The Five Powers

Problem with Power
©February 2004

The ground crumbled but managed to stay together. He stared at the ground in disbelief for a moment before letting out a chilling sigh that sounded like Death himself. He raised his sword again but paused as he saw the two unique humans step forward in anger and confusion. He lowered his sword, knowing that they were going to try and stop him. He could kill them right now, but he decided not to. He wanted to see what they could do. Besides, if he killed them now... well, what would the fun be in that?

ホヒカエン whispered the voice, and Key echoed it out loud.

"ホヒカエン Give me your power...!" Key closed his eyes and let the pain rip at him before that wonderful rush of power surged through his veins. He felt the warm flames and smiled, embracing them as if it were an old friend.

カイエナイ whispered the voice to Miria and she smiled.

"カイエナイ..." she said softly, like a whisper of a breeze. "Come to me!" She let her eyes close and endured the pain until she felt the waves caress her gently, cradling her for a moment before the silk slid over her arms and she knew she had changed.

Rev and Kaizen could do nothing, so they just backed away as far as possible to still be in relative safety. Miria twirled her staff a few times, laughing joyously. Key pulled his sword from its sheath and held it ready. The figure seemed to smile at this, but the mask effectively hid any facial emotions. Key scowled and rushed forward, letting his sword scream the insults he wanted to. The stranger moved easily to the side and Key had to dig his heels in to stop himself. He felt water touching his legs and shivered slightly. The water didn't feel good. The stranger didn't turn to face him, and Key knew that this was an insult.

"Do not turn your back on me!" he yelled, running forward as if to impale the man on his sword. The man again stepped aside with ease, and Key found himself almost falling onto his face in the sand. He growled, dragging the sword over the sand as he came to a stop. "Do not mock me!"

The figure seemed to laugh, but still no sound penetrated the creepy mask that covered his face. Miria jumped forward, ready to put her acrobatic skills to the test against this new enemy. She kicked out, but he moved his head to the side. She quickly stuck her staff into the ground and kicked with her other leg in one fluid movement. He bent backwards slightly and she landed on the sand, staring at him in amazement. She sent a flurry of kicks his way and swung her staff at him, but he dodged every one.

"Huh... that is so unfair." she said finally, feeling slightly winded.

Key glared angrily at the expressionless armor clad enemy and finally snorted. "Think we should swim for it now?" As if in answer to his question, huge waves crashed up against the island, flooding the ground.

Miria blanched and looked back at the black armor. She noticed something and blinked a few times. "Hey... isn't that the same armor as yours, Key?"

Key didn't get a chance to answer. The previously passive enemy became aggressive. He leapt forward, slamming his thin sword against Key's large one. Key grunted as he was pushed backwards by incredible strength. He knew that if ホヒカエン hadn't been with him he would have been dead. His muscles strained in exasperation as he tried his best to push back. He knew that he was no match and tried to back away, fearing his arms would break from the constant pressure. However, the stranger did not back away. He followed Key step for step until Key felt like screaming in pain. He was sure his muscles were.

Miria came to his rescue, slamming her staff into the ground. The ground crumbled and water spurted up into the air, showering the two. With this momentary distraction, she slammed the side of her staff into the black-armored stranger and leapt back as he made a grab for her. Key felt strangely weak as the water rained over him. He gasped softly and fell to his knees, his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach. Miria looked at him in concern, but had her hands full as the stranger now turned his full attention on her.

Miria leapt backwards, trying to avoid coming too close to Kaizen or Rev. She barely managed to block a heavy blow from the sword. She felt the staff straining and knew that one more hit like that and it would snap. She twirled it a few times and felt it expand slightly under the water that still fell over them. She blocked another blow, grateful that it had strengthened when it had. Her mind was working as she barely dodged another swing. She figured that since Key used fire attacks, the water was weakening him considerably. At the same time, since she seemed quite attached to water, it was strengthening her.

She had no more time to think as she saw that her enemy now was going for the crippled Key. She leapt in front of him, trying to draw his attention away. He seemed to smirk at her and gave a sloppy swipe that still forced her to jump to the side. He walked right to Key and lifted him up, his cold eyes burning at the sight of Key in pain. He squeezed his fingers slightly around Key's throat and enjoyed the choking sounds he made.

Miria flipped into the air, slamming her staff into the stranger, but he had blocked it with a wisp of black energy. It wrapped around her staff and squeezed it tightly. She could hear and feel the tension growing, cracking it to pieces. She managed to pull away, but could not distract him any further. Key tried to bring his fingers together, but his armor was now slippery and his fingers kept missing each other. His vision was hazy and that didn't help much either. He finally gave up and felt the power disappearing from within himself.

Miria stared helplessly before hearing a voice in her head. She embraced it desperately, hoping for some help. ワイルドレイジングウェイフズ

"Wild raging waves!" she called out, twirling her staff around once one way and then once the other way. With one hand with her fingers spread wide, the other wrapped tightly around the staff, she slammed it into the ground, being careful to not destroy their tiny island.

The sky turned dark and lightning flashed from out of nowhere. Even in the midst of an immense storm, no clouds appeared. Thunder rumbled angrily and rain began to fall. Key groaned in pain, but Miria could do nothing. The waves became violent, sweeping the life within them along forcefully. They crashed over the island and Miria screamed. She wasn't sure what she had done, but it hadn't been the best idea. Key floated out of the strangers grasp and Rev grabbed onto him, barely keeping his own head above the water. Miria was quite comfortable in the water, and swam easily over to them. The stranger was nowhere to be seen beneath the violent waves.

Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 14. Published to an online open website. The Five Powers
1st part of chapter 2... Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 

 

Problem with Power
©February 2004

"Grab onto Key!" she shouted to Rev and Kaizen, they were fighting to keep above the water, but they managed to grab onto Key and his armor.

Miria grabbed onto Key's hand, feeling the disturbing temperature of the armor. It was freezing cold, and she could even feel it dropping as she swam through the water easily. She sped up her pace, slicing through the water with Rev and Kaizen holding tightly onto Key. Key was very heavy, especially with all his armor. She was also distressed by his temperature. The shore seemed nowhere in sight and she needed to go faster. The weight was just not going to let her though.

"Change back Key!" she shouted at the unconscious form that was being dragged behind her. "Please!"

