood. So much that it seems to steeping into the mist surrounding me. Despite my numb body, I know it's warm. I see small ripples appear rhythmically. It's…mesmerizing.

"Onee-sama!" I snap out of my trance and start running again. I can tell I'm close by the sound.

"NEE-S-" as the last voice cuts out, the mist whips past me, spraying blood and dirt all over me. I close my eyes and cover my face. When the gust stops, I slowly open my eyes. I let out a surprised gasp.

Everyone… All of my friends… Lie on the ground of a battlefield… Dead…

I fall to my knees in shock. My vision blurs… I hear a small sound, so I look up and try to locate the source. I see movement in front of me, near Wanko! "Wanko!" I quickly rush to her bloodied side and pick her up. She turns to look into my eyes. I can see fear in them, an unspeakable horror lies within them. "It's okay Wanko! Now that I'm here everything's going to be okay!"

"I doubt that." A cruel, unfeeling voice says behind me. "In case you haven't noticed, her throat is gone."

As soon as the voice says that, I can see Wanko's eyes blur and I can feel her life leave her body. I can feel myself cry as I huddle over her now-lifeless body.

"Hmph, you're broken already?" the voice says in a disappointed tone. "I was saving this to deal the finishing blow." Another body falls in front of me. The body is completely charred black, but the face… the face is Yamato's, contorted hideously in pain.

I turn around quickly and assume a stance before I check who it is, mostly because I know who it is already. "Devil!" I shout with a fury unlike anything I felt before. "I'll kill you for this!"

He smiles cruelly. "Really? You remember what happened a month ago; you can't beat me." I grit my teeth. "You should just give up and become my servant."

"Screw you!"

"Sorry to interrupt," a voice from my left surprises both me and Devil, "but I was wondering if I could have a moment."

I don't want to turn my head away from Devil, but seeing how he's looking at the newcomer with such a sour face, I can't help but look. Mark is standing there with an apologetic smile.

I can't hide my surprise. "What are you talking about?" I shake my head and turn to Devil. "Never mind, just stay out of my way Mark! I'm going to kill him!"

"You do know you're dreaming, right?" I turn back to him in surprise. "That's not really Devil."

"I am Devil!" Devil(?) claims. "Stop lying Mark!"

"Not even a good imitation," Mark mumbles just loud enough for me to hear. "Your little 'barrier' sucks. I can see right through it."

The Imposter shows his surprise all over his face, but he quickly hides it, not that it matters anymore. "How dare you! I AM Devil!"

"Wow, you're really sticking to this aren't you?" Mark shrugs. "Fine then, you know how you and the real Devil are different? Devil doesn't get anxious." The Imposter takes a notable step back. "Or," Mark starts with a grin, "perhaps it's better to say that Devil doesn't get scared."

The Imposter finally loses his composure and rushes Mark. Mark quickly draws his weapon, spins and lowers himself, and as The Imposter passes him, he slashes with his sword. The Imposter crashes into the ground, clutching where he was sliced. Mark stands triumphantly while looking at him.

Since he's taking his time getting up, I ask Mark, "You know, if this is my dream, why are you taking my fights?"

"Heh, I attacked because I was attacked first!" he scratches the back of his head sheepishly with his free hand. "Don't worry; I'll just be supporting you, if that's alright."

"Just try not to get in my way."

"I won't, she's all yours."

"Good, because I…," I stop for a second as his words go through my head. "Wait, 'she'?!"

"You nosy, arrogant bastard!" The Imposter curses at Mark. "Why are you interfering with my plans?!" As The Imposter gets up, pieces of the 'barrier' that Mark mentioned start falling, showing The Imposter's true face.

"I'm not sure if this makes less sense or more sense," a remark as I gaze into a face exactly mirroring my own. I turn to Mark, "Why does she look like me?"

"I could tell you now…or you can fight an interesting opponent now and I'll tell you later."

"...Now how can I resist that?" I ready myself at the same time my look-alike does, and in the same way. "This is weirding me out. Just a bit."

"Welcome to my world, Momoyo."

