After taking out Master beetle, Kuran gave me and Chihiri each a chair to sit and we talked to get to know each other.

But... me and Chihiri had 'trouble' listening.

"Oh! So Itou san is the pioneer of Oracle think tank!~"

"Y, Yeah. Whoa..."

I turned my head to see the hole that Chain blast made. There, two twenty meter sized dragons with orange and yellow armored wings, and three heavy armored red dragons with huge gauntlets were pouring lava and other minerals from their mouth or hand, to try to fill in the huge hole.

There was no mistaking it. Those dragons were Kagero units. Amber dragon, dusks and Lava arm dragons. Seeing dragon's that we've only seen on cards had come to life with my own eyes was just uncanny.

"O, Oh man... I think I'm going to hurl something other than lava!..."

"The hell?! Then turn your head, jackass! Before you stink this hellhole even more!"

"Dusk, if you hurl I swear to Nouvelle vague, I will bury you in this hole myself!"

"Hang on, me! We only have about 150 meters left! You rest while we will, BLLLRRGGHHHH!"

"Oh, great! Now we have two barfers with the same name! One of me, get this guys outta here!"

Well, that's disgusting. I never imagined that the color of dragon's barf would be grey. To be honest I never wanted to know about it, but hey I guess that's part of life. I just hope I could forget this image before I die.

"Hello?~ Itou san?~ Are you okay?"

Kuran waved her hand in front of me, probably trying to get my attention. I almost forgot that we were in the middle of a conversation.

"Oh, sorry. Uh, what were we talking about?"

"You just finished introducing yourself~ Next is Chihiri san! How do you know Itou san..."

"Yo, Itou! Look at those dragon dancers! They're freaking CUTE!"

Chihiri's eyes were fixed on several dragon dancers that was helping the dragons on the field.

For instance, the grey and orange haired dragon dancer, Marcel was creating the materials using her spiritual energy, that was needed to rebuild the demolished buildings.

While the light brown haired dragon dancer, Nilda was giving strength to the small grade 1 dragons. Making them more stronger so that they could carry the newly made building materials.

And there was the black haired dragon dancer, Monica who drew a circle of runes on the area around the materials the dragons brought. She placed her hand on the ground, and the circle glowed red, and the materials automatically assembled themselves until a brand new building was made.

"We need 200,000 tons of concrete over here! And some muscles to carry these steel beams!"

"Can somebody tell me where Kinnara is? I need his memory reading to remake furniture for the buildings!"

"We'll send him right away after he's finished with the vehicles!"

"Need some help with material making! If anyone's free, come right here! I'm talking to you, mister Shinsen!"

"Hey! I'm busy here, you know!"

It was completely bustling all around us. Dragons, humans, Wyverns and lizard man all worked together to fix this part of town. There were almost forty units working here, and they were all called by Kuran. Amaterasu did say that pioneers were able to call several units, but I didn't expect to be THIS much.

Sure, grade 3's who cost the most spiritual energy were a few, and the units mostly working was grade two,one and zeros. But despite that, it was incredible that Kuran alone was able to accomplish this. It surely was a spectacle.

"Oh, look at those exposed skins, man! Absolutely beautiful!"

"Yeah, they are pretty, aren't they?~"

Of course, Chihiri had her interests on 'other' things. She was practically drooling over them. Kuran was smiling as it WAS a compliment for her units, but I couldn't be more embarrassing of this idiot of a friend next to me that's talking with her instincts.

"Look over there! They're making furniture over there!"

"Really? Where?"

"Hey, Itou. You think they're gonna make the furnitures a little more 'dragon styled'?"

"Haha! Now that'll be an extreme makeover! Imagine the owner's face when he finds out his living room turned into a nest!"

No matter where you look, there was always something interesting to see. Even when it's just carrying or moving things, seeing fantasy life creatures do it was enjoyably entertaining.

"EXCUSE!~ ME!~"

Kuran yelled out loud right at our ears. Our eardrums rang as if Kuran yelled through a megaphone. But it was purely just her voice.

""Guack?!""

Me and Chihiri almost fell off our seats. I don't think it's even possible for a person's voice to go up that high. Despite her tone being still cheerful, it showed hints that she was getting annoyed from our behavior.

"S, Sorry."

