Shirou threw a well-placed punch at Nitmasu's jaw and knocked him out cold, managing to grab Lili before she could get trapped under the man's body. He looked at her and carefully set her down against the rock in front of him, where she would be in his line of sight while he tied Nitmasu's hands behind his back. Once finished, he tied Nitmasu's feet to a pipe and walked over to Lili and the door. He smiled a little when Lili sat up against the rock and looked up at him. Her sparkling green eyes glittered with confusion.
He helped her to her feet and led her out of the room and back to the stairs. He was too relieved to notice the faint glitter of weapons as he and Lili walked up the stairs. She took a sudden step closer to him, and, almost as fast as a snake strikes, grabbed him arm and jerked him towards her. Barely after she did, he felt a rush of air behind his back. Then did he finally notice the two people standing behind Lili. He looked at her now, seeing a small smile on her face.
"Shall we dance?" She said, sidestepping as a sword swung down. He looked at her, matching the movement and smiling back. "Yes we shall," he replied. She dropped to the ground, sweeping her leg towards the attacker, tripping him. All int the same movement, she twirled, humming a tune to the killer beat. Shirou stabbed the man behind him and swung around, his blade hitting the man on the bottom jaw. The man's mouth swung open, blood seeping out of it's new wound, and he ran down the stairs, a low moan barely audible.
Once outside, he closed the trapdoor and pushed a heavy trashcan on top of it. "There. Now they won't be able to get out," he said. She walked over to him. "Or at least until some idiot moves the trashcan and lets them out." They looked at each other and smiled at the thought. Lili looked up at the sky. The moon was above them and the stars were shining brightly. Was it really that late? Madi and Kumi ran through her mind. "Look, Shirou, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow at school!" She said the last sentence as she ran down the street, back to her house.
He hesitated, then shrugged as she turned a corner and walked back to his own house. She opened the front door and smiled as she saw Madi and Kumi on the floor, fast asleep. They had obviously been waiting for her to come home, but fell asleep in the attempt. She walked into her room and changed into her pj's, making herself comfortable. She walked out and into the kitchen to make herself some food. Making popcorn, she turned on the TV and lay on her bed until she fell asleep, knowing that she was safe for the time being. What she didn't know, however, was that at the same moment, Shiruo was on his bed thinking the same thing.
Lili woke up to the gasps of Madi and Kumi as they saw her on her bed. "Where were you last night?" Kumi asked. "Yeah! We stayed up for hours waiting for you!" Madi put in. Lili looked at the clock on the table beside her. It read 5:00. She sat up quickly, regretting it seconds later. Her body wasn't fully awake yet so now she was dizzy. They looked at her, concerned for her welfare.
"I'll make breakfast today, Lili," Kumi said, still looking at her. Madi nodded. "You don't look too good, Lili. Maybe you should stay home today." Lili shook her head, partly to tell them no and partly to clear the dizziness. "I'll still go to school today. Just a little dizzy is all. Not fully awake yet." Lili told them. Kumi nodded and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Madi, however, did not look convinced at all. Lili smiled at her and made a shooing motion with her hand. Reluctantly, Madi left the room for Lili to change into clothes to wear to school.
They ate breakfast in a hurry and rushed to school, managing to get to class on time. Sitting at her seat, Lili's eyes wandered around the too-familiar room. She never really liked math. Her favorite has always been English. Even as she had those thoughts, her eyes kept wandering. Finally, she found herself staring at the back of Shiruo's head once more.
The bell rang, dismissing them from class and now they had free period, where Lili, Kumi, and Madi usually went outside. Lili stood up and walked over to Kumi and Madi, who were texting away on their phones. Lili didn't have one, or want one, yet so neither of them could text her. They stood up distractedly when she walked over and they all went outside. As they walked into the hallway, a rushing student bumped into Lili and knocked the papers out of her hands.
"Oops! Sorry!" He said as he ran down the halls once more. She shook her head and bent over to pick them up. Madi was bending down to help, texting with one hand as fast as a hummingbird could flap it's wings. They were almost done picking them up when Shirou, who had just walked out of the classroom, walked their way and almost tripped on an extra piece of paper. He bent down and retrieved it, brushing past Lili as he walked quietly down the hall once more. A picture flashed through her mind of him in chains back in the area that he took her.
She stood up, clearing her head of the thought. Even if that did happen, she was no hero. She could barely even defend herself the first time he took her down there! Pushing the thoughts of self doubt aside, she, Kumi, and Madi walked down the hall and out to the courtyard. Kumi was as happy as ever, though Madi seemed a bit more distracted than usual. The two bullies were hanging out by the stairs and they did their best to avoid the two.
Lili looked at the bullies as she and her friends walked past, studying their eyes. The two had piercing red eyes, with a hint of blue and yellow. Those eyes... They're not normal. Lili thought as she lost the two around a corner. Madi tapped Kumi's shoulder and pointed to Shirou, who was now climbing the ladder and onto the roof of one of the school buildings next to the arch. While Lili was distracted, they climbed the ladder to follow him, leaving Lili alone. When they got to the top, Shirou was waiting for them, leaning against the air conditioning.
"What happened last night, Shirou?" Madi asked. Shirou shrugged, looking uninterested. "Just a little run in with Nitmasu and his men. It's nothing really," he answered. Kumi looked up from her phone hurriedly. "WHAT?" She yelled. "YOU KNOW THAT THEY CAN INHABIT ANYONE THEY WANT RIGHT?!" He nodded. "Yes, but we covered the door with a trashcan." Madi stepped forward angrily. "And what would happen when garbage day comes?" Shiruo hesitated. Rider appeared by Kumi's side. "What's wrong?" Kumi looked at Archer in surprise. "How? I didn't use a command seal!"
Rider shrugged. "I heard you yelling from the other side of the city." Kumi blushed, turning back to Shirou. "So?" A small movement caught Shirou's eye before he answered. "They would escape, I know." He answered. Kumi saw his distracted look, and moved to the left, clearing the view so he could see who or what was here. Madi, unaware that they were trying to be inconspicuous, turned around and gasped. Kumi turned with her and also gasped when they saw Lili hanging off the arch. Lili's arms and legs were wrapped around the smallest part, reminding them of a scared cat.