It was short and precise , a blast of fire came at Kazuma from the side . He dodged it , calculating Misao's natural invulnerability to the flames as enough to withstand it .
He was wrong .
He hated being wrong.
Her piercing scream was harsh on his ears. That flame wasn't normal , it was a true flame and she had just been burned.
"MISAO!"
Kazuma didn't have time to blink before he felt a heat from behind him , he barely managed to put up a wind-shield before a fist of fire hit...the ground . Kazuma backed away from the site of impact as the dust began to cover the area . He vaguely realised that the people he held were escaping , but he didn't have time to stop them . The dust clouded his vision and his fu-jutsu senses, but he could sense the fire from his attacker as it was rapidly launched at him again and again leaving him no time to disperse the dust impairing his vision . This guy was good , really good .
"KAZUMA!"
'Misao, sh*t'

He heard his attacker mumble "idiots" before he launched the wind around him and the area surrounding him directly upwards clearing the dust and putting his attacker out of balance enough to trap him in a wind-barrier . He turned his attention to Misao to see her unconscious on the silver-haired boy's shoulder. A small spark of amusement passed through him at the realisation that the boys were the major fighters rather than the men who had ran off. The silver-haired boy took one look at Kazuma , then the wind-barrier and clenched his teeth before spinning Misao so that she was in front of him an a small blade was at her throat .
" .go"
Agreeing to his demand seemed favourable as A:Misao was in danger and B: whatever was going on in that wind-barrier , it was getting harder and harder to keep it up. But Kazuma knew that kid ,the one that escaped when he sensed him, the one that was obviously this guy's trump card and the one who managed to catch Him off guard was much too dangerous to release ...plus , the flame he was using ...was definitely a kannagi's.
"How about a deal? I keep the kid , you keep the girl"
It was a bluff , of barrier was getting weaker by the minute but there was something he needed to confirm and he did. He saw it. He saw that flicker of indecision and guilt pass his eyes . This kid wasn't a cold-blooded warrior. He didn't require to stay for his comrade . So that means...
Suddenly letters of fire appeared again and the pressure on the barrier lowered while they appeared. That only meant that the kid inside was creating them.
'He's bluffing . No way he's gonna give up the girl . Beat it.'
Kazuma's eyes widened and the silver-haired boy hesitated and another set of words came ,this time very, Very close to him.
'Think of your dad. LEAVE'
That seemed to motivate him and he threw a kick in Kazuma's direction , releasing a powerful barrage of dark flames at me . At that same time a massive strike came from within the barrier shattering it .
'NO!'
The dust cleared in less than a second this time and Kazuma pin-pointed the boy's location , he wasn't as good at hiding his presence as the other one and he lunged at him . The kid didn't even see it coming , one second he was running , the next he was in mid-air , the girl on his shoulders was tossed up and the contractor reached for her ,but before he could , a barricade of fire shot past him and when he broke through it , he saw him.
The kid was young , about the same age as Ayano when he came back to Japan . His back faced him as he landed on a nearby branch , Misao was in his arms . Kazuma had learned not to underestimate this guy , so he wasted no time . Bringing the trapped silver-haired kid next to him , he slammed kid against the tree next to him by his neck , using the wind to restrain his body while his hand was mercilessly tight around his neck.
"Let her go or I choke him to death . This time , it is not a bluff."
The kid stood up straight , back still facing him . The boy who was held against the tree was frantic , trying to speak despite the fact that even breathing was hard.
"Don't listen...leave...full...fill...the master's...wish...GO.."
Kazuma's grip tightened . This guy wanted to be abandoned as well huh. What loyal dogs their 'master ' has.
"Let her go , huh"
His voice was calm and... kid never turned around, instead he stretched out his arms with Misao in them ,smirking. Kazuma realised in the last second what he was going to do.
"As you wish."
And he dropped her.
"NO!"
Shouted both Kazuma and his captive as she fell , though for different reasons . Kazuma immediately released him and shot after her falling body sending wind to cushion her fall and keep her mid-air as he gathered her in his arms . He looked up to see both of the boys gone. That guy was a teenager and the other kid was about Ren's age and he , as much as he hated to admit it, lost them. Well, at least Misao was safe. Kazuma set off to the quarters , knowing that the burns she suffered would be painful when she woke up . He almost forgot his real purpose for coming here but questions would have to wait for now. For now , these people and their intents were more important than Ayano's whatever it is or was. Not to him personally but he owed it to Misao and logically it was definitely more necessary of his attention. Suddenly words of fire appeared in front of him. He tried to sense the owner's aura but it was well hidden.
'Say hello to the princess for me . Bet that Ayano's a real beauty now'
He froze , the words disappeared but were still slowly sinking in and logic was getting harder and harder to choose. All he knows for sure at that moment was that , that kid ...that kannagi en-jutsu artist fought smart , was sure of his moves , not cocky in his actions and yet not completely disinterested in the condition of his teammate or obsessed with his mission. He fought for himself and he fought as he wished. He fought much like Kazuma himself and for some reason , Kazuma couldn't help feeling that those relations are more than by just coincidental. Once things for sure , that guy just got on his nerves.