I strike first in my usual manner, closing in at high speeds and delivering a straight! But my opponent sidesteps me easily. Before I can turn to face her, I'm hit five times, but for some reason it doesn't hurt as much as I think it should. As soon as I'm able, I throw a powerful hook! She quickly steps back and avoids it.

"Kawakami-style, Fireburst!" she shouts before an inferno bursts from her hands.

"Crap!" I lower myself and cover my face and body with my arms, but the flame splits before it hits me, and the stray flames that do manage to hit me doesn't cause the slightest bit of pain, or heat. When the flames subside, I see Mark between me and her; he was blocking the flames with his own body and sword.

"You alright?" he asks without lowering his guard. "Did my barrier hold up?"

"Yeah," so that's why it didn't hurt. He quickly nods to acknowledge me.

My doppelganger is clearly pissed, "STOP INTERFERING!" she yells before throwing the same hook I just used. Mark ducks under it, giving me a clear opening. I quickly jump over his crouching form and thrust my foot into her face! As she reels, I land and shoot out one-two punches to her head. As she switches her guard upwards, I punch her in the gut forcing her to bend over! I quickly flip with my right foot striking downward with a huge amount of force! It connects, slamming her into the ground hard enough to make a small crater!

But that isn't enough for me; I jump into the air and twirl to face double. "This is how you perform the Kawakami-style Fireburst!" I charge the attack in my hands for a few moments before unleashing the attack, blanketing my opponent in a torrent of burning flames! After several seconds I end the attack and land gracefully by Mark.

"I think she's done," I tell him casually with a smile on my face as smoke rises from the crater. "I don't think I've fought anyone besides you that can withstand that kind of abuse." As soon as I say that, though, a sooty hand rises from the black smoke. With a loud groan, she drags herself out of her hole. She looks at us with angry eyes, her face covered in ash.

"That's… unsettling," I admit. Then I grin eagerly. "Not that I don't appreciate a solid opponent."

She stares directly into my eyes. "You… idiot! I'm on your side!" she screams at me. "I can save you!"

"So she says," Mark speaks as I turn to him. "You can't rely on her judgment, so I wouldn't pay her much attention."

"What are you talking about? What does she mean by 'she can save me'?" I ask Mark, confused.

He shrugs. "I don't know her exact methodology, but she's trying to take control of your body. She could be doing this for herself, or maybe she wants to help you by doing something you aren't thinking of." He shakes his head. "Don't get me wrong though, your interests aren't hers."

"Shut your FUCKING mouth, bastard!" she screeches at him, before turning to me. "Momoyo, you need me! Let me help you!"

I look back and forth at them, feeling left out of something important. "What does she want to do?" I ask Mark.

"As I said before, she wants to take control of your body and spirit from you." He looks directly at me as he explains. "After that it's a mystery, but my guess is that she's going to try to ally herself with Devil." Her livid glare confirms his guess. "Not that it'll work, she'll be dead the second Devil doesn't sense your signature in your aura."

I don't get it. "Why would she want to do that?!"

"Her thoughts are her own, so you're-

"GET BACK!"

He shoves me back before I can react. "What the hell-" I start, but quickly stop when I see that my double has pierced Mark's chest through with her right hand.

"Hah! You deserved that, you bastard!" She says victoriously. However, her face quickly changes to that of fear when Mark grabs her arm and laughs.

"Hahaha! You think that this'll kill me? This doesn't even hurt!" She tries to yank free, but can't. Mark looks at me, "Momoyo, is it my turn? Or do you want to finish it yourself?"

"Yeah, I got this!" With a nod, Mark kicks her away, and I pounce on her. I deliver a powerful right punch to her face in a way that she spins, then a kick to make her spin more, back kick, back hand, right hook, rolling right kick, and finally "Kawakami-style, Spin Breaker!"

I deliver the spin kick opposite of her spinning momentum, on her left side of her chest, delivering a devastating attack! The attack sends her back with no more spin, meaning my technique was perfect. This gives me to see my Doppelganger's face: in pain with empty… no, she's trying to hide it but she has desperate eyes. I almost feel like I should be apologizing to her. Before I can say anything, she falls backwards onto the ground. Then she slowly disappears from the spot I hit her, vanishing into little white balls that vanish into nothing.

