"Whoa!"
Daisuke couldn't help but stare up in amazement at the new world they had arrived in. Blue skies, stars, and wispy trees were amazing in themselves, but this, he thought, was on a completely different level. "'kado, what are these? What are they made of, where did they come from, how did they get so many?" he demanded in a rush, flailing his arms as he pointed at one of the many tall, gray buildings rising from the ground to stretch into the sky. "Are they stone? They don't look like stone!"
"Um...." Nikado stared up at the building, scowling at it. "Stone, sort of. And metal."
"But how do they get so tall? I wanna know!"
"It's all in the design, so I'm told." The guide shrugged.
"Daisuke," his older brother said in a warning tone, placing a hand on his arm, "stop shouting. You're attracting attention to us."
He paused, looking around. A couple of people were staring at the boy who didn't know what buildings were. "...sorry," he mumbled.
"What is it we're going to find here, Sir Nikado?" Emi asked him. "Have you been here before?"
"Oh, sure, a few times," he said with a wave of his hand, "but I have no idea what we'll actually be doing here. This place is a good area for acquiring all sorts of goods. Both on the technological end and the magical end."
"What's tek-no-law-jih-call?"
Nikado scratched his head at that. "Technological. Well, it's...like, machines. Like a cart or a tool, but on a much bigger and more complex scale. It's hard to explain...."
Daisuke looked around again, squinting at a bunch of signs written in a foreign language. "So are we going to get some technologicals?"
"I don't know. Well, let's think about accommodations first," Nikado stated. "First we need a place to stay; this place is too large and occupied to just camp out somewhere. Thankfully, I think I can call in a few old debts. Then we can get in some practice while we--Get down!"
Daisuke barely had time to react before Emi had him shoved to the ground, sword held in a backwards grip for defense. Nikado pushed Keisuke down next to the pair, looking up with a serious expression as he crouched over the boy.
"What's going on? Augh!" Something whizzed by a few feet ahead of them, so fast he could barely see it as it skipped across the stone groundwork in front of him, taking out a chip. "What was--"
"We're under attack, Lord Daisuke, please stay down," Emi said quietly as she flipped the sword in her fingers, whirling it around in a tight defensive circle. Above him, he could hear shouting, and he saw a pair of men holding odd objects in their hands, pointing them out at something behind the group. The two ran back, and were quickly followed by two more, pursuing with more of the odd-shaped things in their hands as well. Were they some sort of bludgeon? Daisuke wondered as Emi lowered her sword.
"Good, we don't seem to be the target," Nikado said, helping Keisuke to his feet. "Sorry about the rough treatment."
"What were those people doing?" Keisuke asked. "Should we have reason to worry about being a target?"
"Possibly for robbery, but that seemed to just be a gang war and nothing else." Nikado shook his head. "Are you lot all right?"
"I am unharmed," Emi said, returning her sword to its sheath.
"That move was pretty cool," Daisuke told her. "Can you teach me how to do that?"
"...maybe when you have a bit more experience, Lord Daisuke."
"Stop calling me 'Lord Daisuke'!"
Keisuke snorted, looking the way the men had gone. "Don't they have anything better to do than causing a ruckus in the streets?"
"I know it probably seems odd to you," Nikado commented, gesturing for the group to follow him. "But when people don't have an external source of conflict to direct their aggressions to, their darker natures, they can turn on each other."
"But it just makes no sense. Is it really worth trying to hurt people over?" Daisuke protested.
"Some people will do anything for power."
Daisuke looked up in surprise at the tone in Nikado's voice. The man's expression was dark and more serious than it normally was. Then it was gone, the older man smiling down at Daisuke. "Come on. We'll go find a place to stay and somewhere to eat."
He nodded, following along behind his brother. As he did so, the sounds of more shouting in the distance caught his attention, and he looked back. A distance down the street, he could make out two groups of people standing in the street, appearing to have some sort of argument. But it was the girl he noticed, the teenaged girl with long purple hair not unlike Emi's, watching with a stony expression.
She looks like she's my age, Daisuke wondered to himself as he let himself be led away. I wonder why she's doing that.
"Hello, and welcome to...oh, damn it all to hell and back. It's you again." The man at the counter glowered at the guide as he walked in. "Whatever it is you want, go take it elsewhere. I'm in no mood to deal with the likes of you."
Keisuke looked up at Nikado. "I see you're as popular as ever."
"Aw, c'mon, Shichi, don't be that way," Nikado laughed. "We just need a place to rest our weary bones."
"Do *not* call me that," the man snapped, flicking a dark blue lock of hair out of his eyes. "And the last time you 'rested your weary bones' here, I had the Waterford Group blowing up half my property."
"And they were arrested for it and made proper restitution. Really, I don't see any need to hold a grudge."
"That's not your place to decide!"
"You can put it on the company tab," Nikado instructed, walking toward the back of the room and looking out a window. "You still have any of those rear suites vacant? A king-sized one should do us, I think."