Key did not respond, and started to sink under the water. Miria gritted her teeth and began swimming again, begging anyone or anything to make the shore come closer. She never expected that plea to be answered. Kaizen stared in worry at Key and Rev, knowing that the only person in the group that was feeling comfortable was Miria. He also felt the shocking temperature of Key's armor and it was making his hands hurt horribly. He heard a roaring in his ears and the next thing he knew they were all on shore, gasping and dragging Key out of the waters reach.

Rev couldn't let go of Key's armor. His fingers were frozen to the cold metal and he was grimacing in pain. He didn't want to scream in front of Miria or Kaizen, but he couldn't stop a loud whine from escaping. Miria stepped over Key and smacked him as hard as she could across the face. Key didn't wake. She felt panic rising within Rev and knew that Key had to wake. He didn't know it, but he was hurting Rev. Kaizen peeled his fingers from the armor, gritting his teeth from the pain.

"Wake up..." he whispered, rubbing his hands together. "Key, wake up please..."

Key slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Miria's face. "Wha..."

A pitiful whimper from Rev woke him up completely. He saw the predicament and winced, forcing his body to cooperate. The power within him slowly faded, fighting him angrily the whole way. Rev collapsed beside him with a cry and breathed hard. Key pushed himself up to a sitting position and stared at Miria, questioning her silently. She was too exhausted to tell him, and changed back as well, falling to the ground and not even caring that her rear hurt now.

Key shook water from himself, and got a few groans of discomfort from Rev. He saw his friends around him and knew that Rev was going into some sort of demented shock. He was talking to himself and shaking his head a lot. Key fought the urge to smile and felt the armor covering his body again. It felt warm, but not nearly as much as it usually was. He bent down next to Rev and cupped his hands near the shivering boy. A flame erupted from his palms and Rev looked over to him.

"... T-Th-Thanks..." Rev said, his teeth chattering.

Key allowed himself to smirk and clapped his hands together, smothering the fire. Rev looked at him curiously and Key opened his hands again, rubbing one over Rev's shoulder. Rev shivered as he felt heat pour back into his body. It was gradual because though Key wanted Rev to be comfortable, he didn't want to give the guy a heart attack. Rev smiled, his long black hair tangled about him. Key kept rubbing Rev's shoulders until Rev's teeth finally stopped chattering.

By that time, Kaizen had warmed himself up and was back to his usual attitude. Miria was watching Key, but when he turned to look at her she looked away. Miria bounded over to Kaizen and tried to talk to him. He ignored her until finally he turned to her and demanded to know what she wanted.

"I was just wondering why you're always trying to be by yourself." she said quietly. "It just seems to me that you would enjoy being around us so much more if you were our friend..."

Kaizen looked a little taken aback but then crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "I don't need any of you as my friends."

"But... wouldn't it be so much better if you had people that you could count on if you were hurt? Wouldn't it be nicer to know that you're not alone?"

"No. Just leave me alone, I like... being alone."

"... I don't think you do." Miria whispered.

Kaizen turned in anger, but it melted away and he sighed. "I'm not good at making friends," he said finally. "I have always relied on myself, and never had to take care of others. It's... weird."

"Just give us a chance." Miria pleaded. "I'm sure you'll like us a lot more if you talk to us!"

Kaizen wanted to glare at her, but he didn't. However, he did not respond either. Key was about to stand up but a still cold hand latched onto his arm. He looked down to see Rev holding onto his arm. Blue lips quivered from the cold and Rev flushed slightly.

"What's wrong?" Key asked.

"I'm still so cold. Sorry to bug you, but you have such handy powers." Rev said with a little laugh.

Key felt the urge to protest to that. His powers hadn't done anything but cause trouble for everyone when he had practically fainted from a little water. He settled for, "If you say so."

Rev held onto his arm, feeling the warmth until he realized what he was doing. He blushed furiously and let go as if he had been burned (no pun intended). Key, who had been standing there patiently, half bent over, stood up and smiled reassuringly at Rev. Rev gave a sigh and got to his feet. Key helped him steady himself and let his power disappear once again. They went over to Miria and Kaizen.

"So are we all ready to try and figure out where we are?" Key asked, feeling quite pessimistic.

"I suppose so." Miria said, shivering slightly. A cold wind was blowing and it was making her feel uncomfortable.

Rev removed his jacket, which was quite dry by now. He handed it to Miria. Miria raised an eyebrow, but took it and draped it over her shoulders. It was too big for her, but not horribly so. She smiled at Rev and he smiled back. Kaizen rolled his eyes and started walking up the beach. There wasn't much beach, because rocks seemed to be taking over the land. Miria sighed as everyone else started walking.

After a few minutes, Miria was becoming sick of the same scenery that seemed to be replaying itself over and over before her. "Do you think we're getting anywhere?" she mused.

"Well, we're walking so I suppose we're getting somewhere." Key said, glancing back. He didn't feel as if he was going anywhere either. The beach seemed the exact same distance away from a few minutes ago. "I guess we'll just keep going."

Floating in a crystal of blue and green. The figure opens his eyes and stares as a few fishes swim away in surprise. He's clad in dark armor that has no light. In his hand he holds a silver rapier, which is darkening by the second. Soon it crumbles away into nothing and the figure is left by himself, just staring lifelessly through the water. He motions with his fingers and he floats to the surface, taking his time.

So I am not dead. That is somewhat disappointing. I cannot help but think that those little creatures should have been able to do some damage. Since I am still here, I think that I shall pursue them once more. Then maybe this time they can do something. Hmm... I sense something. It's strange, but I recognize it. Heh, you shall reveal yourself soon then old friend? Do not feel alarmed by my presence; I am just here... just here to watch you this time. Go on ahead, I will be there soon...

Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 14. Published to an online open website. The Five Powers
Part  of chapter 2... Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 

 

Problem with Power
©February 2004

It seemed like an hour passed when suddenly a voice began humming. The noise surrounded them all and they knew that the strange humming wasn't coming from any of them. They stopped and looked around. The humming continued its song, a lilting American tune. Then it stopped and everything was silent. Key felt shivers run up his back and he blinked a few times, feeling slightly disoriented. He staggered a few times and cursed to himself. That was when he noticed that it wasn't his body. It was the ground. The ground was shaking.

Rev fell to the ground and winced. His body was no longer cold from walking over the rocks under a hot sun. Now he could even say he was too hot. He started to get up, but was knocked back to his feet by a suddenly violent wind. He looked up at the sky as it began to darken and wished that there were clouds that he could blame it on. It was too creepy. He once again tried to get up, but the wind knocked him back down. This time the wind was accompanied by a voice.

