Erin was about to ask Leon what she could do to be more confident when Natsumi's eyes popped open and she sat up in a second. "What? Where?" She blubbered senselessly, clearly trying to figure out where she was. Erin smiled at her. "Hey, Nat-chan." She said, quickly getting the other girl's attention. "Oh, is that you, Eri-chan?" She asked, and Erin answered with a small nod. "Where am I? And why is Kyrin-san here?" She asked.
"Well..." Erin started. She glanced at Leon and took a deep breath. "Me and Leon-kun were walking to school and we found you lying unconscious in the pathway, we decided to take you home because we just couldn't wake you up!" She said as quickly as she could while still pronouncing words clearly. Natsumi raised and eyebrow.
"You and 'Leon-kun' were 'walking to school together'?" She teased. Erin breathed in relief, had that really been what she had focused on? "I told you, Eri-chan! I warned you!" She stuck her tongue out and ran off, shouting out a thank you and goodbye.

Leon laughed as Natsumi ran off, and looked at Erin. "So I guess our secret is out, eh? Gonna be a lot of disappointed girls at school." He stood up and held out his hand to Erin. "I hope that's not a problem for you, being associated with me." He was rather happy, despite everything that had happened recently. The corruption on his ring caught his eye as he held out his hand. It was rather full, but he would deal with that another time. "Come on, Erin-chan, I think it is time we all did something as a group. Everyone could use a break."

Erin felt the urge of the moment call her, it was the perfect moment, she had to tell him, right now!
"Hey, Leon..." She started and took a deep breath. I need to talk to you. Over the past few days I've... changed, You've changed me. I feel differently about everything now, you have changed my view of the world. And today, when we kissed, I understood. I'm in love with you and I can't even deny it to myself, I'm sorry if you don't feel the same way but that's the truth.
She wanted to tell him that, but the words wouldn't escape her lips. They wouldn't even escape her mind. She was afraid, too scared to make a move.
"Sure, that seems nice." Was all she could say, wearing an almost fake smile. She took his hand and nearly everything was instantly forgotten. She was with him, it was perfect.

Elly awoke with a strong feeling of love, someone was trying to confess to someone else, and she could figure out who. It was obviously that annoying girl, Erin. She had such strong feelings for Onii-san that it made Elly feel ill. She sat up and looked around, she was alone in her room, but she could hear someone messing around in the kitchen. Elly stepped out into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. "Onii-san?" She stopped and blinked, there was no one there, but what had she just heard? Who was in this house with her?

Leon held Erin's hand on the way back, quietly aware of how happy she was. He wasn't sure what he was doing to make her so happy, but as long as she was he would continue to do so. He suddenly stopped as Elly came flying out a of the house through a window, followed behind by a young girl dressed in all black. "Elly!" He charged forward and grabbed her out of the air. "Who are you! What did you do to my sister?"

Erin almost fell backwards when Elly came out of one of Koyuki's house's windows. "A...ah? What happened?" She asked, confused. Who was that girl? And why had she come out of Koyuki's house? It was a little too confusing to process, Erin's head was getting dizzy.

A loud noise startled Koyuki awake. She'd dozed off, taking anap on the outside. But something haf happened. Who was that girl that had come out of her house? Koyuki ran up to the gathering of people. She took a good look at the girl, it was clear now that she was under a powerful mind controlling spell. "Hey, guys." Koyuki said. "Who's this?" She asked, wanting to add 'why are people flying out of my windows?' but kept that to herself. It was not very fun to watch, though.

Elly pulled herself out of Onii-san's arms, she was angry and this girl was going to get hurt. She wanted to transform but it was a bad idea with all these people around, so instead she picked up a rather large branch and began to swing it at the girl. It was crazy, this tiny little thing was dodging all of Elly's attacks and with so little effort! The girl was tiny with black hair pulled into a tight pony tail and almond colored eyes. Her eyes looked distant and strange as though she wasn't really seeing Elly, it was rather disturbing. Suddenly the girl vanished and Elly felt something hit her chest, knocking her back, just as the girl jumped into the air, with a rather sharp looking sword, intent on impaling Elly.