"Are you even listening to me? I said you're not--"
"Like I said, don't be that way," Nikado continued with a merry smile, fixing a gaze on the other man. "I mean, I did help you out that last time, even if you don't see it that way."
The other man scowled. "Excuse me, sir, but we won't be any trouble," Keisuke spoke up. "I'll keep him in line."
"No one keeps that man in line. He'll do as he pleases no matter what I or anyone says," he muttered, practically hurling a set of keys at Nikado. "What are your names?"
"They're not from around here," Nikado said with a wave of his hand. "No use trying to register them."
"Your guests never *are*. However, I would prefer calling them something besides 'that bastard's companions'."
"Honestly, I don't understand why you think so poorly of me!"
"I'm Keisuke," the older twin spoke up, "and this is my younger brother, Daisuke."
"My name is Emi, good sir," the woman said with a bow. "Might we have your name?"
"Shichiya. It's Shichiya Asano," he grumbled, fiddling with some odd set of boxes that Daisuke couldn't make heads or tails of. "How long are you staying?"
"Same as last time. Oh, is this our old room? Shichi, I knew I could count on you~"
"No, it's *not* your old room, because you *demolished* that one. Just get out of my sight before I toss you out," Shichiya snapped, then muttered in a low tone, "or have an aneurism."
Daisuke peered over the desk at the odd boxy thing. "What's an aneu--"
"C'mon, Daisuke, let's let Mr. Shichiya do his work," Keisuke said, giving the boy a push after Nikado.
"Over here, Daisuke," Nikado called, waving him over. "I bet you've never been in an elevator before, have you? No, of course not. Hurry up, you lot."
"It's a glass box?" Daisuke wondered as he stepped inside. "But what's it do?"
"This," Nikado said as he pushed a button. The box began to rise, showing the lobby and the walkways on each floor as they passed upwards.
"How's it doing that?"
Nikado paused for a moment. "...it's magic."
"Oh. So they have magic in this world, too?"
"Quite a lot of it, actually. There's not much you *can't* do with magic here, if you've got the resources to get someone to do it." The elevator stopped, and Nikado led them around the walkway to a door, opening it with the key.
Daisuke was the first to dash in, looking around the large room before jumping onto the bed. "It's all bouncy!"
"Wait until you see the showers," Nikado laughed. "There are some very nice things about a technological world."
"Something seems strange about this room," Emi said slowly, hand resting on her sword as she looked around.
"Ah, you noticed it? There's a protective spell around this room as well. It's the same kind of room I've used before when I've had business on this world."
"Have you worked with that man a lot?" Daisuke asked as he discovered a pillow, hugging it to himself.
"Not so much, a few times. He does a lot of work with our group, though. Obviously, I'm his favorite."
"You have an odd sense of what 'favorite' means, Mr. Nikado."
"All right, let's see," Nikado looked around the large room, making sure the table and chairs were amply out of the way. "We'll start with some spell practice, then we'll move onto some weaponry practice. From there we'll go out in the evening and see if there's anything interesting. Keisuke, you mentioned that you knew some spells, right?"
"Yes. I know a bit of noble magic from my mother."
"Go ahead and give it some practice. Actually, why don't you see if you can show Emi how to do it?" Nikado mused after a moment.
"Me, Sir Nikado?"
"Yeah. I'm betting Keisuke will be able to do it better himself if he can teach you how," Nikado said with a nod. "Try it, you might surprise yourself. Daisuke, you're with me."
"Okay!"
"So where do you want to try and go, Emi?" Daisuke asked as he sat on the bench in the lobby, swinging his legs. Nikado had paired up with Keisuke after Emi had insisted on staying with Daisuke, so the two of them were left to look around the hotel's immediate area while Nikado and Keisuke did some searching further away. "Hey, Shichiya, the food is really good here!"
The man glanced up from the boxes he was working on--he had called it a 'kompewtur'. "Thank you," he acknowledged briefly before going back to work.
"Perhaps we should try canvassing the place," Emi suggested. "At the least, we would get to know our surroundings, in case we are required to flee this area." A sigh from Shichiya's direction puncutated that statement.
Outside, there was a sudden burst of yelling, accompanied with a series of loud bangs. "What is that?" Emi questioned, going to the front window and scowling.
"I wouldn't get too close," Shichiya warned. "Don't worry about it, it's probably the Southlane and Stonefist groups going at it again. They've been at each other's throats lately."
"Are there often these gang fights around here?"
"Not usually quite this frequently. There's bad blood between those two. "
Daisuke joined Emi at the window, only to jump back as a fireball went whizzing by. "Whoa! That was magic?"
"Nikado did say there's a lot of magic here, too," Emi said with a frown.
If she said anything else, Daisuke didn't notice. His attention was now on the group of people outside, for he could see the same girl from before among them. "Hey, it's that girl!" he said in surprise, making a break for the door, heedless of the fact that his companion wasn't with him.