Rev... Take me... My power is yours to use

Rev blinked and sat up, feeling a rush of power surging through his veins. He closed his eyes and couldn't help the smile that slipped over his face. His mind was feeling sleepy so he let himself fall back to rest. Miria happened to look over and saw that Rev was floating in the air. She shouted to Key and pointed frantically at the floating boy. Kaizen looked over and felt a surge of jealousy.

フウキタヨウマ

"フウキタヨウマ...?" Rev repeated uncertainly.

Rev suddenly felt like he was floating. If he opened his eyes he would have seen that he was. His long hair curled around him, wrapping about his legs and arms and holding him still. He didn't panic though. He kept listening to the voice as it reassured him that everything was all right. His long hair melted to his body, forming weird patterns on his legs and arms that slowly turned pale yellow or very light blue. Rev didn't see this of course, but he felt a strange tingling sensation over his skin. He pulled his arms free and rested them on his chest.

Dark brown leather wrapped over his arms, embroidered with the light blue patterns and tied with glittering gold laces. The same leather wrapped around his waist, tightening until the muscles protested. Sleek black boots appeared, growing up his legs to stop just above the knee. The laces were the same as the ones on the arms. Five laces of blue wrapped about his neck, and they twisted together in the back, growing longer to create light cross patterns of blue over his back.

He moved his arms aside and this revealed a thin shirt of the light yellow color, billowing about in the wind. The sleeves didn't extend down his shoulders, but again laces of blue did, resting at his wrists. His long hair stayed the same, but green and white were streaked within the dark ebony. His fingers were left free, and he flexed them experimentally before opening his eyes. His eyes were no longer brown, but a pale blue that could even be mistaken as pure white.

He floated down to the ground and touched it lightly. He stared at his arms that were resting in front of him and blinked a few times before looking as if he were going to faint. "No way..." he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Rev looked down at his waist and noticed the thick gleaming rope that was wrapped about it, over tight leather. After staring at it a moment later he pulled on it and found that it came off quite easily and very natural in his fingers. He uncoiled it and that was when he found out that it wasn't a rope. It was a whip. It twitched in anticipation and Rev felt a shiver go through his body. He let go of the whip and it immediately wrapped back around his waist as if it were living.

'This wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know what to do! Sure, Key and Miria did this, but they're different from me. They're important, and I'm just this random kid who decided to run away from the teacher... Ha-ha, I can still think about that. What should I do? Why am I like this?'

He twisted about as if trying to see what he looked like from behind. The ground shook a few more times and then settled. Key struggled to his feet and made his way over to Rev. Miria followed him, but Kaizen turned away and stared out over the rocks. Key reached Rev first, and rested his hands on his knees, panting hard.

"Rev?" he finally said, straightening.

Miria jumped over a large rock and landed next to Key. "Hey, you changed too. I wonder why...?"

"Me too." Rev said, surprised to find that his voice sounded different. It sounded like the wind itself, fragile and gentle yet hiding immense power beneath. "Argh! This is so weird!"

"It is." Key said. "If I think about it, we changed before when we were in danger. As far as I know, we're not in danger right now, so I wonder why you've changed."

Rev had a strange smile on his face. He blinked and then looked down at Key. "Yeah, that's weird. But even so, this is so major cool!" He laughed. "I love this feeling of power. I don't think I'm ever going to forget this... Hey Kaizen, come over here and check me out!" Kaizen looked over his shoulder and snorted. Then he walked away. "What's with him?" Rev asked.

"I guess he feels left out." Miria said sadly.

"I wonder what powers I have. Hopefully I won't freeze anyone. I really don't like the cold that much..." Rev said, shivering slightly while remembering. "How did you guys use your powers?"

Miria and Key looked at each other. Key screwed up his face, trying to remember. "I think it was just this feeling of panic, and then utter calm. I wanted to stop the guy from hurting you guys, so I heard a voice and then..."

"Same here. I just really wanted to protect everyone." Miria said, hanging her head. "I didn't help any though."

"You did... sort of. You got us away from that guy at least." Rev said.

"Yeah, I suppose I did."

"I wonder who that guy was." Key mused.

"He was really strong..." Miria remembered. "I couldn't do anything to him."

Key and Miria sighed. Rev flexed his fingers a few more times, feeling the way his muscles clenched. He had the strangest urge to giggle crazily and run around screaming. He repressed the urge and tried to think of how to call out his powers. He didn't hear a voice speaking to him though and gave up with a sigh. Kaizen stared over a pile of rocks that had been created during the quake and saw something.

"Hey you guys, come here!" he shouted.


Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 14. Published to an online open website. The Five Powers
Part  of chapter 2... Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 

 

Problem with Power
©February 2004

The three went over to Kaizen and saw what he had. A black tail was twitching painfully beneath the rocks. Key heard the voice in his head almost immediately. "ホヒカエン!" he shouted, feeling the welcoming surge of power in his veins. He grabbed onto one of the boulders and started to lift it. He grunted from its weight but was gradually pulling it off.

"カイエナイ..." Miria whispered, feeling her power as well. She smiled when her transformation was complete and pulled out her staff. She slammed it into the littler rocks, crushing them to pieces. Rev watched in fascination, wondering if he could help somehow.

ブロアップ a voice hissed, Power within, サイクロン- ブロアップ

"Blow up -" Rev whispered, his voice carried away with the wind.

He slammed a fist into his right hand and brought his arms level with his eyes. He closed his eyes and felt shivers run down his back. He floated a few feet into the air and twirled, his arms twisting outwards and then wrapping around his waist to grasp the whip. He lifted it into the air and it cracked loudly as it danced about. He felt the leather strain over his wrists as he twisted his arms together and the whip continued with momentum. It wrapped around his arms and then around his chest, his waist and finally his legs. The force that whatever he had just done was completed and released when he said the last word.

"- Cyclone..." he said, as if releasing a great breath.

A huge wind picked up and Miria looked over at him in fascination. The wind lifted the large rocks, crushing them into dust. The dust was swept away as the wind picked up again, and Key turned to stare at Rev. Rev's eyes were glowing blue and he didn't seem like he was going to stop the wind any time soon. He fought against the wind to reach Rev and shouted up at him.

"Rev, you can stop now!"