"So… was that normal?" I turn and ask Mark.

"I wouldn't know," he walks up to my side and looks at where my double was lying. "I know what she is and what she was going to do, but Devil-"

(I quickly think 'Damn Devil'.)

"-is the one that has studied these things in-depth while all I know was from a basic lecture when I was nine."

"Alright then, can tell me what you know?"

"These things, Demons, as Devil calls them, are being created by you."

"Demons? Yeah, that sounds like something fucking Devil came up with!"

He quickly gazes into my eyes. "And this is what they are coming from. You're hatred for Devil, your desire to get back at him, this is what creates them. As long as this continues, you will be harried by Demons."

"I can handle them! You saw me take care of that one," I say confidently.

"The others won't be so direct, and I can't back you every time they pop up, either!" Mark turns away with a heavy sigh. After taking a few steps he turns back to me. "Look, Demons are stray soul fragments caused by emotional, and in turn spiritual, trauma. Basically, they are a manifestation of emotions or ideals felt by the main body; anger and fear, power and greed, things like that."

A thought takes me by surprise, and I can't help but ask: "Was Devil a Demon from you?!"

He nods, "Yeah, Devil was a Demon. Or perhaps is better to say that Devil is the Demon. He took me over, started his infamous purge, and hunted down other Demons."

"But if he's a Demon, why would he hunt other Demons?"

"When I say 'hunted down', I mean went out and found them. He would study them, or try and convince them to join him, which usually involved them attacking him as he approached; at least that's what he told me. Anyway, that's how he became such an expert on them, and another way he became so powerful and experienced."

"I guess that answers a few questions…"

"Speaking of questions, I have one for you."

"Oh?"

"I'm going to go to a really expensive place I'm sponsoring, opening tomorrow, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come along. So, care to join me?"

I laugh in disbelief, "Haha, are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yeah, an expensive one; even high-class citizens are going to have trouble getting in."

"I'm not a girl that likes money and glamour Mark… what's in it for me?"

"Well, we're going to have to talk over dinner, who knows what I might say about Devil when I have a few drinks?" he says in a suggestive voice.

I sigh, "I'm also not a girl that likes to be teased."

He scratches his head, "Yeah, probably should have guessed that." He clears his throat. "If you come with me, I'll give you some insight that will give you an edge against Devil."

"That's better," I say with a smile. "If you're true to your word than I would go, but I think I'm going to need a pretty nice dress."

"I got all that in motion; I'll take the stuff over to the temple tomorrow."

"Then it's a date." I agree.

"Then I'll see you then!" He quickly disappears, leaving me to my now empty dream.

Well that's an interesting development; I thought Mark was on Devil's side. Not that I'm complaining… or saying I need help to beat Devil, but a little direction is definitely welcome by me.

Ah well, time to dream.

"YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE?!" I shout in surprise without meaning to. But then, how was I supposed to react when Nee-san tells me she's going on a date with Mark just two days after shutting me down! I take a few deep breaths to calm down.

"Really? You're going to shout at me?" Nee-san asks me irritably.

"No… I'm okay…" Deep breaths! Damn it! Why did this have to be so close to when she rejected me?! "Alright, I'm okay now."

"Good," Nee-san says, apparently losing interest as soon as I gave up. She looks down at the street at the entrance to the temple. I sigh, all the while wanting to scream 'WHY IS SHE SO ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THIS?!'

I don't let it show on the exterior though, and coolly ask, "So why are you so interested in Mark?"

"I'm more interested in Devil. If I have this date with Mark, he'll give me some advice on how to beat him."

Since when does Nee-san do anything but charge head-first into everything? "So you don't see Mark as a boyfriend or anything."

She scoffs, "Of course not…" she bats her eyes a bit. "Although it might be nice if he tore through me with that powerful magnum of his…Mmm, I could spend all day with that thing!"

My mind goes numb for a moment or two. She looks at me with an impish smile, "You actually fell for that last part?!"