Shichiya glanced up as he heard a muffled 'thump' on the floor, only to see Emi crumpled on the carpet, the girl's face pale. "H-hey!" he said in alarm, going to the girl and scooping her up quickly. "D-don't do that! It's bad publicity!"
Daisuke rushed out the door, the sounds of shouting now easily heard. "Eat shit and die, assholes!" one of the men shouted, pointing the odd weapon at the opposing group.
"Think again! You're toast this time!" one from the other group shouted back, raising a hand over his head. A mass of fire began to form above his outstretched palm. "And I mean that literally!"
"Don't be so sure," one of them laughed, stepping back as the fireball was thrown, but with no fear on his face. As he moved back, Daisuke saw the girl again, right in the path of the fireball.
"Watch out!" Daisuke shouted, but it was too late to dodge away. As the fireball reached a foot away from her face, without warning, it dissipated, as if its flames had splashed off some unseen shield. The girl was glaring up at the other group, with an intense look of hatred Daisuke had never seen the likes of.
"Your pet mages can't touch us, now that we have this girl," the first man laughed, and several of the men began pointing their weapons at the others, producing more of the bangs.
Daisuke rubbed at his eyes, unsure of what was going on. After the men pointed the weapons and the bangs went off, a few of the men on the other group stumbled to the ground, bleeding. Are they casting some sort of magic with those things? Why? Why are they trying to hurt them? Daisuke wondered as the second group began to flee, dragging their wounded with them.
"After them!" the first man yelled, and his group gave chase with a victorious roar. Daisuke clutched his hands to his ears at the sound, trying to make sense of what was going on. The girl followed with the group, and Daisuke shook himself, running after her. "Hey! Wait! Hold on!"
One of the men looked back at him, and he stopped. "Stay out of our way, kid," he snapped, pointing the weapon at Daisuke.
Before he had time to register the weapon, a searing-hot pain burned in his shoulder, accompanied with a hard blow that knocked him backwards. Daisuke laid where he had fallen, unable to comprehend what had just happened. putting a hand shakily to his shoulder, he held it back, eyes widening at the blood all over his palm.
I'm hurt...I'm bleeding, he thought to himself as it became harder to make out the shape of his hand. Why's everything getting dark all of a sudden....
As he fell into a black abyss, all other sounds and sights faded, save one voice. "Damn it, Nikado, you really owe me for this."
"Hi, honey, I'm home~" Nikado called cheerfully as he returned with Keisuke in tow. "Have Emi and Daisuke returned yet?"
"I am very tempted to smash something into your teeth right now," Shichiya grated out. "No, they never left. She decides to faint in my front window and he runs into the middle of a gang fight and gets shot."
Nikado frowned. "How bad is it?"
"Clean through the shoulder. You're lucky Anne is here to help," the man said snappishly as he gestured for them to follow him through a door behind the counter.
"Daisuke!" Keisuke said in alarm as he saw the boy stretched out on a table. "Hey, what are you doing to him?!"
"What's it look like, kid," the older woman in the room snorted as Keisuke swatted at the silvery insect-like creature hovering over his twin's shoulder. "And don't touch that. Yinghao's delicate and I'll hear hell from my mechanic if you break him."
Nikado laid a hand on Keisuke's shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, he'll be all right. If Anne says he can do the job, then he can."
"Damn straight it can. My reputation would be shot to hell if I was selling things that didn't work," she snorted. "You're damn lucky I happened to be in town, Nikado."
"Good to see you again, Anne," he said with a smile. "How's he doing?"
"He'll be sore for a while, but no permanent damage. Should teach him not to run in front of a gun. What the hell did he think was going to happen to him?"
"They're offworlders. They haven't had to deal with guns before. What about Emi, what happened to her?"
"As far as I can tell, just a faint." Anne gestured for him to come close. "Ain't something right with her, if you know what I mean."
"I'm aware. Can you fix it?"
"Probably; there isn't much I can't find the answer for. But it would probably take me longer than you're willing to stay here. You never hang around for long."
"Give a preliminary look into it if you would," Nikado said with a nod. "What caused the faint?"
"Hell if I know. Maybe she saw a really hot guy out the window." As she spoke, the younger woman moved, opening her eyes slowly.
"How do you feel, Emi?" Nikado asked softly, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"I...." She sat up in alarm. "What happened to me, Lord Daisuke!" Her expression was aghast as she saw the younger boy on the table next to her. "Oh, no, is he...I failed him."
"No, Emi, that's not true," Nikado reassured. "He'll be fine. What happened to you?"
"I don't really remember," she mumbled, putting a hand to her head. "I was at the window watching those people fight, and then...Next thing I know, I'm here."
"Well, there isn't anything wrong with her, physically," Anne said with a shrug. "She should be fine to go."
"I'm sorry, you are, miss...?"
"Anne Traveller," the redheaded woman said, giving them a thumbs up. "I work in trade. If it exists, I can probably get my hands on it."