Rev didn't seem to hear him and kept staring ahead, the tip of the whip slapping against his ankles. He seemed to be whispering something, and when he finished, he smiled. Key reached up to grab Rev's leg, but a powerful blast of wind knocked him back and he stumbled over the rocks, falling to the ground. Miria leapt over to them both and helped Key to his feet. She shouted something at him, but he couldn't hear her and just shook his head.

Miria leapt into the air and swung her staff, ready to hit Rev lightly, but she was swept away by the wind, and landed on the ground, farther away than where she started. She grumbled angrily and shouted something to Key, but he still couldn't hear her and shook his head again. Kaizen fought his way over to both of them, but was having a lot more trouble because he wasn't in a transformed state. He grabbed onto Miria's arm and shook it furiously.

Miria looked over at him. "What?" she shouted.

"Don't attack him!" Kaizen shouted back.

"What?" Miria yelled louder.

"I said don't... Nevermind..."

Kaizen pushed past her, fighting against the wind. He managed to grab onto Key's long hair. Key turned as he felt something and saw Kaizen. He grabbed onto the dark-haired boy's hand and pulled him close. Kaizen felt very weird hanging onto Key, but threw aside his dignity to pull himself close to Key's face.

"Don't attack him!" Kaizen shouted.

Key winced slightly, as Kaizen had just shouted in his ear. "What are we supposed to do?" he asked.

"I don't know, but if you attack him any more, something really bad will happen!" Kaizen said, hating that he was saying what he was. His visions were coming more often than he ever thought they could, ever since he had come into... well, wherever they were.

Kaizen closed his eyes and tried to think of his last vision again. It had been quite vivid when he had it, but now it seemed all hazy. Key watched Kaizen carefully, seeing the pain that was crossing his face. Kaizen remembered a blast of light and the feeling of pain and then endless falling. He heard screaming and knew that someone was hurt a lot more than he was. He could hear Key yelling something and Miria gasping for breath. From the process of elimination, he knew that the person screaming in excruciating pain was... Rev.

Kaizen shivered and brought himself out of his thoughts. He grabbed onto Key's arms, almost as if he were attempting to force them aside. "Don't attack him!" Kaizen shouted angrily.

Key watched Kaizen in surprise, wondering why the usually emotionless boy was fighting him. "Why shouldn't we attack him? He needs to stop the wind, and I believe that if we attack him he will awaken."

"Don't!" Kaizen insisted, feeling something strange approaching him from somewhere. He closed his eyes and heard voices once again. He was then thrust violently into darkness.

And how is your host this time, old friend? a dark figure asked, sitting in a silver throne that was adorned with diamonds.

A figure stood before him, with a crooked smile on his face. Dark hair fell in front of his face, shadowing his burning blue eyes. He is perfectly fine. Much better than last time, I believe... but...

But? the dark figure asked, raising an eyebrow.

He is fighting me. And his friends... they are there as well. They will destroy him, for sure

Now, now. Aren't you forgetting about the strange one?

He will try, but I believe that something is going to happen before he can warn them all...

My, my... the figure sitting in the throne said warmly, his mouth quirking slightly. He seemed at most, amused.

It will be your problem before long...

The figure stood and walked down the steps that were in front of his throne. He stopped before the other figure casually before walking past him. If you insist

Kaizen blinked his eyes open to see Key hovering over him. Miria was standing behind Key. Both of them were in their human form. "Good, you're awake." Key said.

Miria gave a sigh of relief, but then started to pace awkwardly. Kaizen sat up. "Where is Rev?" he asked.

"..." Miria seemed reluctant to speak. Finally she did, but didn't explain much. "He's not here..."

"... Where is he?" Kaizen asked. Key fidgeted slightly and then stood up. Kaizen stared up at him. "Where is Rev?" Kaizen repeated.

A black fur ball jumped into his lap and Kaizen squeaked in surprise. It stared up at him with big bright eyes and cooed softly. The long black tail that was more than twice its length twitched behind him. In fact, there were two more tails. One was whitish, and the other was a navy blue. Now that it wasn't moving as much, Kaizen could tell what it looked like. It looked sort of like a cat in build, but its ears were long and darker on the inside than on the outside. They had long strings of what looked like leather hanging off the ends. The feet were like lizard claws, but still resembling something of cats' feet. It had sharp teeth that seemed a bit too big for its jaw and piercing almond-shaped red eyes.

"Thank you, thank you..." it chanted softly in a deep and powerful voice that didn't fit its stature at all.

"Wh-What...?" Kaizen gasped.

"You saved me, all of you... Thank you, thank you..." it said.

"What are you?" Kaizen asked, not meaning to be rude.

The creature paused as if to think and twitched its' ears a few times. It then licked its teeth and smiled. That made Kaizen shiver. "I'm not sure." it said, wrapping one long tail around its neck.

"Do you have a name?"

It nodded vigorously before stopping, slightly dizzy. "I'm 赤星屑猫... But you can call me Aka."

"... If you say so." Kaizen said, getting to his feet and making Aka fall off of his lap. "You guys still haven't answered my question as to where Rev is. Now, where is he?"

Key sighed. "He disappeared."

"... What?"

"He was there one minute, and then he was gone the next. We have no idea where he is." Miria finished. "We weren't going to attack him anymore, but before we could do anything else, he was just gone."

Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 14. Published to an online open website. The Five Powers
Part  of chapter 2... Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 

 

Problem with Power
©February 2004

Kaizen held his head as it throbbed painfully. "How could that be?"

Miria blinked and then looked up at the cloudless sky. "What shall we do? We need to find Rev... but we can't go anywhere."

"What do you mean?" Kaizen asked, feeling quite stupid to have to ask all these questions.

"Key tried to head back to the beach, and I waited here with you. He seemed to be getting somewhere for a while, but the strangest thing... He didn't seem to go any further after a while, and he came back."

"Wh-What?"

"We're walking, but we're not going anywhere." Key said, simplifying what Miria had said.

Kaizen sighed and his head throbbed again. He winced painfully and brought his hands to his head. As he did, he saw another pair of hands reaching for him and knew that he was having a vision. He tried his best not to blink as he saw the hands reaching outwards. They didn't seem to be able to find him, or anything in general. They were just flailing helplessly. He heard the voice next.

"H-Help me!"

He recognized the voice as Rev's and knew that he had to keep the vision or he'd never get another chance. His mind was hurting incredibly and as the seconds passed, the vision faded. He forced himself to concentrate, tuning out Miria and Key's conversation and the incessant squeaking from Aka. He saw the hands again and reached out as if to touch them. They turned at the last minute and reached towards something definite. They grasped onto something solid and violent shivers overtook Kaizen when he heard laughter.