I quickly gather myself, "Not in the slightest." What does Mark have that I don't? Okay, maybe I'm getting a little too personal, but I have to keep my esteem up somehow! There's no way he's smarter than me. He is stronger, but I've been withstanding Nee-san's attacks forever. And he's smug, too. What else…

Wait… what's a car that expensive doing in front of the temple? Oh no.

Mark appears a few steps below us, wearing a well-tailored formal black jacket, a blood red vest, and snow white shirt. His black pants and dark red belt perfectly match his jacket and vest, and it's clear that a lot of effort went into making it as functional as fashionable, and his shoes seemed to have been specifically made to complement the rest of his suit.

Me and Nee-san both "Whoa" at the same time; He smirks, clearly taking the compliments, "I told you; this place is really high class."

Nee-san snaps out of her little trance, "Yeah, but this is really, really well-dressed."

"Ha! Well if you like mine…" he hands a suitcase to Nee-san. "You're really going to like yours." She's speechless as she takes the case from him. "You haven't even opened it and your jaw has dropped. Come on, go inside and show them off!"

"Oh! Uh, hold on…" Nee-san is blushing pretty badly. She quickly clears her throat to regain her composure. "You do know that there is no way that I can pay for this rental dress for about a year, right?"

"You don't have to worry about the rental price."

"How did you-"

"It's yours to keep."

Our jaws drop again. Nee-san's making a stunned"ahhh" voice, she continues like that for a few seconds, so I decide to ask, "How did you pay for this?"

"Easy, connections," he says as if that one word explains everything.

And to someone like me, it does explain everything: the car, the suit, the yet to be seen dress… all of it was from people who owed him. Seeing as he's a mercenary, they can easily owe him their lives.

"Ahem." Nee-san collects her wits like last time. "Let me state this differently: You do KNOW that there is no way that I can pay for this dress, even if I start saving as much money as I can from now until I'm dead, right?"

"Yep," he nods with a humored smile on his face. "Now go get dressed. We have a party to go to, remember?"

She gets up and hesitantly leaves with the suitcase held tight. Seeing her like that, I ask, "In your opinion, how much would a dress like that cost?"

"Haha, you haven't even seen it yet and you're asking it's price."

"What's price?" Kazuko asks as she approaches with the rest of the gang, on my right.

Mark addresses them before I can. "Hey guys, don't worry, you'll see."

"Where's Capt?" I ask. "He shouldn't be going on adventures when school's back in session tomorrow."

"You're going back to school tomorrow? After just two days break?"

"With Kawakami Temple medics, the students should be able to go to school by then."

He shrugs, "It still seems like someone's rushing if you ask me."

"We're lucky to get even that," I say with a sigh.

"Hey Mark, what's with that attire?" Chris asks.

"Yeah, it looks way too fancy for a simple visit," Moro says.

"Moro knows a thing or two about dressing," Miyako remarks.

"Haha. That was kind of weak, Miyako."

"You got it, and that's all I needed," Miyako says with a mischievous smile.

"I don't mean to interrupt," Mark intervenes, "but this is all going over my head. Can you explain what's going on?"

"It's because Moro's a-"

Moro quickly covers Miyako's mouth in a scramble. "It's nothing! Don't worry about it Mark!"

Mark raises a brow, but quickly drops it and doesn't inquire any further. Mayucchi steps to Mark with a smile on her face and bows slightly, "Mark-san, can you please give Devil my thanks for me, I already got a new friend thanks to him."

"Sure, I'll tell him tonight," he says, his brow once again rising. "Did I miss something important, here? All of this is completely missing me."

"You're not alone on this one," I assure him.

"Ah, Mark," the principal shows up, seemingly out of nowhere. "Here's your father's spiritual weapon back." The old man hands Mark a topaz colored pistol.

"Thanks Tesshin," Mark takes the pistol and quickly examines it, "and not a single scratch, too."

"Wait, you have a gun, Mark?" I ask in surprise. I didn't expect him to be the type of guy to own a gun, despite his occupation.

"It was my father's," the gun then mysteriously vanishes from his hand. "Is it me or did it suddenly get crowded out here?" he quickly changes the subject.