"I see. Thank you very much for your assistance, Miss Anne,"
She made a face at the title. "Don't call me 'miss', I ain't old enough to be your mom."
Daisuke chose that moment to stir with a groan. "Daisuke!" Keisuke said in relief, peering into his brother's face.
"Oh, hi, brother," he greeted tiredly. "This bed isn't bouncy like the last one."
Keisuke pulled his brother into a hug. "Stupid," he scolded, voice a mixture of anger and relief. "Don't do something stupid like that again."
"How do you feel, Daisuke?" Nikado asked him. "Do you remember what happened?"
"I feel okay. I'm just a little tired." Daisuke looked up at him with sad eyes." One of those men pointed their weapon at me. I was bleeding," he recalled. "'kado, why did he do that?"
"Because there are bad men in this world, Daisuke."
"Why are there bad men?"
"Because all people have the ability to be bad or good, Daisuke. It's in the nature of every person. You may not realize it, but it takes courage to be a kind person like you are. Some people don't have the strength that takes."
"There was a girl with them," he murmured. "She stood up to a fireball and it just...died in front of her. She was very angry. But...I've never seen eyes so sad, either. Don't they know, 'kado? Don't they know that someone is sad when people die?"
Nikado let out a soft sigh, not having an answer to that. "I've heard of that girl," Anne said quietly.
"Keisuke, why don't you take your brother upstairs," Nikado told him. "You two should rest. I'll be up shortly."
"Come on, Daisuke," Keisuke urged, helping his brother down from the table.
Once outside, Daisuke leaned on his twin for a bit, then pushed him away. "I...need to go to the bathroom really bad. You go on up."
"Her name's Fia, I think," Anne told Nikado as Shichiya poured himself a drink, offering one to Anne. "Fia Genoa. She used to live with her dad."
"Used to?"
"Yeah. Maehov, he's this guy with the Stonefist gang, he shot the guy. Never had a chance. Apparently the Stonefists were worried about their rivals getting ahold of their ability. They can unravel magic, you see," Anne told Nikado. "No spells, no enchantments. Obviously it's a power that a lot of people around here would want. The girl's part of the Southside gang now. She's out for blood, Nikado, and I doubt even your charming ways would dissuade her. You know how people in this world are."
Nikado let out a soft sigh as he considered. "I think I should go now," Emi said softly. "I do not want to leave Lord Daisuke unattended for long, particularly after what happened today."
"Anne," the guide said quietly after the swordswoman had left. "Forget that project I was having you look into. I need something else from you, and I need it to be your top priority." He explained his idea.
"Irresponsible, as always," Shichiya sighed, getting himself another drink. "You're doing a thing you should not be doing."
"If a higher power finds fault with it, they'll judge me. Do you think you can do it, Anne?"
"Yeah, I can," she said slowly, "but that won't be cheap. Your tab won't cover that kind of thing, Nikado."
"Then I'll pay you up front." He tapped his wrist. "It sells well, doesn't it?"
She made a face, but nodded. "Pleasure doing business with you...."
Waiting for the sound of the elevator to start, Daisuke snuck back out, quickly making his way out the door. His shoulder still ached as he moved, but he pushed it aside as he went the way he had seen the two gangs go earlier that day, asking a few people along the way where he might find the girl that could dissolve magic. They told him he was a little crazy, but that one of her preferred haunts was the roof of an older building.
The girl was seated at the edge of the building, feet dangling over the edge as she looked out at the skyline. "Hey," Daisuke called to her softly, smiling. "You shouldn't sit so close, you might fall."
She quickly got to her feet as she heard him, drawing a knife as she charged for him. "Assassin!" she spat out as she flicked a knife out to stab him.
Without thinking he had his sword in his hand, blocking her blade with the flat of his. "What? No, I'm not! I'm not here to hurt you!"
"Of course you'd say something like that if you were trying to kill me," she spat, glaring up at him, the lights of the nearby buildings reflected in her blue eyes.
"Hurting people is bad," he insisted, unwilling to actively push the girl back. "I'm not here to do that."
"I don't believe you. People lie."
"That's bad too," he agreed, "but not as bad as hurting people. Hey, why are you and your friends trying to hurt those other people?"
"What are you talking about? Because they hurt us first." She took a few steps back to watch him warily, knife still in hand.
He sighed, putting his sword away. "Why are they trying to hurt you?"
"Because they can? How should I know?"
"But it doesn't make sense."
"It makes plenty of sense. They're just bastards," she hissed.
"No, it does not make sense," he said with a scowl. "It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. This place isn't being attacked, there's no monsters here, so no one has a reason to fight."
She stared at him for a moment. "There are plenty of reasons to fight other people."
"No, they're aren't!" he shouted at her. "Not to hurt people! In my world we had to fight monsters all the time, not people. Sure, we argued sometimes, but no one tried to *kill* each other!"
"You have no idea what you're babbling about," she snapped, turning away. "Just shut up."