Isn't it interesting...?

"Help me... p-please..."

Kaizen shut his eyes tighter, trying to see anything at all that would help him. He only saw the arms though as they clasped around something. Then the arms jerked violently away. Kaizen thought he saw bars of a deep gold color before a light flashed before his eyes. He screamed and staggered backwards. Miria looked over at Kaizen and moved to shake him. Key held her back though, and they watched as Kaizen staggered uncertainly.

What have we here? the masculine voice said, amusement evident in his tone. A little boy, trying to read our location? Why that just won't do... that won't do at all...

Kaizen felt nothing for a second before a blow hit him across the jaw. He gasped as blood trickled from his mouth, opening his eyes and breaking his vision. He spat out blood and felt his mouth. He had never had a vision that powerful before. He'd never had one that actually physically harmed him either. Miria's eyes widened and she broke free from Key and ran to him.

"Kaizen, are you okay?" she asked, worriedly.

"I-I'm fine..." Kaizen said, still in shock. "Who was that?"

"Who was who?" Key asked.

Kaizen didn't answer him, his eyes focused on something that they could not see. "How... how did he do that?" Kaizen asked himself, putting a finger in his mouth and drawing it back out with blood on it. "That's impossible."

"What's impossible?" Miria asked, a little annoyed that she wasn't getting answers.

Kaizen looked over at her and Key and seemed to come out of a trance. "Nothing... is impossible." he said softly, not wanting to answer them at the moment. He had a lot of things to think about.

"Are you feeling okay?" Miria asked, concerned.

"I'm fine." Kaizen said. Miria didn't look convinced. "Really, I'm fine." Kaizen insisted.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Key asked himself.

Miria jumped. She had forgotten he was there. "I have no idea." she answered.

Aka looked up at all of them and smirked slightly. I have an idea...

The three humans looked at Aka, their eyes wide in shock. "H-How did you do that?" Key asked, stuttering slightly.

Do this? Aka asked, his voice echoing within their minds.

"Yes!"

Easy... but you have to have the 'ability'... You have to be born with it. Close your eyes, concentrate on the person closest to you and who you feel most comfortable with. Then, speak with your mind. If it works, they should be able to hear you and understand your thoughts.

"It can't be that easy..." Kaizen said uncertainly.

Key closed his eyes almost immediately and focused on Miria. He felt a power rush through him and smiled warmly when he once again saw without his eyes. He turned his head slightly to the left and saw a burning light of blue hue. He reached out to it with his mind, trying to speak to it. He knew that the blue light was Miria. He felt a shock go through his system and then saw white in front of his eyes. He panicked for a moment before he saw the blue light again and he relaxed.

'Okay, now all I have to do is speak to her with my mind... urgh... It's harder than I thought it would be... Gah, it's really hard!'

Miria- Hey, it's me...

Miria's eyes flew open and she stared at Key. Then she laughed. Key had a really strange expression on his face, his eyes shut tightly and his teeth bared as if he were going to growl. "I don't think it's supposed to hurt." she said softly.

Key opened his eyes and smiled sheepishly. "It's really hard. It hurts my head if I do it."

I think you're trying too hard. Aka mused. If you have the power, it shouldn't take much.

"I'll try again later." Key said, and then looked over at Kaizen.

Kaizen still had his eyes closed and seemed almost as if he were sleeping. He wasn't sleeping. In fact, he was doing almost the exact opposite. He was running through a long twisted hallway of white, searching for the fleeting purple light he had seen just a little bit ago. He had also seen a gold and silver light near it, and he sensed something bad about those two lights. A hand on his shoulder disrupted his concentration and he opened his eyes to see Key.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Kaizen's eyes darkened. "I was trying to find Rev." he said coldly.

Key backed away slightly, removing his hand from the taller boy's shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." Kaizen said, feeling frustrated.


Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 14. Published to an online open website. The Five Powers
Part  of chapter 2... Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 

 

Problem with Power
©February 2004

Now, about my idea. Aka thought, From what I've seen, it seems like we're in a... well, I'll call it a repeat area. That's not the right name, but you'll understand it better if I explain it that way. Basically, you walk over the same area repeatedly, therefore you get nowhere

"So how do we get somewhere?" Miria asked.

Aka looked back and forth a few times before staring up at them. "We have to go faster than the area can reproduce itself."

"... How will we do that?" Key asked.

Aka shook its head sadly. It's such a shame that Rev was the one who was kidnapped. His speed would have helped immensely.

"What?" Kaizen asked. "What do you mean, 'his speed'?"

"Oh-ho! You heard that one?" Aka asked Kaizen, looking at him with genuine surprise. He bowed his head for a moment before looking up at them all secretively. It is not important right now... Just a moment A ring of dark green and blue appeared on the ground around him and another ring of gold enveloped him. When the light faded, Aka had changed... a lot.

Aka now was large enough to make his tails (which had grown as well) seem to fit his body. He was about the height of a large dog or a miniature horse. His back was long, like a panther, and his coat was black with bright red archaic letters on it. Around his neck was a ring of red fur, like burning fire. His eyes were the same shape and color, but a spray of copper made them sparkle. The red color dripped down from his eyes and into the fur below. His muzzle was longer now, fitting more a dog than a cat. His tails were the same colors, but longer and thicker. The black one was sleek, the beige one was fluffy, and the navy one was a mix of the two.

Aka's paws each had one symbol on them that had to mean something. He did not say. He turned his head to them and seemed to smile, his teeth still too large for him. Now, he started, his minds' voice deeper and more powerful, Get on.

The three humans stared at him for a moment before slowly obeying. Key got on first, hoping that he wouldn't hurt Aka. Aka merely flicked his tail in impatience. Kaizen gave Miria a boost and she slipped on behind Key. Kaizen pulled himself up last. Aka grunted slightly and then turned his head to look at them.

Comfy? he asked. Now, hang on tight.

He crouched slightly and then sprang forward. Key held onto the thick fur tightly, trying his best not to grab onto the red fur. He wasn't afraid of being burned, and knew that it wouldn't be hot, but he felt like he shouldn't touch it. Miria wrapped her arms around his waist and he tensed slightly. He couldn't look to the side very much because the wind was fierce as Aka ran faster and faster over the hard rocks. Aka let his tongue loll out to taste the wind as he spurred himself faster. The wind whistled angrily at them, as if daring them to try and break the repeat area. Aka took the challenge happily.