Leon struck out with his fist, shattering the blade, and cutting his fist on it in the process. The blade was sharp all around and he was bleeding pretty badly, but he would not let this slow him down. "It's you again! From my apartment! What are you doing here again?" The girl did not respond, but she did react, throwing away the useless blade she began to attack Leon, rapid speed punches and kicks that kept him on the defensive. He could not match her speed without transforming, and he could not do that here. How would he get everyone out of this now?

[colors="#B36814"]"What the...?" Koyuki tried to summon a gun and shoot the girl, but nothing would come to her hands. Oh, right. She wasn't transformed. She sighed and started working on an illusion. The outside people would not see them. She transformed and summoned a cannon, shooting at the girl, who skillfully dodged her every attack.[/color]

Erin imitated Koyuki and transformed. She could feel an illusion's power around them. They were shielded from unwanted eyes, so they could do almost anything really.
"Leon! Are you okay?!" She said when she noticed his hand was bleeding badly. But she couldn't stop to worry, it would leave her open and she couldn't afford to do that, this girl was clearly very strong.

Elly stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress, that kick had really hurt. She didn't know what to do, this girl was so quick that she was attacking Onii-san and dodge attacks from both the other girls, what could she hope to do? She knew that she could not give up, though, that was magi 101, stopping meant death or worse. She charged in again, but did not attempt to hit the girl, instead she threw herself bodily onto the girl and tackled her to the ground. "Onii-san, quickly! Get her, don-" She stopped suddenly when she felt a sharp pain in her side, she looked down to see dark blood start to pool on the ground. What had happened? Elly was confused, the girl stood up and threw the bloody knife to the ground, a large pain in Elly's side made her dizzy, what was happening?

"E-Elly?" Leon asked as he saw his sister collapse. He dashed over, smashing the girl in the face with his foot as hard as he could, almost as a side thought. His focus was on his sister, his baby sister as she lay on the ground bleeding. "Elly! Help me!" He yelled, looking around at all the people just standing there, some of them even looked confused. "This isn't fake you fools! She's bleeding! Someone help!" He held her close, the assassin, the people, the whole world didn't matter. He would not let his baby sister die. "Don't give up, Elly. I'm here, I'm here."

Rita ran inside their little barrier, it was there and she knew it. "She'll be fine." She said, not even bothering to face Leon. "It's just a cut, her gem will heal it." She took out one of her swords, slowly, without transforming. She always kept some swords inside her jacket, who knows what threats the outside world can have? She pointed her sword at the girl but didn't move. She would let her make the first move. Erin and Koyuki had frozen. What was that girl doing, how had she known they were there? They gathered around Leon and Elly. They could do nothing but watch, of course. None of them could use healing magic.

Elly coughed a bit and gripped Leon's cuff. "I'm fine, Onii-san, don't worry about me. Please don't become a wizard. Please!" Tears streaked down her face, she couldn't stand the thought of her brother changing just because she had been careless, she would rather die. That didn't seem to be happening though, the girl was right, she was starting to heal, even though it hurt like crazy. "I'll be okay, Onii-san. I promise."

Leon closed his eyes and focused his breathing, he had to get a grip on this anger, he would do something terrible if he didn't. He knew that the girl was not in her own mind, so taking it out on her would do no good. It would feel great though, yes so great, perhaps he could just start with her. The thoughts started to race through his mind when he felt an intense pain in his chest. He looked down to see Elly pushing on his soul gem. "Calm down, Onii-san, I can feel your anger, it's only going to corrupt you." "Elly...." Suddenly things shifted, each of the magi's was transported, or perhaps the world itself left. Regardless they stood in a nearly dark world, along with the girl, who had lost any sense of them being there. Suddenly it spoke, the voice.

"This is only a taste of what I can do to you, little Magi. You who work for those vile incubators are a threat to my plan and I will not have you getting in my way. I have many more servants then just this girl, and I will not hesitate to strike at you at any time or any place. This is your warning, stay out of my business. I don't care if you work for those slimy rats or not, I will do this my way and I will not let anyone get in my way."