"Why are you doing it?" he pressed. "Why are you trying to hurt them? Don't you know that other people get sad when you do that?"
"They don't get sad. They get pissed off. And if we hurt them bad enough, they'll stop coming after us."
"I don't think you're a bad person," he said in a softer tone. "But I don't understand why you're with people that are. Why are you doing bad things?"
She was silent for a long moment, staring over the cityscape again. "...they murdered my dad. Are you happy now? If you are, then go away."
"You had a dad?" he asked, curiousity distracting him. "What was that like?"
"What the hell do you mean, 'what was that like'? What sort of question is that?"
"Well, my dad died before I was born," Daisuke stated, tucking his hands behind his head. "So I don't know what a 'dad' is like. Was he big and strong?"
She looked over her shoulder at him, and her eyes were filled with that angry, yet empty expression again. "Get out of here. You could never understand what I feel."
"So then tell me," he urged. "I may not be smart like my brother, but I still listen real good. I'll listen."
"Imagine if someone killed your brother in front of you. That's what it's like. Only worse. Now will you please leave me alone?"
"But that doesn't help. I wouldn't feel any different," he said slowly, looking down at his sword. "I'd be sad, and I wouldn't understand why. Those men you were chasing...the men that we're with you...there's no difference. They're all bad men." He looked up at her. "One of your friends used his weapon on me and hurt me. I didn't do anything to him. There was no reason to do that. When I woke up, I saw my brother's face and he looked so sad. I thought he was going to cry. I would never want to make him or anyone feel like that. I don't understand it!" he shouted. "I just don't! Why do you *want* to make other people sad? Don't you know that's *wrong*?!"
"Because I *hate* them!" she shouted back. "And you're stupid and naive!"
"Then I'd rather be stupid and naive," he told her firmly. "There can *never* be a reason to justify what you are doing. It's...no better than a monster. Monsters don't care when they kill people. They don't care that it hurts everyone around them. So much dies when one person dies. Maybe that man that killed your dad is a monster. But if he is...then so are you. You're doing the same thing he is. You're no better than he is!"
"Then I'll become a monster," she said coldly, drawing her weapon again. "What are you going to do about it? Either take care of me, or get the hell out of my way."
"Get away from him!" Emi shouted as she drew her knife. The swordswoman drew her own sword from her position by the fire escape she had come up, moving toward the other girl. "I will not allow you to...."
"Emi!" Daisuke cried in alarm as the girl put a hand to her forehead, stumbling. "Get away from the edge, it's dangerous!"
She lifted her sword partway. "Will not...allow...." The sword dropped from her hand as she fell, tumbling backwards over the edge.
"EMI!" Daisuke ran forward with an expression of horror on his face, only to stop as something moved back up to the edge. Vaugely identifying it as one of the flying "machines" he had seen from the ground, the most important thing he noticed was that Emi's unconscious form was draped across the back. "Emi!!"
The most important thing Fia noticed was something else. "Maelov!" she growled, charging for the edge of the roof. "Now's my chance!"
"No, stop!" Daisuke grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "It's too far to reach, you'll fall."
"Then you think of something! I'm not letting him get away!" she yelled, eyes flashing.
"I see you've acquired some new allies, huh, little Fia?" the man said in a mocking tone, reaching back to pat Emi.
"She's with me, and we're not anyone's allies," Daisuke said seriously. "We're just travellers. Can you please leave her with me?"
"I don't think so. Anyone that consorts with this devil child will be crushed. Southside, you. You want this girl back? I'll hold her at the old lighthouse on the point. Don't keep me waiting, or there might be less of her than there is now," he laughed, turning the flying machine away.
"Stop!" Daisuke shouted, feeling sick as the machine sped out of sight. "Emi...."
"I'm going after him," Fia growled, jerking her hand free. "I don't care when or where. I will kill him."
"No, wait," he told her, seizing her arm. "We can't handle this on our own. We need to tell my brother and Nikado."
"Let go of me, you bastard," she growled, trying to get free again with another yank. "You can go get your friends. I'm going to get *him*."
"The only thing you'll get is killed!"
"Daisuke!" Keisuke appeared at the top of the stairs, panting for breath. "I thought...I'd find you up here."
"Brother!" he said in surprise. "...how? And where's Nikado? Brother, Emi got kidnapped by a bad man!"
"I don't know where he is, he said he was getting something," Keisuke said with a frown. "He told me to go after you and bring these." He held out three bracelets. "Anne says they're on loan so we'd better not damage them."
"A wrist shield!" Fia said in delight, greedily snatching one and putting it on her wrist. "That'll stop them from shooting at me."
"Brother, we have to save Emi fast," Daisuke said urgently, accepting the shield from his brother and looking at his wrist. "That guy's really bad. He's going to hurt her if we don't save her fast."
"Yeah, I heard he's a regular piece of work," Keisuke muttered. "What do you know about this place we're going, Fia?"
"How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because I had the foresight to ask someone," he said, glancing over at Daisuke, "instead of running off by myself."