We're going to go even faster! Aka thought to the humans, This repeat area is very strong, I hope I can go fast enough

The last thought wasn't supposed to have gotten out, but it had. Aka sighed. That was one of the risks of speaking through the mind. Some thoughts got out that weren't supposed to. He supposed that he had let it out because he was concentrating so hard on running. He broke the connection with the children and began thinking to himself. He wondered about the humans. He had already seen the fire and water one.

Then, the wind element. He didn't remember completely, but he knew that フウキタヨウマ wasn't a stupid one. Something else had been there. Something strong and evil had been in control of フウキタヨウマ, if only for a moment. The poor kid. Pure power like that was hard to maintain, and for the length that he had, he must be absolutely exhausted. He smirked slightly. Those guardians needed to be reminded sometimes that their hosts aren't as powerful as they.

Especially this time... Just kids. he thought.

"What?" Key asked, but Aka felt his reserves kicking in and he didn't answer.

He put on a burst of speed and soared through the air, feeling something slimy and disgusting ripple through his fur. He knew that he had just broken the repeat barrier. He came to a stop and panted with relief. That last moment, he hadn't been sure if he could have done it or not. He hadn't told the kids, but there were risks that one took when trying to break something as powerful as a repeat barrier. He didn't want to think about that right then though. He waited for the kids to climb off of him and he let the power go, feeling a sense of calm when he returned to his smaller form.

Aka looked up at the children and cocked his head to the side. "I figure you'll want to find out where Rev is now. It should be easier to think now that you're outside the repeat area." he said, speaking aloud so he didn't make a mistake and say something he didn't want to again. He was exhausted, therefore he didn't have as much control over what he was doing.

"Yes..." Key said. 'Don't worry, we'll find you...'
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How amusing...

Laughter, soft laughter. Yes, it is.

I trust you are pleased, now that you have your host?

Yes, quite. Thank you, for I could not have done it without your help. Slight shifting, of discomfort.

How flattering. Now, which one is it again? A pleased smile, but rarely noticeable.

A long sigh and then some more nervous shifting in the darkness. The long-haired boy. It was not my first choice, but as you know, first choices are rarely possible now...

Really, I find him intriguing enough...

He is, but I supposed the humans would be quite different from us. A tentative chuckle, soon replaced by a deep frown.

No emotion crosses his face, for it is once again hidden beneath a mask. His eyes however, dull slightly. Yes, humans...


Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 14. Published to an online open website. The Five Powers
Part  of chapter 2... Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 

 

Problem with Power
©February 2004

He's very close! Why is he this close? It has to be a trap, or something fake. There is no way he could be right... over there... Kaizen opened his eyes and squinted into the distance.

What is it? Aka asked Kaizen privately.

I think, that I know where Rev is. I don't want to believe it, but... Kaizen smiled wryly. Perhaps if I had a better feeling I would tell you, but I don't think-

Key looked over at Aka. Aka was just sitting on the ground, but Key sensed something was going on. Aka, I don't think we're getting anywhere he thought, his brain hurting again.

Please Key, do not use this form of communication if it hurts you. Aka thought, then reverted to speaking aloud. "I sense where Rev is..." Kaizen sent a glare at the little furball, but Aka ignored him. "I do not have an exact location, but the general direction is..."

Aka lifted a paw and pointed east. If it was possible, Kaizen's glare intensified. "I don't think we should go," he said, voicing his opinion out loud.

Key looked surprised. "Why not?" he asked.

"It isn't... safe..." Kaizen said, faltering slightly. His reason seemed silly now that he was saying it aloud. "Nevermind, let's go." He walked eastwards. The others followed him, wondering what was going on.
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After a bit of walking, a lake seemed to appear out of nowhere. Thick clumps of trees surrounded it, and the group had to push aside a few rogue branches. They stopped when they had emerged in front of the lake. The lake was beautiful, sparkling crystal water unbroken by a single ripple or wave. The grass around the lake was lush and green, sprouting flowers of exotic colors. The sky above was blue, but of course there were no clouds, and the temperature was nice, not too cold or too hot.

Their attention wasn't on all of this though. They all immediately saw the large mansion that seemed horribly out of place in the serenity. It towered to the sky, with pillars of ivory and ebony and steps of silver and gold. Dark green vines wrapped about the palace, latching onto invisible cracks in the smooth, polished crystal walls. To the sides of the large doors that stood above an impossible number of stairs were trees made of gold trunks and branches and silver leaves. They were adorned with fruits of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and topaz, and flowers of diamonds, opals, pearls, and pieces of jade.

A lone figure stood before the massive doors of deep, rich wood. The wood was engraved with ancient symbols bleeding black that once told of a story that has been long forgotten. The figure was draped in black armor, and the group had seen him before. Even Aka had seen him before, but did not tell the others. Aka felt his fur stand on end and he repressed the urge to growl loudly. The group approached the water.

How should we cross? Kaizen asked, addressing the whole group in his thoughts.

The figure across the lake heard it easily, but did not make any indication that he had heard. No one but Aka had an answer, and he did not voice it. Instead, he provided a visual aid. He closed his eyes and around him on the ground, another ring appeared. This one was a bright purple however, with writing within it that was a lime green. They shone brightly before a ring of deep red surrounded him, and once again changed him completely.

He once again was larger than he was before, but this time even more so. He now stood the same height as Key when he was transformed, which was a good seven feet or so. He looked quite like a horse, except his head remained like his little forms, long ears, red eyes and all. Though his ears were the same, they were dark purple color. His coat was also a dark purple, and had writing of bright gold. On his sides, were large feathery wings of every shade between black and a dark plum. His tails were still there, but they seemed lighter in their respective colors and there were symbols of gold wrapped about them.

He looked over at them with his red eyes, blinking them a few times before a grin seemed to appear on his face. So, what are you waiting for? he asked, kneeling down.

He did not have to tell them this time. They quickly climbed onto his back. Kaizen was in the front this time, and Key gave Miria a leg up. She huddled over slightly, hanging onto Kaizen tentatively. Key scrambled onto Aka's back with some difficulty, just as Aka stood and began to beat his wings. The figure in front of the doors just stared at them passively, watching as they flew over the lake. When they were about halfway, he turned away and disappeared through the doors. The thing was, he didn't open the doors.