"Well, everyone except Capt and Cookie are here."

"Probably for the best, Momoyo is probably going to want a crowd to show off to."

"To show off what?" Gakuto asks. "Has she discovered a new move?"

"So… how do I look?" I turn to Nee-san… and my mind goes blank.

All three of the teenage guys collapse with nosebleeds. Gakuto had the poor misfortune of being next to the steps when he fainted, so he's currently rolling down the stone staircase.

'He better not hit my car!' Mark thinks before he turns back to Momoyo. Her beauty is nothing short of god-like in that black silk dress. The dress hugs her body perfectly, and won't inhibit her movement. The shoulder straps have a bit of cloth on them to hide her shoulders just a bit, emphasizing her neck and face. The center is cut slightly down the middle to show off her… natural endowment. The back is cut to mid-back to further show off her skin.

The lower part of her dress goes down to her lower calf, and is cut on the side of her thighs and between her legs for comfort and style. Just in case someone gets a little too curious, there's a second layer of cloth hanging from the hips, cover the area between her legs. Her heels may seem normal, but they caused some issues with the creators. For one, Momoyo is already tall, and to add to that would create too much intimidation, apparently, so these are lower and wider so that Momoyo would feel comfortable, while still showing off quite a bit of foot.

To finish it off, she is also wearing gold and ruby (that match her eyes) jewelry in the form of earrings, necklace, bracelets, anklets, and a sash and brooch combo. Mark silently applauds his contact, who made this whole set in less than 24 hours.

There is a small problem though. Momoyo is wearing a silver and emerald ring, which clashes with the suit.

Mark quickly thinks on whether or not to ask her to leave it behind. 'A ring could complicate things if it comes up in a conversation. Everything she's wearing makes it noticeable. On the other hand, who is she going to talk to will be rude enough to try and push into her social life? Actually, we're going to be around people who will slit your throat (socially, hopefully not literally) as soon as you look away so that they feel bigger than they are, so that may actually be a valid concern.

'You know what? I'm overthinking this; after all it could just be a fashion thing. I know the basics of fashion, but I'm not an expert. Besides, Momoyo is new to this (at least I think so) so it would be better if she had something she's used to.'

"Hey, Momoyo! You look great!" Mark exclaims.

She walks on up to the group, who are stunned by her beauty. "It feels nice; I didn't expect it to be this comfortable! I even think I could fight without being encumbered in it!"

"That's exactly what the creator was shooting for. 'It wouldn't be the fit for the Martial Arts Goddess to wear something she couldn't fight in'."

"Well they nailed it!" Momoyo says happily.

"Onee-sama!" Kazuko snaps out of her trance. "You look fantastic! What's the occasion?"

"No occasion, I'm just going to go out with Mark for a bit."

"WHAT?! You're going out on a date?!" Kazuko shouts her surprise.

"Now you're starting to sound like Yamato," Momoyo says in an annoyed tone. "Is it really so wrong for a young woman like me going out with a friend?"

"Yes!" Tesshin butts in. "You shouldn't be out partying while school is starting tomorrow!"

"Holy crap, you're actually going to give a regular lecture."

"Yes, I am! Otherwise I would have failed as a grandfather!"

"Holy crap the second, you're actually caring about your status as my grandparent."

"Hmph, you don't give me enough credit, Momoyo… wait a second, you're not saying you don't consider me as your Grandfather?!" Tesshin gives a shocked face.

"Yep, sorry, but I forget that every once in a while," Momoyo says coldly.

Mark sighs as they bicker, then gets between the two. "As amusing as this is, I'm going to stop you guys here because we actually have to be there by a certain time." Mark feels a shadow head towards Yamato's unconscious body. "Not a good time, Miyako!"

"I can't help it when he's so helpless," Miyako replies, almost like a child.

"I'm pretty sure this you're getting dangerously close to the 'rape' line."

"So? He's not going to care," Miyako continues to creep closer to Yamato.

Mark turn to Tesshin for help, "You're her principal, it would be nice if you came over here and stopped her, preferably while giving her lecture."