"Hey!"
"It's on the edge of a piece of land, a little point above the rocks," she said at last. "It's pretty open all around. There's no way to sneak in."
"We're not going to sneak in," Keisuke said, gesturing for the pair to follow. "We have to take them by surprise. Can you get the keys to that one?"
He was pointing down into the building at a hovercraft. "Sure," she said, going down the stairs and placing her hand on a smooth plate. There was a click, and it opened, the girl taking the key.
"You can fly this, right?"
"Of course I can, what do you take me for?" she scoffed, hopping on and starting up the engine. Daisuke jumped up behind, Keisuke taking the rear.
"Then let's go!"
"Still no sign of them?"
"No sir, Maelov sir," the younger man told him, turning his attention back toward the land leading up to the lighthouse. "Maybe they aren't coming. Or they went to get help."
"I doubt that. The girl's stupid like her father was," Maelov laughed, helping himself to a drink as he regarded his hostage. Emi was still unconscious, the girl tied and dangling from a support beam in the ceiling. "Maybe I should go ahead and start skinning her anyway."
"Sir!" came a panicked voice through the radio. "There's--" The rest of the message was cut off by the roar of a hovercraft, the machine blocking out the sun as it glistened with sea spray.
Maelov stared at the three faces that were staring back at him. "How...? They snuck along the damn coast!"
"Daisuke, do it now!" Even as he spoke, the younger twin had sliced open his hand, drawing a circle in midair with the blood. "Fia, ram it!"
"Are you--"
"Do it!" he shouted, and Fia gunned the engine, slamming the hovercraft into the wall as Daisuke finished his spell, hurling it against the wall ahead of them. The glass shattered inward, shards flying everywhere as the hovercraft stopped most of the way through the hole.
"Shoot them!" Maelov roared at his attendants, and they did so, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off the energy shields and dropping to the grounds. "Shields? How did you--"
Keisuke and Daisuke charged off the machine, moving for the two attendants. One let out a scream, running back down the stairs, while the other was swiftly rendered unconscious. "Surrender now," Keisuke said softly. "We have you outnumbered."
"I don't particularly care," Maelov spat, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Emi's temple. "All of you drop your weapons, or this wall's going to be decorated with her brains."
The twins exchanged a quick glance, and then both set their weapons on the floor slowly. Fia stayed where she was, knuckles turning white as she gripped her knife.
"Fia, put it down," Daisuke said softly. "We have to do what he says."
Clenching her jaw, she finally loosened her grip, the knife dropping to the floor. "Much better," Maelov said with a smirk. "Now the shields."
"But you'll shoot us," Keisuke said slowly.
"If you don't, I'll shoot her," he said with a smile.
Daisuke slowly reached down to his wrist, pulling the device off and dropping it on the ground. "Why did you kill Fia's father?" he asked softly.
"He was an obstacle in my way," Maelov said simply. "Same way you are."
"Obstacle?! He was a person!" Daisuke protested.
"He was an obstacle, and it's only natural to get rid of obstacles in one's way, isn't it?"
"That's not good enough!" Fia screamed. "He was my father! He was all I had in the world! When you killed him, half of me died as well!"
"I don't care," he told her. "It doesn't concern me. The only thing that concerns me is me." He smiled again, pointing the gun at Daisuke. "Shall I make more of you die?"
With a wordless scream, Fia seized her knife from the floor, charging for him. He had already fired, but Daisuke had his weapon in hand again and was spinning it rapidly the way he had seen Emi do it. The bullet was deflected harmlessly. He turned the gun toward his hostage, but Keisuke had reacted as well, throwing his own knife at the rope holding her, dropping her to the ground. He didn't have time to adjust his aim, for Fia was on him, slashing at his gun hand.
A scream filled the air, accompanied with the spray of blood. Maelov's severed hand lay several feet away as the man fell to the floor, eyes wide. Fia knelt on his chest, raising her knife high. "I'm going to kill you," she said in a cold tone.
"Stop, Fia!"
She went shock-still at the voice, the knife dropping from her hand to the floor as she turned. An older man was standing several feet away from her, a tall man with long silvery hair and soft violet eyes. "P-papa," she managed softly, then she got to her feet and ran to him, throwing her arms around his waist. "Papa! Papa!!"
Daisuke blinked, rubbing his eyes as if to make sure he was seeing what he was supposed to be seeing. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nikado resting against the wall, clutching something in both hands.
Keisuke went over to Emi, slicing through her bonds. "I brought you your sword back," he said quietly.
"Oh, my darling Fia," he murmured, squeezing her back as she sobbed into his coat. "I am so happy I could see you again."
"Papa," she got out, clinging to him. "Papa, I want you to come home."
The look on his face was heartbreaking as he held onto her. "I am so sorry. I cannot change what has happened. But you will be all right, Fia. You are a strong girl."
"No, no," she whimpered, clinging to his coat with her clutched fists and giving it a shake. "You're okay now. See, I'm hugging you, we can go home."