Kaizen narrowed his eyes as he saw this, but did not speak what he was thinking to the others. He figured that Aka already knew what he was thinking, but forced himself to think of something else so that the others wouldn't pick up on what he was thinking. He cursed softly. Before he had known about this 'speaking through the mind' thing, he hadn't had a problem to just think to himself, but now he was afraid that someone might hear him.

When Aka finally landed, Kaizen was the first one off. Key was right behind him though. The two went to the doors and ran their fingers over it, looking for a way to open them. They looked as if they had been sealed shut a very long time ago. Perhaps they had. Kaizen couldn't help it as his thoughts automatically turned bitter as he thought of Aka. He didn't fully trust the little thing, and he wasn't exactly sure why. It wasn't because Aka wasn't a human. Truthfully, Kaizen didn't trust humans all that much either. No, it was something else... something suspiciously... well...

Are they here?

Yes, they are here, waiting...

They are searching for him.

Persistence is idiotic

And his resistance is futile...

Black eyes opened slowly, as if tired. His armor disappeared slowly in wisps, floating away from his body lazily to disappear into the darkness around him. Once all of the black was gone, the silver rapier at his side shattered and the pieces fell to the ground. They never made a sound though, for they disappeared as well. A slender figure fell to the floor from within the darkness, and he forced himself to stand once again. He was weary in mind and body as he looked over to the humanoid creature that stood by his side.

"Are you okay master?" the creature asked to his exhausted master.

Red eyes flashed dangerously from the human boy as he staggered slightly. "Yes..." he hissed, his voice pleasant but cold. "Has he given it up yet?"

"No..." the creature said, his spiky shoulder-length red hair glinting in the light as he stepped forward to aide his master.

The human boy waved him away and pulled himself onto his shining silver throne. "He will break soon, will he not?"

"He should very soon, master..." the red-headed creature murmured, the spikes that protruded from his cheeks protesting his speech painfully. "He is weak..."

Weak...

Weak, so weak...

Can't fight it, so weak!

Break him, break him

Just disappear - Weak, weak...

The creatures around the boy continued to whisper until he made an agitated noise. They scrambled to his feet and stared up at him, awaiting instructions. "I am bored of this... whatever it is. Bring me something to play with."

The creatures scuttled away, determined to find something interesting for their master. The red-headed creature stayed with him though, staring down at the fragile body that held so much power within. It was so strange to see him like this, so pitiful. He would never say it aloud, for he feared his master. It was just that, the appearance was so shocking compared to his other form. He wondered momentarily what it would be like if he destroyed his master. His thoughts were interrupted by a deceptively calm voice.

"Now, you wouldn't be thinking of harming me, would you Sakyaoru?"

Sakyaoru blinked in surprise before speaking hurriedly to cover his thoughts. "Of course not master, of course not. I would never think to harm you. O great one, do not think of me as such."

The boy waved a hand tiredly and looked distractedly away into the darkness. Though there was minimal light, he could see perfectly. He also could hear perfectly, and knew that Sakyarou would begin his treachery soon. He gave a sad sigh and ignored Sakyarou as he worried for him. He was feeling tired right now, but he had so much to do. Besides, he was going to get some guests soon. One of them sooner than he had expected.

A figure appeared before him with a cloud of smoke billowing beneath his feet. Long dark hair that had a greenish tint covered his blue eyes. He felt the tension in the room and relaxed in pleasure. He liked the chaos and discord. He bowed mockingly at the boy, but the boy did not care. He then leaned against something in the darkness, a strange smile on his face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked innocently.

The boy seemed ready to tell the man to go away, but then his eyes glinted strangely. "No... nothing is wrong." The man frowned in slight disappointment. The boy continued though, "Not when you are here, no... Not anymore, since you are going to help me... old friend."

Note: I use 'him', 'he' and 'his' to describe Aka, but I believe Aka is really genderless...


Author Note: Written under an alternate pen name at the age of 14. Published to an online open website. The Five Powers
End of chapter 2... Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 

 

Yup... Continuing to update 3 stories now  what am I even doing.

Shattered Crystals
©February 2004

"I have no idea how to open these things." Key said, thoroughly bewildered.

Kaizen silently continued to run his fingers over the doors, feeling frustration building up within him. Aka bounded over to them, once again in his smaller form. Why don't you try what you humans do... What is it, a knock right?

Kaizen wanted to kick the little guy, but he didn't. "Do you really think knocking is going to work?"

It doesn't hurt to try, right?

"Yeah!" Miria agreed, jumping up and down before knocking loudly on the door. After she did so, she winced and rubbed her now sore fingers.

A moment passed and Kaizen was on the verge of jumping on Key and telling him to break the blasted thing down, when it slowly opened. Kaizen stared in disbelief, and Aka looked quite smug. Kaizen ignored the fur ball and walked inside, much to Key's dismay. Key followed and then Aka flanked by Miria.

"Let's stick together." Key said, reaching for Miria's hand. Miria grasped onto his hand and Key searched around in the darkness for Kaizen.

Kaizen deliberately moved away from the groping Key and walked off on his own. "Kaizen..." Miria whimpered, "Where are you?"

Kaizen was surprised when a light flared up from behind him. Key had transformed with the ホヒカエン guardian and was looking for him. Kaizen ducked into a corner and hid silently, watching as Key and a very worried Miria passed by. Aka turned slightly as if he saw him, but then continued with the others. Kaizen let out a breath of relief and turned around. In the darkness, he could faintly make out a doorway. Kaizen pressed on it and was surprised to find that it opened quite easily.

He stepped into the next dark room, finding that it was even darker in here. He closed his eyes and decided to see with his senses instead. He heard a chuckle as soon as he had begun to concentrate and his eyes snapped open. He felt his body tense in expectation. A soft light appeared in front of him, and he stared at it. A man stood there, long black hair falling in waves over his back. Kaizen recognized the mask and dark armor immediately.

Crap.

The figure laughed aloud this time, and Kaizen shivered. He didn't like the fact that he could not see his face. Are you scared of me? a voice whispered teasingly in his mind.

I am not afraid.

The figure turned away and seemed to be interested in something in the darkness that Kaizen could not see. He wondered if he should revert to his senses, but knew that if he took that risk he would become even more vulnerable than he was now. Then again, he wasn't going to live if this guy attacked him. He had no special powers, except the annoying visions and the ability to speak through his mind. No not through his mind, with his mind. That was all though and none of those abilities were going to help him now.