Rita snickered, shaking off the illusion of blackness and merely walked away. That meant nothing for her, she had no intention of messing with anyone's plans as long as they kept out of her motives. She kept her sword in place and left the kids alone, she had no more business with them for now. Besides, she had to review her plans for the day after. One more time.

Erin felt dizzy, her head ached. Where was she? What happened? "Who's talking?" She managed to say. Around her, she could barely see anything other than the blackness, and a few colored blots she assumed were her friends. What had that voice meant? Their incubators were evil, but they weren't. Besides, Erin had no idea what this voice was planning, how could she get in the way?

Koyuki could feel they were trapped inside an illusion, but it was very real. She couldn't make it fade away, not alone. How had that pink magi just up and walked out? She felt... different. Koyuki hadn't managed to fish anything out of her mind, it was a giant blank, and every of her memories was locked up so tightly she couldn't even see them.

Leon growled, something bestial inside of him threatened to break free. It was similar to the feeling he had when Erin had become a witch. He knew that if he let this loose he may not return to who he was, and so he pushed it down into his darkest depths. "We don't even know who you are, lady. How are we going to get in your way? You attack us, twice, and then demand we leave YOU alone? I have no love for those rats, and I don't give a damn what you do to them, but I swear to you, if you hurt any of my friends I will do things so terrible to you that you will wish you had never been born." The last bit of that was almost a growl as it escaped his throat, the threat was very, very real.

Elly could only lay there and listen to the darkness threaten to swallow her brother, she was doing everything she could to suppress his rage, but it was stronger than she was. It scared her, to see her brother like this. He had always been so sweet and kind, but to have so much rage in him, whatever had happened to him since coming to Japan had changed him, and it wasn't for the better.

The voice spoke again, this time a bit taken aback. "I-I will not listen to your threats, boy! I had to attack you as you were too close to getting in my way, and I will not allow that! Stay away from the industrial district, even to slay witches. I will take care of them. This is your only warning, I will not hesitate to kill you next time." Suddenly the darkness faded away and they were lying in the middle of the street, next to Koyuki's house.

Erin blinked rapidly, the real world had returned. "What the hell just happened?" She asked, getting up and breaking her transformation. "Who was that?" She knew that most likely no one had a reply for her, but it wouldn't hurt to try. She sighed, trying to remember what they were doing before they were attacked by the mysterious girl in black. Where had she gone, anyway? She'd just faded away, just like that other girl, Rita. Rita... who was she really? And why did she seem to know what she was doing so well?

"What the hell..." Koyuki said. "I have no idea who this crazy maniac is, but we didn't even know anything about any plans! How could we even get in their way?!" Everything seemed more and more far-fetched everytime Koyuki thought about it. Who was trying to kill them, and how could they get in the way of a plan they didn't even know existed? More importantly... what was this plan the mysterious voice was so set on protecting? It all smelled terribly of danger.

Leon was shaking with rage, he wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that somehow the Incubators were responsible again. He remembered his vow to crush their home planet, and couldn't help but wonder if this was in response to that. He stood up and helped Elly to her feet, the wound was gone, but her school uniform was stained with blood. He wasn't sure what they were going to do about that.

Elly looked down at her new school uniform, she hadn't even gotten to go to class yet and it was ruined. What was she going to do now? "Onii-san....my uniform!" She had tears in her eyes, this was just the last straw, she was unwilling to take it anymore. "Why is everything so hard, Onii-san? Elly doesn't want to deal with this." She sniffed a bit and wiped away a tear. "Elly also wants some ice cream."

Koyuki giggled. She'd forgotten completely how it was nice to be a little kid, and suddenly felt compelled to help Elly, she reminded Koyuki of herself when she was just a kid.
"It's okay, it's okay." She said in an attemot to comfort her. "Come with me, I'll wash your uniform, lend you some clothes, and then we can go get some ice cream. I know a great ice cream place that's really close!" She took Elly's hand, smiling.

Erin laughed at Koyuki. She really IS getting old, helping kids as if she's an old lady...! She commented to herself, watching the scene.
"Koyu is right!" She smiled at Elly. "There's a great ice cream shop just a few blocks away. All you need is a change of clothes!" She nodded, softly pushing them to Koyuki's house. That's right, Erin. Pretend not to have a second intention. She kept nodding, while encouraging herself mentally.