"I suppose your right, sorry Momoyo, but a more desperate soul needs me at the moment," Tesshin walks up to Miyako and pulls her off Yamato with one hand.

"Here's our opening, Momoyo!" Mark whispers. "Let's go, quickly!"

She nods, and they quickly and quietly head down the steps without getting the others' attention. By the time any of the other girls realize it, Mark is already driving off.

I slowly wake up. Tesshin is addressing the girls on proper etiquette on treating unconscious guys. I continue to lie down on the spot so I don't get dragged into it. Eventually, he drags all the girls inside so he can lecture without worrying the public. Now that the coast is clear, I stand up and brush myself off. I check my nose for blood and look down.

"Damn it, I got blood on my shirt," I sulk.

"It could have been worse," a cold voice says behind me. Shivers run up and down my spine. "Shimazu fell down the steps as he passed out, so there is no doubt he is going to be in pain." I turn slowly towards Devil, who is standing casually with his arms crossed. "It is probably of no benefit with him being so injured a couple of days ago."

I could run. Yeah, but run where? The only real safe spot is behind him, where the principal is hopefully giving his lecture. Crap! If he's strong enough for Nee-san, he's probably fast too! This is bad…

His laughter breaks my concentration. "I thought you would have reacted lesser, you do not seriously believe I came here to kill you again?"

That's right, he has nothing to gain by killing me now… "So why are you here, then?" Instead of giving me an answer, he smiles and slowly starts to circle me. Fine then, I'll figure it myself. "You came here because something has changed recently. Otherwise you would have found me earlier, or not at all. The only thing that has changed recently involving me was Mark's offer to Nee-san. The odds are changing in her favor. So, you're here because you're worried that you might lose to Nee-san, and you're planning on getting information from me to even the odds!"

"Wrong," he says behind me. "Your conclusion is closer than any of your friends would have made, but you are mistaken."

Wrong? What am I wrong about? "…You're here about Nee-san, that much I know for sure, but if you're not here for intel, what else can you gain from meeting me?" I quickly think… What if he's not here to gain anything; if he's not here for personal profit? That would leave Mark as the person he's here for, but what can I do for Mark? "I don't suppose you want to help Nee-san for Mark?"

He stops moving, directly in front of me. "It would seem that the time was accurate, even if you were only taking a guess."

"What?! That's really why you're here? And you were timing me?" I'm surprised, to say the least.

"Why else would I bother circling you? To menace a potential ally?" he speaks.

"So you were acting as a human watch?"

"I am not human," he says in a lecturing voice. "Otherwise, yes."

"Couldn't you have just counted like a normal person?"

"Then it would not have been as interesting."

"I think we have different thoughts on the word interesting," I mumble irritably. Talking to Devil is like talking to a wall. No, it's worse than talking to a wall! A wall doesn't menace people and ask them questions in mysterious ways! "So, what so you mean by 'potential ally'?"

"I mean exactly what I said. What is the term… 'strange bedfellows'?"

"So you try to kill me and now you want my help?" More irony than strange bedfellows.

"No, that is more irony than strange bedfellows," he says with a slight shake of his head and a grin, almost as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. That's unnerving, especially for a tactician like me! "Hah hah, I would not worry about my ability 'to read minds'." CRAP! He did it again! "Aura Artists can learn to polarize their auras to learn what a person knows, this is true (if a bit hard to master), but it is not a nearly as precise to be thought of as 'reading' another's thoughts."

"So you're not reading my mind right now?" I ask tentatively.

"No, merely guesswork and experience," he admits. "People who meet with me, and survive, have a tendency to believe that I am psychically reading their moves. Ridiculous!"

I have the feeling that he wouldn't discourage such thoughts, a reputation like that only adds to his legend. "If someone asked you if you could read minds, what would tell them?" I ask out of curiosity.

"That I could not read minds and that they should not believe that I can. Not that my reply would mean much to them; they would say or think that I am lying so that they would lower their guard," he chuckles and shakes his head. "As willing as I am to answer your questions, I am afraid we are straying from the reason behind why I am here."

"To help Nee-san?"

"Yes, or rather, for you to help Kawakami."