Kaizen backed away and was surprised to see that the figure did not move from his place. Kaizen heard soft humming and jumped backwards, narrowly missing being torn to shreds by razor claws. The large reddish dog-beast seemed to laugh at him, his eyes sparkling as his tongue lolled lazily from the side of his mouth. The beast sidestepped into the darkness once more and Kaizen felt his heart beat faster.

'Am I going to die? Am I going to die here? Is this my final destiny? To be destroyed even before I find my power...? Am I even to have a power?'

His mind jerked violently, sending him to jump back on instinct. Razor sharp fangs gnashed angrily as they once again missed their target. Kaizen wasn't sure how he continued to dodge these vicious attacks. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from this room. Away from the crazy monster and the man. He ran for the door but had to stop, as it swung shut with a loud bang. Kaizen ducked and ran the other way as another fierce swipe came from the long, lethal claws.

'I guess I am going to die.'


Chapter 3  Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 

 

Shattered Crystals
©February 2004

Sad hazel eyes stared out through glass, watching the fight. They closed in sadness and tears fell down ghost-white cheeks. Cold fingers that rested against the glass began to push against it. Heat rose around the hand, making the glass fog up. Ragged breathing came to his ears and he knew it was his own. He pushed harder, trying to break the glass, but it did not even crack. He pounded his fists on it, hearing the clanking of the manacles that were shackled on his wrists and the chains that bound them together. A frantic gasp for air came, as suddenly he could not breathe anymore.

What are you doing...? Do not fight me.

"Noo..." came a strangled moan. The hands left the glass and went to a bound throat. The slender fingers pulled against the cruel metal that was wrapped tightly about it. "Let me go...! Stop this!"

The collar loosened slightly but harsh laughter filled his ears. Foolish boy.

A sob was drowned out by the laughter. Hands fell to the floor, bracing the weight of his body. Tears fell to the smooth maroon nothingness beneath him. "Please... leave him alone..."
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"Leave him alone!" Key shouted, slamming his fist into the beasts' head and hearing a satisfying crack. "Hyah!" He followed it up with a powerful kick, sending him flying across the room.

"Don't pick on my friend!" Miria yelled, swiping at the man with her staff. He easily dodged it as he had before, but looked a little surprised. She landed lightly on her feet beside Key and Kaizen.

"Give us back Rev!" Key demanded forcefully.

It was quite unlike him, Kaizen thought. Kaizen stared at his friends, feeling slightly left out. He knew it wasn't possible for him to help since he had no powers, but still... he really wanted to help find Rev and beat this enemy. He didn't want to be just a distraction, hindrance, or problem. He closed his eyes in sadness, wishing with all his might that he might get some powers to help them.

His minds' eye saw Key rush forward, his hands a burning fury. Miria was right behind him, delivering a crushing blow with her staff and then her foot. Kaizen wondered what he would be able to do if he had power. He wanted to be able to control it like they could, but if it turned out like Rev's, they'd all just have another problem. Kaizen shook his head stubbornly. He knew he could do it! He just had to get his power!

He growled angrily and slammed his fist into the wall. It unbelievably cracked and Kaizen felt a cold chill slide up his arm. Numerous voices shouted to him, all calling him and telling him to pick them. Kaizen felt slightly overwhelmed, when one voice rose above all the others and he knew which one he would choose. He listened to the voice as it whispered its name over and over.

ウィンイス... ウィンイス... ウィンイス...

"ウィンイス-?" Kaizen asked. He gasped in surprise as power surged through him.

Kaizen closed his eyes in fear, but finally opened them. He found himself staring right into cold gray ones, identical to his own. They sparked with a strange blue before it died away. Kaizen felt his arms being lifted and he stared at them in fascination. He just stared at them not noticing the other changes happening to his body. When he blinked, that was when he noticed everything.

His pants were now tight to his skin and a jet black. They were covered with heavy armor in the front of a dark grey. The armor had jagged edges that threatened anyone that might come too close. His boots were big, black and heavy, laced tight with shocking white laces. They came only to his ankles. His waist was bare because his shirt was cropped. He felt a little strange with this, but accepted it as his outfit. The shirt was a dark copper lined with a light grey circle pattern.

Hanging low around his waist was a frayed rope. Tucked into it were two knives with wicked looking blades. The blades were jagged like his armor, made him think of sharks' teeth. They had silver blades and in their black handles were red and blue gems and gold patterns of vines. His hair had stayed the same, short and brown and unfortunately still quite messy. His eyes had changed however.

As he had seen before, his eyes now had a glint of bold blue. The sleeves on his shirt frayed messily and dark green threads hung over his arms making his pale skin look as if he had bled green. His hands were held tightly in fingerless gloves, the part about the wrist tough and restricting his movements there. Within the tough leather were symbols of blue that reminded him of Aka's fur. Around his neck were three crossed strings of gray and pale blue. He heard a roaring in his ears and looked up, seeing his friends and the enemy.

"Now, maybe I can do something-!" Kaizen exclaimed, stepping forward. Immediately he knew how Key must have felt at first. He felt very heavy and clumsy. He staggered to maintain his balance and leaned against a wall. "Then again, maybe I can't."

Key twisted his fingers together and let an orb of flames grow within them. "Burning hell... Inferno!" he shouted, releasing the ball of fire at their enemy.

Miria looked a bit torn on what to do. She finally shook her head and twirled her staff one way before twirling it the other and slamming it down into the floor. "Wild raging waves!"

Water surged from the ground, considerably less than when they had been in the water before, but still quite powerful. The two attacks headed for the enemy, but he gracefully did a huge backflip, letting the attacks pass under him and smash into something beyond in the darkness. He stared at Key for a moment before running forward and stopping right in front of the red-haired boy.

It's too bad. You aren't who I thought you would be.

"And what would that be?" Key asked, glaring up at his opponent.

Suddenly, the black-armored man was holding onto a strand of Key's long flame-colored hair. Everything seemed to freeze for a moment before Key quickly jumped back. At the same time, his opponent released his hair. Key growled and leapt forward again, ready to attack with his sword.

"Who are you?" he demanded as the man blocked with his rapier. Sparks flew from their swords as they clashed.

Should I tell you? he mused, his eyes sparkling with hidden mirth. Perhaps I should not?

"Tell me who you are!" Key roared, feeling power once again flowing through him. He shoved his sword forward, feeling the strength in his opponent weakening.

If you insist... "I am..." he paused as if to think, "ハクマ."

"Hakuma...?" Key repeated.


Chapter 3  Leave comments or constructive criticism below. 