"It's just that, this is all a first to us. We didn't mean to ignore you or anything."

"I know, I know~ But try to focus on our talk~ Please?~"

Thanks to it, she got our most genuine attention. We made sure to not pay attention to anything, but her. Since we didn't want our eardrums to ring again.

"Allow me to introduce myself!~ Again!~ My name's Kuran, Shiina! I'm a second year of Hitsue Gakuen, middle school division!~"

Hitsue? I've heard of it, since it was one of the schools that participate on our school festival. But I've never been there and only known it by name, since Hitsue was on the other side of town from ours.

"I'm Itou, Akasaka. I'm a first year of Eitouku Gakuen, high school division."

"I'm Chihiri, Kinoshita! Ditto for Itou over here."

"Oh! I heard of your school!~ It's a pretty high standard place, isn't it? The kids say it's as famous as Miyaji Gakuen!~"

With that, me and Chihiri talked about all kinds of things with Kuran. Since we were waiting until her Kagero units finished rebuilding this place, we had plenty of time to spare.

"And when I saw him do the pose, I knew that I HAD to make a meme out of it!~ I mean, I got slugged in the head real good, but it was totally worth it!~"

"A, Are you serious?! At THAT timing?! Hahaha! Oh my god, I can't believe you're still alive right now!"

"Yeah, but he thanked me later, cause it helped bring in more customers~ So all's well~ But he does yank my front hair, whenever I remind that to him~"

"Heck, I'd yank YOUR hair if you did THAT to me! Speaking of. Chihiri, don't you dare show 'that' picture to her."

"I... wasn't gonna do that."

"What picture? Show me~"

"Not in your life! Back off, or I'll yank your hair!"

This might be a little too hasty. But with all the talks we had, I believe Kuran is genuinely good. She was energetic, kind, a bit of a prankster sure, but was downright enjoyable to be with.

And it wasn't just her. Our 'fourth' speaker was quite entertaining as well. Since he was literally out of this world.

Chain blast's gigantic body was sitting right behind Kuran. Even sitting down his size was still big, towering at the same height as the newly made villa(courtesy of dragon dancers) next to it. With him sitting and looking down at us, it was like we were talking with one of those giant Buddhist statues you see in famous ruins. Only this was more scale and claws, and less beaded heads and meditation poses.

"So, there I was with Blademaster, yeah? We were burning some smokes at the old training ground, while the whole Kagero unit was under a no smoking rule. Which is the reason why I HATE Fall!"

"Huh, you guys... had a no smoking policy? Uh, why?"

"Some of the monks and other human units of Kagero complained that us dragons smoke 'too much'! Says it causes smell and ruins the warrior's spirit and body. Pure nonsense! To flame dragons, smoking is like breathing in air! You just don't mess with that, you know?!"

"Sounds like... you guys didn't like that... much."

"Of course I, I mean, of course WE did! Some blockhead idiots smoke bad ones like Coalfume weed, but the majority smoke common Charcoal leaves! Sure, it's 'kinda' bad for your health in long term, but seriously what isn't in life?! Unfortunately the higher ups made this into an annual thing, and we're forbid to smoke for the entirety of fall! So Chihiri, it's not that we HAD a no smoking policy, we HAVE a no smoking policy!"

"Oh, come on~ It's not so bad?~ Smoking IS bad for you, so I think it's a really good policy!~"

"Yeah, easy for you to say, cause you don't smoke! It's like... banning you for eating meat! You want that?"

"Hey, that's cheating! Bringing my favorite food into this! Meat is good and you KNOW it! Smoking is bad! End of story!"

"Alright, sorry. I guess I went overboard with that."

Kuran and Chain blast was talking casually like they were brother and sister. It was still uncanny to see a small middle school girl, talking friendly to a 50 meter tall, heavily armed combat hardened dragon. And he was a pretty scary one at that. His enormous size, dangerous weapons and his mouth full of razor teeth, everything.

However Chain blast also treated us in kind.

"Back to the topic. Me and Blade master were relaxing until Master Overlord caught us red handed. We were unlucky that he suddenly decided to patrol the area at that time and day."

"What happened next?"

"We had two choices. Run 2000 laps around the training ground, with our hands tied behind our backs and our heads planted to the ground, or getting our ban expanded for another two months."