"Heh, I was already planning on helping her, that was always my intention," I say with a grin.

"How so?" he asks directly.

"By helping her with school work, that's where most of my use is to her."

"I believe otherwise," he states. "You are Naoe the Tactician, not Naoe the Scholar."

"She's not going to let me tell her what to do."

"If it means defeating me, she will do whatever it takes."

I open my mouth to retort but that's true. I could come up with a few tricks for her to use. "No, I shouldn't encourage her bloodlust," I reject his suggestion.

"Victory or Defeat, it does not matter. Yet your decision on this topic will allow you control over her destination," he turns to leave. "I will deal with her result either way. Goo-"

"WAIT!" I shout to stop him, he turns back slightly and waits. "If you don't care, why don't you let her win?"

He doesn't move, almost as if he didn't hear me. "I heard you," guesswork and experience strikes again. "But I am not sure you comprehend your own words."

"Surrender is always an option in a tactician's opinion."

"It is also one of the greatest lies a 'warrior' could tell."

"What are talking about?"

He turns and faces me with a paralyzing glare. "A lie, possibly even the worst lie one can give. To tell a warrior that victory is theirs when one can still fight is a sin! Surely you know this after many years of being surrounded by such proud fighters!"

'Okay, I didn't think about that bit…' is what I would say if I could gather the nerve to talk in the brunt of that glare. He makes a loud 'hmph' and turns, giving me the opening to talk back. "This is going to affect her more than you! I know you know that!" he turns halfway, but he doesn't give me any debilitating looks so I continue talking. "This is against your beliefs, I know, but you wouldn't have come otherwise if you didn't care about her 'destination'. If you really want her to arrive at the right destination, then letting her win is a much safer solution than me helping her."

He doesn't answer me; he just vanishes after listening to me.

I sigh loudly and walk away, and then trip on Moro's unconscious body, "Eh?" and before I know it I'm loudly rolling down the stairs.

"Well, I didn't expect that!" Kazuko says loudly.

"Sh!" Miyako shushes Kazuko. "Stay quiet!"

"Why?! Everyone is gone! Well, Moro's still there, but he's out cold!"

"Who's the one who does this for living?" Everyone nods to each other; it's hard to argue with an expert.

"Can we leave then?" Chris asks. "I didn't want to do this, but you guys dragged me in!"

"You're the one who pointed it out!" Matsukaze refutes.

"I just said, 'look, Devil and Yamato are talking', then you guys swarmed in and started peeping!"

"We weren't peeping!" Mayucchi holds her ground. "We were listening in! That's a big difference!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is," Miyako solidifies.

"How?"

"One is perversion, the other is curiosity."

"Yeah!" Matsukaze happily gets behind that. "We're not perverts, so we're innocent!"

Everyone nods together again.

"You know, hiding behind a screen door like this really takes me back!" Kawakami Tesshin says. "But we shouldn't do this."

"You were a pervert back then too, weren't you?" Kazuko dares.

"No, I was much worse back- hey! You shouldn't be so rude to your grandfather!"

"Too late Principal, now you're an accessory," Miyako points out.

"Yeah! Now we got dirt on you!" Matsukaze states.

"What happened to us being innocent?!" Chris asks before something grabs her interest. "Hey Mayucchi, you got something on your back."

"It's not a bug, is it?" Mayucchi asks silently.

"Are you afraid of bugs?" Kazuko asks.

"It's for my safety," Matsukaze admits. "If the pest is big enough it could take a bite of me and take me away!"

"So it's not a bug, is it?" Mayucchi asks.

"No, it looks like a piece of paper," Chris tells her as she takes the paper. "And it has some writing on it."

"What does it say?"

"Saint- who's Saint?"

"That's the title Devil gave me," Mayucchi confesses.

"Oh, okay, that answers who it's for and who it's from then, Ahem.

"Saint, spying is not very polite. – From D"

"Uh oh… he knew," Matsukaze starts. "That means we're blown! EVERYONE BOLT!"

On cue, everyone runs in different directions, except for Kawakami Tesshin who remains laughing at Devil's little scare.