"I can only remain in this place for a short time, Fia," he said gently. "Then I must go back."
"You have to stay!" she shouted with another shake of his long coat. "We can go home, it'll be okay, you're not dead!"
"Fia, make me a promise," he said softly, putting a hand on her head. "Promise me you will not seek revenge any longer."
"But--"
"Promise me, Fia!" he said urgently. "I would not be able to rest if I knew you were living your life in hate!"
"But you're not DEAD!"
"He is dead, Fia," Nikado spoke up from his position against the wall. "And he doesn't have much time left. You should give him a smile instead of showing him your crying face."
She looked down at the ground, slowly loosening her grip on his coat. "I...I promise, papa."
"Good girl," he told her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I cannot make you promise the other thing I want...but I want you to try and be happy. For me. All right?"
"I'll try. I promise I'll try!"
"Then I will have nothing more to worry about," he said softly, kneeling next to her and looking at her face, brushing a hand against her cheek. "Fia, I will always love you and I will always be with you."
"I love you too," she managed to get out, rubbing at her face with her sleeve. "I'm so sorry."
"Shh," he urged, hugging her again, "there is nothing to be sorry for."
"I love you, papa."
"I love you, Fia," he whispered as his form began to fade, and then there was nothing left to hold. She dropped to her hands and knees, beginning to sob anew.
Daisuke closed his eyes for a moment in sympathy, then went to her side, letting her head rest in his lap as he put his arms around her and let her cry.
A click behind his ear made him stiffen, and Fia froze as well. "You're an obstacle," Maelov said in a low tone, the weapon pressed against the back of Daisuke's head. "You need to be removed."
"Please don't," Daisuke said softly, his voice even and without fear. "I don't want...to see her cry again."
"Oh, don't worry," Maelov reassured. "In a moment you won't see anything at all."
"Stop!" Fia grabbed for his hand, trying to wrestle the gun away. As she watched, the expression on his face went from psychotic to merely surprised as a sword decided to make its presence known through his chest, by way of his heart.
Emi lowered her arm from her movement of throwing the sword. "You will *not* harm Lord Daisuke," she said in a low tone, then put the hand to her head as she slumped back against Keisuke, looking ill again.
Nikado managed to push himself up the wall, tucking the object that had been in his hands back into a pocket. "Are any of you hurt?"
Daisuke shook his head silently. "Emi looks really sick, Mr. Nikado," Keisuke said with a frown, putting a hand to her forehead.
"We need to take her away from Fia for the moment. I'll explain it later," Nikado said with a nod.
"Then you go on ahead," Daisuke told Nikado. "We'll follow you in a bit."
"Are you okay?" Keisuke asked Nikado dubiously, eyeing the pale guide.
"Of course not, I'm bloody exhausted," he complained. "Doing that sort of thing is hell! But," he added with a slight smile, "I think it was worth it."
Keisuke looked over at his brother again before pulling Emi onto his shoulder, skirting around the room to Nikado. "We'll be at the hotel," he told his brother before the trio departed downstairs.
Daisuke stayed where he was on the floor, letting Fia rest in his lap, absently stroking her hair. "So that was a 'dad', huh."
"Yeah."
"I think....you must be very lucky, to have had one."
"Yeah." She curled up against him, letting him put his arms around her.
"So what are you going to do now?" he asked, looking out the smashed glass wall at the morning sun.
"I don't know," she sighed, placing her hand against his arm.
"Maybe...if you wanted, you could come with us," Daisuke suggested. "I mean, it's going to be really tough and dangerous, though. We're on a quest to save our world from monsters and we don't even know if we'll succeed or make it that far. But still...."
"I want to come with you," she said quietly. "I don't want to stay here."
"Then you can come with us," he told her. "Do you have a mom, Fia?"
"No."
"We have a mom," he told her, giving her a little squeeze. "When we get home, you can have our mom, too."
"But what if she says no?"
"Who would say no to a Fia?" he laughed. "You'll like her. She can be strict, but she's strong and brave and kind."
"Okay, if you're sure." Reaching up, she gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Daisuke."
Her sword was by her side. Even before she became aware of anything else, she knew that. Reaching out for it, Emi placed her fingers on the hilt, rubbing it for a moment before opening her eyes and sitting up.
"Ah, I see our sleeping beauty has awakened," came a cheerful voice, and she turned to look at Nikado. He offered her a cup. "Feel well enough to take a little drink?"
"I was sleeping?" she echoed dumbly, taking the cup without thinking about it. "Am I sick?"
"Well, yes and no. I have good news," he told her.
"Lord Daisuke!" she blurted out. "Where is he, is he safe?"
"He's fine," the guide laughed, "he's downstairs with Fia, probably annoying Shichiya. That was not the good news I was trying to give you, though."