"And you chose..."

"The laps, of course! Our love for smokes is eternal! No way we were gonna let pesky physical pain stop us! But get this. Around the 500th lap, Master overlord joined us. He said that he was responsible for our mistakes and would run the ground with us."

"That sounds so cool!"

"Hmm, I wonder why I smell bullshit..."

"Huh! Aren't you a smart one?"

"Huh? What?"

When hearing my thoughts Chain blast's cheeks rose with a big smile and offered me a high five, which meant shoving his gigantic hand in front of me. I didn't touch his hand but appreciated Chain blast's 'big' offer. He then pulled back his hand and continued his story.

"Like Itou said, as it turns out he also got caught smoking! In the armory no less! You know, he was one of the few who agreed to the no smoking rule. Imagine how hard it must've been to break his own rule."

"Wow. You guys must've been pissed."

"Not really. It was actually good to see that even a national hero like him was just like us. Before that we thought he was born great and a stick up his, well you know. In fact, because of that the entire troops really warmed up to Master overlord. So long story short, our troops got ourselves a reliable smoking buddy~ Smoking became a hell of a lot more easier after that for sure!"

"Maybe you guys really need to lay off the smokes."

"I agree man."

"Oh, come on! Not you guys too!"

With no one to agree with, Chain blast got upset and pouted until we cheered him up, saying that a dragon smoking looked cool.

At first, me and Chihiri were intimidated by him. I mean, who wouldn't when you have something that could squash you whole with just it's fingertip? But by sharing conversations with him, we soon learned he wasn't bad at all. Despite his overly scary figure he was friendly, like an older brother who you can rely to.

Now, we were just talking. Joking and even making fun of each other. Just by talking, our view of Chain blast had completely changed. It was kind of amazing that with just a few words, the barrier that we thought we had against Chain blast didn't matter anymore.

Though it's a little hard talking to him. Not because he was uncomfortable, but of needing to move our necks all the way up just to see his face. We didn't want to be rude with him but if me and Chihiri keep on looking up, we were going to have a sore neck at the end of the day.

"Excuse me, Master Chain blast."

Our talk came to a halt when Gattling claw dragon and Lizard soldier, Raopia flew down from the sky and landed close to Chain blast. Their weapons have changed to feature more 'constructive' uses. Gattling claws's gun now fired thick nails and not bullet rounds, while Raopia held a huge sledgehammer instead of his long spear.

"Oh, Gattling claw and Raopia. What's up?"

"Hey guys!~ Do you guys need more help?"

Kuran waved her hands and greeted them with glee. The two dragons simply bowed down their heads towards Kuran and Chain blast in a formal fashion, and soon continued to talk to them.

"No need. We came to inform you two that the job is almost done."

"It'll be done in the next twenty minutes. We dragons can take care of the rest, so I'd advice you return some of the dragon monks and dancers Kuran."

"You got it~ Hey guys!~ Thanks for working so hard today!~ I'll be sure to make it worth your while later!~"

Kuran turned around to face the units that finished their jobs, and shouted out loudly so that every one of them could hear her. We saw the rebuilt area around us and it was unbelievable. Only two hours had passed and everything looked just the way it was before the battle. The giant hole was gone, not one building were missing and unfinished, the cars, lamp posts, trees, they were all there just how we remembered. If they finish cleaning up the leftover debris on the streets, nobody would ever notice what really happened here.

Meanwhile all the human Kagero units around our area began to fade. And in a blink of an eye, all thirteen dragon monks and dragon dancers had disappeared all together. It wasn't just their bodies. The unit's equipment as well as their spiritual energy was all gone without a trace.

'Ah, so that's how it works...'

Being able to see Kuran's spiritual energy had taught me something new. The link between a pioneer and it's unit was simply a supply line for spiritual energy. The way to call off a materialized unit was just cutting off the supply line. That meant all things that contained spiritual energy from that unit would be gone when the link's severed. That's why their body and equipment disappeared together, since living and even non living objects all contained spiritual energy.

If I have to say it, this way seemed a little forced for the units. Being called and uncalled by the whim of it's pioneer. But I also know that there are times where that need is dire.

Just ask me, when I needed this info so much a few hours ago.