Ayano's POV:-

I was in the cake-shop when a sinking feeling came over me
Something was wrong .
I would normally be at the safe-house but the place was empty . Sure , everyone was probably looking for the source of youma but still. Not to mention ,Taichi had this guilty look in his eyes and it was as if he wanted to tell me something but he never did . And the only person Taichi would keep secrets from me for is Christy . So all in all , something's going on ,well, something other than the clock ticking its countdown on my life . Man , how do I tell Ren , Yukari and Nanase about me having to leave? . And telling them the real truth would ... .good. Urg , I hate lying to deserve to know . I can't just disappear on them ...and Kazuma .

'I'll protect you.'

That idiot , I never asked him to protect me but no , he just has to decide to do just that ...ugh ,if I leave without telling him , he'll probably go into a guilt-induced rampage again ...although ,thinking that he'll react like that for me is a bit egotistic but it's almost as if he ...might...just have ..feelings for me . Hah , no way . Just teasing . Oh what the heck am I gonna do if he does have feelings for me ? Sure , I ...love him , which is practically heart-wrenching to admit . I felt like I was a betrayer. Well , I definitely understand why Kazuma refused to accept his feelings while we were...partners. I was attracted to him from the beginning and that confused me to no end . I mean , he was egotistic , greedy , perverted , always teasing me... he reminded me of Taka and at that time , I didn't even remember Taka their uncanny resemblance too . No wonder I fell for him . But ...if I had to choose , who would it be ? When I met Kazuma , my memories were already sealed ,including my memories of Taka , yet ... I liked the guy who normally would have been hated by me . No wonder I had anger issues . My mind was in chaos considering so much of my past was taken from me.
I looked at my left hand , the ring finger which used to hold my favourite ring . A ring symbolising a future that I could never have . A ring that I could not remember receiving , but could never throw away . A ring that Taka gave me .When my memories began to resurface , I placed the ring on that finger and it would help calm my ...recollection of a love ...that was already lost . After a while , I realised that despite the connection between Taka and Kazuma , one that Kazuma himself is unaware of , they were not the same . Well, they kinda were , but ...they weren't . And despite being confused, my heart wanted to let Kazuma in on this crazy past that explained so much . Besides ,...he deserved to know . That ring was now hanging around my neck with a thin cord and was tucked inside the top of my uniform.
I gave a sigh , which led to a tiny burp .
'Oh well... I was going to tell him ...and then he left the country . What more of an excuse do I need ? I guess it was just not meant to be . Ew , that sounds so sappy .'
I can't stay with him and I most definitely can Not involve him in this bloody ...situation that forced the heads to return my memories so that I could help them fight . Logically , that's only normal , I guess . I am the best person for the job ...if only I could do this without hurting anyone . Gotta admit , I'm glad to know that ...I'll be missed .
I continued stuffing my face with delicious cake as my mental ranting came to a close . It's a technique really: When in doubt , eat tasty sweet stuff and mentally rant about it . The stuffed mouth ensures that that you don't accidentally say anything out loud ...like HOW THE HECK CAN I TELL THEM ?IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'LL 'UNDERSTAND' LIKE DAD . REN AND KAZUMA WOULD DEFINITELY NOT SIT STILL . I CAN'T LET THEM GET INVOLVED ...AAAAHHHHH!
"Um, Ayano , are you okay?"
I turned to see my two best 'normal' friends looking at me with worry ...well, me and the enormous stack of empty plates in front of me . Christy's right , I'm getting distracted .
"Yukari , Nanase ..."
I yelled and then realised there was cake in my mouth. A quick swallow later.
"Hey guys , what are you doing here?..."
They both looked a bit insulted and angry and very worried. My heart squeezed a bit in pain .Can't say I blame the anger or insult. I have been kinda avoiding them for a while now . Too busy training ...which is what I would have been doing right now if Taichi didn't convince Rika to lock the training grounds because I was 'running myself ragged ' and 'needed to take a break'. Seriously , he'd be better as a mom than a dad when he finally gets kids . Too bad I won't be able to see them.
Yukari and Nanase were looking at me with a weird expression which might have something to do with how Ayano was freaking out with multiple emotions crossing her face While she simultaneously stuffed herself with cake.
"Ayano-chan ,...um... we need ...to talk..."
How do I tell them I'm leaving ?...for good ...how?
"I wanted to talk to you guys too."

A.N:-

The second half was basically rumblings to fill up space and mention some not-very-plot involved stuff . Please review . Hope you liked it.