"I am sorry," she apologized, looking up at him. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
"We've found a way to undo the rest of that curse," he told her, "the one affecting your body. If you want to, of course. I mean, there are advantages to never having to eat or sleep--"
"I want to be normal," she interrupted him quickly. "I want to feel hungry and tired again. Please, Nikado. If you really know, please help me."
He chuckled, placing a hand on her head. "Calm down, Emi. As it is, it's not much of a choice. The thing making you sick is joining our little ragtag band of adventurers, so we may as well do this now rather than later."
"'It' is joining our party? What is it?"
"A she, actually, and her name is Fia. She's a little younger than you, about the boys' age," Nikado told her. "She's got a bloodline ability to unravel magic. That's what was making you sick, when you were near her."
"I see. When are we going to have her do it, then?"
"Now, if you feel up to it. I'll warn you, it probably won't be pleasant," he said cautiously.
"I do not care. It would be worth it to be alive again!"
"You're a brave girl, Emi," he said softly, rubbing her hair. "You're going to need that as much as anyone in the days ahead. I'll go get Fia and the boys, you stay right here."
She nodded, and he left the room, Emi looking at the walls as she waited. This was the last of it, she thought to herself. The last part of her old life, of her father's crimes against her, was getting left behind on this world. All she would have after this was her sword, and her allegiance to Lord Daisuke and his brother.
"Emi!" Daisuke was the first to enter the room, running over and beaming at her cheerily. "You're looking a lot better. Hey, now I get to thank you for saving me!"
"Saving you?" She gave him a blank look.
"You were so out of it, you probably don't remember," Keisuke told her. "You killed Maelov before he could kill my brother. It was an impressive throw."
She shook her head. "But this means we're even now," Daisuke told her. "So now you don't have to call me 'Lord Daisuke' anymore, okay?"
Emi frowned at him. "How can I consider my debt repaid with something I cannot even recall?"
"Oh man, does this mean that you are gonna keep calling me 'Lord Daisuke' after all?" he groaned.
"I don't see what's so 'lord' about you," a girl's voice spoke up from behind the door. "You're a dumb kid."
"Tell her that!"
"Come on in, Fia," Nikado encouraged, and the purple-haired girl stepped inside, looking at Emi with her light blue eyes.
"Ah, hello," she greeted uncertainly.
Emi could feel the familiar wave of nausea coming, and the swordswoman put a hand to her head, trying to hold herself together. "Don't be afraid," Nikado said, though she wasn't sure if he was speaking to her or the other girl. "Fia, go to her. Take her hand."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Keisuke, can you bring me that basket from the bathroom, just in case?"
"What should I do, 'kado?" she heard Daisuke's voice. Emi kept her eyes closed, trying to focus on the sounds in the room.
"Stay out of the way."
She wasn't in the room any more, but at the weaponsmith's house, feeling the burning of the armor being forced against her skin, could see the unnatural light in his eyes as he looked down at her. "No," she whimpered, trying to curl up.
"Nikado?" The girl's voice, uncertain.
"It's going to be hard on her, but it needs to be done," he reassured. "There's something wrong with her body, Fia."
"Okay...I'm going to try."
He was there, it was happening again as he lovingly brushed her hair, folding it into the helmet which rested just above her head, and then he slid it on, the magic activating as it touched her temples, wrenching her body away from her. "No, no, stop it."
There was pressure on her hand that she didn't recall before, but she only acknowledged it for a moment before he was bearing down on her again, moving apart her lips with no resistance. "Guard this place," he told her in a hushed whisper as he pressed something small against her lips, forcing it into her mouth and down her throat. "You will let no one enter this place for the rest of eternity, until this very world is swallowed in darkness."
She screamed, her back arching as arms grabbed onto her, holding her still, and then her voice was cut off as she leaned forward, retching into the wastebasket that Keisuke held. She was back in the hotel room, she realized, shaking a little as she gasped for breath.
Nikado reached in to the basket, pulling out a small gray sphere. "Fia, touch it."
"Eww," she protested, cringing. "Do I have to?" Reaching out anyway, she poked at it with a finger, watching it dissolve away. "Eww. That was *so* gross, Nikado."
"Miss Emi, are you all right?" Keisuke asked from behind her, letting go of her arm and shoulder.
She put her hands on her legs, trying to steady herself and calm her breathing. "I am not...going to do that again. Sorry for acting like that."
"Just take it easy," Nikado told her, going into the bathroom to wash his hands. "How do you feel now? Still feel sick?"
She shook her head slightly, pressing her wrist to her forehead. "I can hear it," she said softly.
"Huh? Hear what?" Daisuke asked, peering into her face.
Emi managed a smile, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It is nothing, Lord Daisuke."
As Nikado washed his hands in the bathroom, something lit up on his arm with a soft orange glow, the man frowning as he studied the words appearing on his arm. "Time to earn their keep, huh," Nikado said softly before going back out into the main room. "All right, you lot, eat what you like while you can. We'll be leaving later today for our next destination."
"Where will we be going?" Keisuke asked him.
"Aenurdil. It's a world called Aenurdil."