"Great job guys~ You all deserve your rest for all the hard work~"

"Well then, we'll be returning to our work now."

"I hope you have a good time with those two, Kuran."

"I will~ Thanks again you guys~"

"Hey, Gattling! Raopia! Here's a two pack for each of ya!"

Before the two dragons left Chain blast took out four small cigarette packs from the wrist part of his gauntlet. But the weird thing about it, was the cigarette packs were the size of normal humans. It was SO small, that I could barely see the packs between his sharp nails. Chain blast touched the cigarette packs with his nails, since his fingers were too big to catch them.

He threw the cigarette packs to the two of them, and they caught the bundle wrapped packs which was like a small bean compared to their large hands. Gattling and Raopia were extremely careful so that they won't crush the packs by accident.

"When you guys are done, tell the others to come to me for their smokes, okay?"

"Thank you, Master Chain blast."

"We'll be sure to tell them that."

"Oh, and tell them not to throw away the cigarette butts when their done! Come on, that's smoking manners 101!"

They immediately dropped the packs in their armor's pocket and flew away to continue their work. I can't imagine how all of them can smoke a cigarette that is so small. One puff and that was it. On second thought, I don't think it'll even last that long.

"Can you even smoke those things? Their size is definitely for humans, you know that?"

"I think you guys have to EAT those things in order to feel anything."

"What? Why the hell would we eat THOSE? We have our own ways so don't worry."

"Well!~ Now that we're almost done here, I guess we can call it a day~"

Kuran stood up from her chair while doing some simple stretches to ease her muscles. It seemed like she was ready to leave.

"Call it a day?"

"The sun's almost setting~ Don't you guys have to go home?~ Also I have to report back to a close person I know, so I'm afraid this is goodbye~"

"Oh yeah... I didn't realize what time it was. Actually Chihiri, what time IS it now?"

Chihiri turned on her smartphone screen to check the time.

"Let's see, half past six. Shit, this late already?! I guess I can kiss the live broadcast of season 2 goodbye."

"Ah damn it, my parents are gonna have a fit about this..."

"Hah! Lucky I don't have to worry about stuff like that!"

"That's not something you want to be proud about, Chihiri."

"Ah who cares! I love my lifestyle, man~"

Basically it's been almost four hours since we left school. Missing dinner time was one thing. Explaining what I've been doing all this time to my overly worrying parents, was something that I really don't enjoy doing. I'm almost sure that I'll never hear the end of them about scolding me about safety and what not.

"What about you Kuran? When are you going to leave?"

"When the other guys are done of course~ Don't worry about me, so just go ahead~ If we happen to bump into each other sometime, I hope we can meet somewhere nice next time~"

"Be careful of bed bugs tonight, you two!"

After checking out out stuff, me and Chihiri both got our bags and was ready to go home. While Kuran waved her hands goodbye, I looked at Kuran and Chain blast one last time.

It wasn't like I was worried about her. In fact, she was way more safer even without all the units on her side. If there's anyone who 'would' be in danger, it was us. After all 'this', it's hard to REALLY feel safe. Who knows? Maybe we could get ambushed on our way back. I mean, I might just be paranoid right now, but the possibility was still there.

And besides that, my mind kept yelling at me to 'seize this moment'. If there was a time to do it, right now was the perfect opportunity.

"Yo, Itou! Let's go! If you wanna bite you can come over to my place for some pizza."

Chihiri yelled as she was waiting for me to come with her. But I couldn't leave here so easily. There was no telling when we'll have this chance. It'll take a miracle for us to ever meet Kuran again.

No. I couldn't take that chance. I made up my mind and walked back to where Kuran was.

"Huh?! Why are you going back? Let's go home already!"

"Look, There's a thing I need to ask to Kuran."

"Like what?! Oh come on, I'm hungry man! Ugh! Wait for me!"

Being angry and confused, Chihiri kept yelling at me to go home. But when I didn't listen, she gave up and instead of going on her own she followed me back to Kuran.

"You better have a good reason for this, Itou."

"I do. At least, I think."

The two of us returned to where Kuran was. Kuran and Chain blast looked at us with several questions on our return. I can't blame them, since barely a minute has passed before we decided to leave.

"Huh? Why are you guys back?"