Elly sniffed away her tears and nodded. "Okay, Elly will listen." She followed Koyuki towards the house, and turned back just before entering. "You are coming too, right Onii-san? Erin-nee-chan?" She smiled at them with her most innocent smile, trying to hide her ulterior motives. She followed Koyuki into the house, wiping away what was left of her tears. The thought of trying on new clothes and eating ice cream had cheered her up quite a bit, and if Koyuki-senpai could fix her clothes, she would be even happier.

Leon chuckled a bit at Elly, he knew this was mostly an act. "Of course I'll go with you, I want to spend time with my precious little sister." After she had gone inside he turned to Erin. "Besides, I've kind of wanted to take you out for some sweets too." He said with a smile. He gripped her hand and just enjoyed the moment, after all they had nearly died....again. It was getting kind of crazy, this life, but since it brought him to Erin, he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Koyuki opened the door and sighed, her apartment was a mess again. She pushed Elly into her room and took a shirt out of the closet. It was simple, white and mid-sleeve, with a red heart with a cute face. It was way too short for Koyuki, it was already too small even before she had become a witch, so it would fit Elly, most likely. She held it to the girl. "Here, get changed, I'm going to clean some things up." She said, smiling, and ran out of the room, heading to the broken window.

Erin waited until Elly was completely out of their sight. She smiled at Leon, holding his hand tighter. "That's really nice!" She said, blushing a bit. It was nice to be alone with him again, even if just for a few moments. Erin thought about how her life would've become if she never met Leon. It would be so awful, she didn't even want to think about it. She pointed to the door. "Well, I guess we should go?" She said, not really feeling like it. She wanted to... extend their time together. Too bad she didn't have the power to.

Leon shook his head. "No, they will be fine changing without me there." He pointed to the bench across the street. "Let's go sit down, shall we?" He took her hand and led her to the bench, sitting down and still holding it. "Erin....listen. I have something to tell you and I'm sorry if you don't want to hear it, but I need to say it." His heart started to race, he didn't want to do this, but it needed to be done. He waited a moment, allowing her to respond before he started in, he wanted to make sure she was listening to him.

Elly tried on the shirt, it was really cute on her and was only a little big, especially in the chest. Elly grumbled a little, that was the one area she was really left behind with other girls. It didn't matter though, she was cute enough, that's what her Onii-san always told her, and she believed him. She adjusted the shirt and switched out for another skirt, this one red, going well with the shirt. She stepped out into the living area. "Koyuki-Senpai, I'm all changed!"

Erin blinked. "Umm... o-okay... go ahead, I'm listening." She sat down, feeling uneasy, what did Leon want to say to her? Maybe he thought that their kiss had been a mistake and was just clearing that up, but that would be awful. Erin wanted him to say something else, but she kept her hopes down. She hated feeling disappointed, especially at someone who didn't deserve it.

Koyuki grinned at Elly. "You look so adorable!" She took the uniform from her and put it on the top of her laundry pile. "There, I'll wash it and it'll be back to you very soon!" She said, walking to her room and pulling a few red and white bracelets put of her jewellery box, as well as a key-shaped golden necklace. "Here, put these on, they'll look great!" She said, placing them on Elly's hands.

Leon took a deep breath, he could tell that Erin was already disappointed, and she didn't even know what he was going to say yet. He hoped this didn't ruin their relationship. "Erin...I really care about you, a lot, more than I could even really express. I don't want anything to ruin that." He smiled at her. "But, I want you to know that I care deeply about my sister as well, so it is very important that you and her try to get along. I know she can be an annoying terror, that is what little sisters do." He took her hand again and squeezed it. "So please, promise me you will stop fighting with her, I know it will be hard, but I believe in your. I just want everyone to get along." His heart was racing, what if she refused? What if her and Elly couldn't get along? How would he make a decision like that?

Elly squealed with delight. She looked adorable. Now Onii-san would HAVE to pay attention to her, instead of that trollop he had outside. Speaking of which, she had left them alone for entirely too long. She dashed out the door, looking for them. "Onii-san! Look at me! I got new clothes!" She couldn't see them, had they left her? She started to get worried, and angry, why would he leave her? It must have been that girl! It's always that girl! She started to stomp back inside when she heard her brother call her name. They were sitting on a bench across the street. Elly breathed out a sigh of relief and regained her composure before heading over.