"Are you two okay?~ Wait, don't tell me you guys forgot your way back home?! I mean, I don't know where you guys live!"

"Whoa, easy Kuran! It's not like that. It's just that this butthead wants to talk to you about something."

"What, to Kuran?"

"Itou san? What is it?"

"Hah..."

I took a deep breath and then out again. Chain blast and Kuran stood there quietly while waiting for me to speak. It was hard to speak out when Kuran and Chain blast was just there staring at me.

But this is something I have to do. I'm not going to let some stupid stage fright ruin this. It may not work, but I know it's at least worth a shot. And besides, what have I got to lose?

I mustered up my leftover courage and finally opened my mouth.

"Kuran. Won't you let us team up with you?"

"Huh?"

"Itou? What do you mean by teaming up with her?"

"Isn't it obvious, Chihiri? I wish that Kuran could be our ally."

"Hmm."

Kuran and Chihiri seemed surprised by my sudden proposal. Chain blast was the only one who didn't react much. The friendly atmosphere from Chain blast suddenly changed drastically, as his gaze towards me became very watchful.

He remained silent as he crossed his arms while staring at me, like he was trying to observe this whole situation. But most importantly, me. To him, I was still a nobody who's trying to get awfully close to his pioneer.

This was the thing that I was afraid of, but not something that I can't understand. Exchanging some few conversations doesn't mean that you automatically know and trust that person. It's actually reasonable for Chain blast to act like this.

Hell, I could see Amaterasu acting like this if Kuran was the one who approached me like what I'm doing.

"Okay, I'm gonna level with you here. I'm not prepared for this. Like, at all. But I have an ability that can help you in many ways."

"Ability? Oh, you mean your Psyqualia ability!~ I'm curious what it is~"

Okay, this is good. At least she show some interest in me. And as a sign of good faith, I'll resolve her curiosity.

"Well then I'll tell you. I can see images from the future. Remember when I warned you guys about Master beetle attacking from behind?"

"Oh! So that's how you did it~ Thanks for that!~"

"You know, telling us your Psyqualia ability is pretty risky there, Itou. After all, we ARE still strangers."

"I know. But I don't want you guys to think that we're hiding things. And if you guys really wanted to be strangers to us, you wouldn't have saved us from the start. But hey, that's just my own opinion."

"...I guess. I wonder, what do you expect from us if we DO become allies?"

Chain blast was looking right through me. He knows that I wasn't giving them info purely on goodwill, but as a bargaining chip to impress them. Even Chihiri was giving me looks on how obvious I acted. Kuran seemed oblivious about this, but I have a hunch that she knows too.

But what choice do I have? Kuran and Chain blast is the ones who has the ball. If they decide they don't want to team up, then that's it. And we are in dire need of them. It's either persuading them or nothing.

"If we do become allies, I wish that you provide protection for Chihiri and me from the things like we fought today. Not every day or anything, but just enough so that we would feel safe."

"Your friend too? Here I thought you would ask only for your protection."

"Itou, you don't have to do that for me. I, I'll be fine."

Chihiri said that but she was wrong. Sure she wasn't a Psyqualia user. Which means it's highly unlikely that she would be a target like I am. She could live out a normal life like always. But what if something like Master beetle finds out and try to use her to get to me? There's no telling what other hostile units might do.

I have a feeling that some are still out there. Units, or even Pioneers who are much worse than Master beetle. And no matter how hard I try, I know that I can't do this all on my own.

"Chihiri, I know you're trying to not make me worry, but you know how desperate these units want to get their hands on someone like me. They might come for you too, and you already live alone. I, I just don't want to get you hurt okay?"

"Itou..."

"Alright, but what of your family? You plan to place them under our protection too?"

"No. I can't let you guys do all the work. If you protect me, I'll do anything to get stronger until I'm able to protect them myself. You guys have less work, and you get a stronger ally. What do you guys think?"

After hearing my thoughts, Kuran and Chain blast exchanged looks with each other. They didn't say anything, but I bet that they don't need to.

Their wordless discussion worried me. The most obvious thing that they would be saying would probably be, if I could be trusted or not. The slightest doubt of me betraying them would shatter this whole thing apart, and I don't blame them if they do.

But I'm a simple person. As long as they don't kill or hurt the ones I know, there's not a single chance that I'll ever betray them. I'll make sure that I swear it with my life.

For better or worse, their secret discussion quickly came to a close. And the first one to open their mouth, was Chain blast.

"Oh, what the hell. I agree. I think you guys are more than welcome to join us."

"Huh?"

"Y, You do?"

"Of course! I really enjoyed talking with you guys. And honestly, I have a soft spot for guys who admit their limits, and still aim to get stronger. So yeah, I'm hella agreed!"

His cheeks rose with a big smile, while giving both of us a double thumbs up. Chain blast was the last one I ever thought who would welcome us. Him greeting us with open arms was a legit surprise to me. Seeing Chain blast's wide smile almost made me forget his once cautious demeanor. When I thought I got to know Chain blast, a second later I'm back to square one.

But it's like his own words. We're still strangers.

"G, Good... Thanks, Chain blast..."

Now that we got Chain blast's approval, all that's left was Kuran's. Now that I think about it, she actually hasn't said anything about my proposal. Sure she didn't refuse us, but she didn't approve us either. I was so focused on Chain blast, I didn't really think about how Kuran would consider this.

"What do you think, Kuran? Ready to make some new friends?"

"Hmmm~"

At least Chain blast seemed positive about us. It's ironic how Chain blast was now speaking for us, when at first I thought he would be the one to be the most difficult. With Chain blast being on our side, I thought it would be easier with Kuran. If Kuran and Chain blast is as close as I think they are, their opinions wouldn't be that much different.

At least, that's what I'd hoped.

Before she said anything, Kuran took a quick glance at both me and Chihiri. After letting out a sigh, she opened her mouth and gave her answer.

"No."

Kuran's answer was short and simple. My thoughts froze, unable to take in that one simple word. That one word was all it took to crash down my hopes.

Is this some kind of a sick joke? How could Chain blast be the one to agree, and the one to disagree is Kuran? It just doesn't make any sense.

'Was it something we said or did? Maybe... Maybe the talk we had was a test? Are we a too much liability for her? Gah! I can't figure it out!'

I had to ask her. If I could find out the problem, maybe she would change her mind. I couldn't just let this be over.

After calming myself down, I tried my best to ask her without stuttering too much.

"Oh... C, Can I ask why?..."

"I think you two already know the answer."

"I, Is it money? I can give you as much as you want! Just promise me that you'll at least look after Itou!"

Chihiri stepped in when Kuran mentioned the both of us. She was as desperate as I was, to the point she wasn't thinking straight. I quickly pushed her back before she could make things worse.

"What the hell are you doing, Chihiri?!"

"What do you THINK I'm doing? I'm trying to save our asses! It's obvious that she wants something in return!"

"No offense Chihiri san, but I don't need your money. It has nothing to do with money or reward."

"T, Then what is it? Did we do something to offend you? Come on! Just tell us and we'll fix it! Please!"

"I'm sorry, but that's for you two to figure it out."

No matter how much we beg and ask her, Kuran simply wouldn't budge. Nothing. And I mean nothing was coming up to my mind. Just what is the 'answer' that she expects from us?

An apology for our mistakes?

A sworn oath to do her bidding?

Spilling our darkest secrets for her amusement?

'Just what is it?!'

It was no use. Kuran's answer was a maze without exit. No matter what we do, Kuran would never be satisfied. Do I have to admit that this is the end? Could I become stronger before another disaster falls to anyone I know? Am I ready to go through the pain that Amaterasu and I will face every time we fight? Will I even survive after that?

But what choice do I have? This is a fight that I have to go through alone. I'll just have to do it. I won't let my loved ones hurt because of me, ever again.

Even if I have to bite the bitter end...

And then, Chain blast let out a sigh and said to Kuran.

"Kuran, just tell them. I know you already made up your mind to bring them in."

Me and Chihiri became dumbfounded by Chain blast's words. No, there's no way. Nothing about Kuran was showing signs of anything. If she did accept us, then what's the reason for asking us some kind of answer?

Doesn't Chain blast know? Kuran obviously doesn't want us. I mean, Kuran clearly said it herself that she won't accept us unless we...

'Hold on... W, Wait a second... Did she?...'

I tried remembering the moment when Kuran said no. Chain blast asked if she was ready to make new friends, and Kuran replied no. Did that mean that she refused the whole idea to become allies, or wasn't literally 'ready'?

In fact, did she ever give a clear answer on what that 'no' was? Is Chain blast actually telling us the truth?

But...why? Why is this answer so important, even though she already made up her mind?

Surprisingly, the answer that the two of us couldn't figure out, came from the mouth that asked us in first place.

"Oh, all right. I was kinda hoping you guys would answer, but here goes. Itou san, Chihiri san. Are you guys afraid of me?"

This? This was the answer? The answer that me and Chihiri wrapped our heads around, was 'are we afraid of Kuran'? A really vague question aside, why did she want to hear this from us?

"Wh, what? Afraid of you?"

"N, No?..."

"W, Why would we?

We tried to be polite, but Kuran was having none of that. Kuran shook her head while letting out a deep sigh.

"Guys, please. You can tell me the truth. I'm not going to hurt you guys. You have my word on that."

"And mine too. I ain't gonna hurt you guys, just because you badmouth her."

Kuran and Chain blast both gave their word. Kuran wasn't mad. Far from it actually. She was patiently waiting for us to speak, with a warm smile on her face. It seemed like they really have no intent to hurt us.

There was still some doubt left in my mind, but I decided to take a chance.

"Okay, I guess I feel a little intimated by you. I never saw someone as powerful as you, and it's a little scary when I think you can squash me at anytime."

When I finished telling my true thoughts, I was afraid. A part of me expecting that Kuran would attack me for insulting her. But she didn't. The look on her face even got brighter after she heard my words. Then I felt a sense of relief. Unloading that uncomfortable truth was as refreshing like a cool breeze. Soon after I finished talking, Chihiri took a quick gulp and decided to follow along.

"Well, personally I think you guys kick ass. But Chain blast is a little well... fucking terrifying. No offense though!"

"None taken! As a warrior, I take pride in that!"

"Oh, good. Whew..."

Chihiri then let out a long sigh of relief. I know that feeling all too well. Kuran nodded her head in satisfaction, as if she was happy that we told her the truth.

"See? That wasn't so hard? I know that Chain blast and I might seem intimidating to some people. But I want you guys to know that we don't want to scare people. Though I admit, it's a little hard for people to NOT get afraid at first glance~"

"Yeah... Sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize, Itou san~ It's only natural~"

Kuran paused for a moment, like she was thinking about something. The smile on her face slightly faded and she let out a deep sigh. Soon she spoke to us in a more sincere tone, rather than her playful one.

"But if we're going to become allies, I don't want you guys to see me as a scary monster. I don't WANT to do anything that would make you guys to think that I am, too. I want us to become friends. Simple as that. Someone who could share jokes to one another. To spend fun times together. And to look out for each other when we need help. Do you think I'm going to leave you guys all on your own, when you need help the most? No way! Of course I'm going to help you guys! What's the meaning of being strong if you don't help people with it? What I'm trying to say here is just... Don't be afraid of me... All I want to do is help you guys."

Every one of Kuran's words rang true. Her words struck our chest, like we were stabbed by a stake. I now knew the answer she wanted from us. It was when I told her about my ability. I told myself that it was to please Kuran in order to make her help us. But deep in my heart, it was out of fear. Afraid of what she would do to us, if I don't do what she wants. I gave in to my fears and Kuran realized that.

But Kuran wasn't that kind of person. She would've helped us regardless of what we did. We knew nothing about her. All the things we've done to win her over, was actually showing how much we feared her. Kuran kept smiling, but in truth she was crying in the inside.

I felt sick. I only cared on what I thought was right, without even trying to care on what Kuran would feel. She was right. I really was the one who had the answer.

But it's not too late. We can still fix this.

"Can we start over, Kuran? We'll make sure to give you your answer."

"Sure. By all means."

"Do your best, you two!"

Even after all our mistakes, Kuran wasn't going to give up on us just yet. She gave us a second chance. And this time, me and Chihiri won't waste it.

'If we're going to do this right...'

Then, an idea came to my mind like a bolt of lightning. It was cheesy and I loved it. I turned my head towards Chihiri to let her know. But the moment she saw my face, she was already on my level.

"Wanna say it together, Itou?"

"Heh, it's like you read my mind."

"I'm your bro, man. That's kinda my job."

We both chuckled to each other. The two of us stood straight and looked directly towards Kuran. Kuran spoke first, smiling as if she somehow already knew what we were going to say.

"So, what's your answers? Do you want to become allies with us?"

That IS what we want. You can ask us countless times, and we'll always answer yes. But is that it? Just an alliance formed by a mutual understanding? Will we be alright with that? But most of all, will Kuran be alright with that?

""NO!""

I regret every second that I thought I was afraid of this lovely girl. It's not just her strength that made Kuran strong, but her heart as well. It was no wonder why Kagero's dragons would follow her.

Being allies with Kuran? That wasn't enough. With her help, I'll make sure I get stronger. I'll make sure to be strong enough until I could protect her in return. To be a worthy ally.

No, not an ally. But...

""We wish to be your friend!""

"Hahahaha!~ Perfect answer you guys!~"

Kuran jumped out of her seat and cheerfully gave us a double thumbs up, while making the most brightest and warm smile that melted all of our doubts. Me and Chihiri couldn't help but to return the favor by raising both of our thumbs to her. Chain blast also joined in by raising his thumbs that was thick as a tree trunk. Chain blast had already accepted us, and he was thrilled now that we were on the same team.

"Hell yeah! Way to go you guys! I think this calls for some celebrational smoke! And Kuran, no. I would not take no for an answer!"

"Alright, but just one, okay?~ Just one!~"

"Fine by me!"

Chain blast smiled in joy as he pulled out the same pack of cigarettes he gave to Gattling claw and Raopia. Looking at his ridiculously small cigarette pack just raised more questions for us. Like I said before, those cigarettes were way too small for a titan figure that was Chain blast. Even if all the smokes are lit they wouldn't last one sip, let alone a second.

I didn't really care since I don't smoke. But I at least had to know how this whole confusing situation makes sense to him.

"Uh, Chain blast?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think you have to smoke something a little BIGGER than that to feel anything?"

"Well, duh. If I smoke right now, that is. I'm gonna smoke this little sucker in my 'other from'."

"Huh? Say what?"

"Did he just say, other form?"

FLASH!

Before we could ask him anything, Chain blast's entire body had turned into a giant form of red light. Me and Chihiri were blinded by the strong light, and quickly covered our eyes that was now only able to see pale white. Luckily we weren't permanently blind as our sight quickly recovered. Before we could see straight, I could hear unfamiliar footsteps coming close to us. At first I thought it was Kuran's but these feet had more weight to it. When our sights had completely returned, me and Chihiri saw a tall man standing in front of us, lifting his hand and saying hello.

"Shoot, sorry. I should have warned you guys about the light. My bad."

Chain blast's huge body was nowhere to be seen. And in his absent place, was a red haired man with a short ponytail sticking out at back of his head. He looked somewhat older than us. Like a college student maybe around his early twenties. But the clothes he wore was nothing BUT a student. From his neck to toe was an all black, punk styled leather outfit. Black coat, black gloves, black pants, black boots you name it. There were even small silver spikes poking out of the shoulder part of his coat and the boot's toe box, to really show off the 'punk' look. Or maybe it's a biker look? Whatever it was, the presence it let out was hard not to notice. And the man's big, sharp eyes which was staring right at us, gave one hell of a killer gaze.

'N, No... It can't be. This man is... Really? How?'

Several questions came rushing inside my head. But I managed to calm down, and carefully ask the man my most obvious question.

"Uh... Chain... blast?"

"Yeah?"

The man answered, to a name that seemed like it did not belong to him. But then, the same man took out a single cigarette from a pack he was holding. It was the same one Chain blast had, and now looked perfect in size for the man's hand. He took the cigarette to his mouth and lit the end, from a fire that rose from his fingertip.

I don't know how, or freaking why. But there was no doubt. This man standing right in front of us. IS the giant flame dragon and Kuran's partner, Chain blast.

"OH. MY."

"GOD!"

"Kuran, what's up with these guys?"

"Ahaha~ It seems they're new to units taking 'human form'~"

Whew! That took longer than I expected...

And like usual, reviews are appreciated!

Current Pioneers:

Itou Akasaka- Oracle think tank

Kuran Shiina- Kagero