Koyuki followed Elly outside, stretching out her arms in the open. The sun was warm. Not hot, just warm. The fall weather was really beginning, wasn't it? Koyuki took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of fall in Mitakihara. From somewhere very far away, she could smell faling red leaves and mushrooms under a tree. She walked a few steps, enjoying the soft breeze. It was the first time she had stopped to breathe the world around her carefully since she'd returned. A laugh escaped her throat, as happiness rose to her mind.

Erin sighed. She had no idea how to get along with Elly, she was okay with it, but it was the little kid that seemed to be all against it. "Fine, I'll try... but you should try to talk to your sister!" She said, getting up as Elly greeted them. "Oh, hi, Elly-chan!" She walked to the girl and smiled. "You look so adorable!" She commented, taking a quick peek at her own clothing. Just the school uniform, as usual. Erin wished, for a moment, to be able to go home and dress up something else. These clothes did not suit her, at all.

Elly smiled at Erin, she was going to be polite for Onii-san's sake. On top of that, this girl was rather nice to her and did save her life, but maybe she was trying to get to Onii-san through Elly? Elly could not be sure, so she would have to be polite but careful. She would not allow anyone else to have Onii-san. "Maybe Erin-nee-chan would like to go home and change too?" Elly said with a bit of sweet venom.

Leon blushed at how Elly was acting, it was a cool act, feigning being nice while secretly jabbing at Erin. But two could play at that game. Leon walked up to Erin and put his hand around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. "I think Erin-chan looks just fine, Elly." He could tell that his remark would sting, so he followed up with. "Of course you look great too, all three of you do. I kind of feel like Charlie." He was followed by blank stares, the cultural difference and age difference might have been too much. "You know...from Charlie's Angels? Nothing." He sighed and started to walk down the road. "Come on, we have Ice Cream to get."

Erin gave an inner stare to Elly. She could tell the little girl wasn't completely trustful of Erin, but it was okay, as long as she didn't try to put herself between Erin and Leon.
"Yes, let's get going!" Erin smiled and held Leon's hand. She knew the way perfectly but let Koyuki lead, she knew it would be a lot more enjoyable for her than it was for Erin. A smooth breeze blew by and her hair got even messier. Erin sighed and tried to fix it with her other hand.

Koyuki walked down the street, joyfully leading the way to her friends. She knew it very well, Erin and her used to go to that very shop every afternoon after school. She smiled and stopped in front of a normal-looking building. It was smaller than most houses and had no glass walls. At least from this side. Koyuki pulled the door and her eyes were invaded by a feast of colors, driving a smile to her lips. The walls were striped light pink and white with adorable strawberries painted, and the floor was checkered yellow and white. A glass wall was on the back, and the ceiling was also made of glass. Several small tables were scattered all around, and a waitress happily skated around. Koyuki loved this shop. It was so nice.

"Uwaaaaaaah! It's so amazing!" Elly said with wide eyes, she hadn't ever been to an ice cream shop in Japan before, and it looked incredible to her! There were so many colors and so many styles! She walked up to the display and looked at the different kinds of ice cream, they even had cake! Elly's eyes were sparkling and she had a huge grin on her face. Just the site of this was enough to forget all her troubles. "Onii-san....I don't know what to get." She said with a sheepish grin.

Leon laughed and stepped forward, it was really hard to decide. He didn't even really like sweets but this made his mouth water. He could smell the fresh waffle cones being baked in the back, he might just earn his first cavity at this place. There were so many choices, even he was overwhelmed. "Uh, Erin-chan...Koyuki-Senpai, how about you two decide for us?" He turned back to face them with the same sheepish grin that Elly had.

Koyuki grinned and walked up to the display, examining the flavors. She was a huge fan of the most awkward mix, cherry and coffee with caramel topping. Not forgetting marshmallows, colored sprinkles and a generous dose of whipped cream. But, today she wanted to try something different.
"I'm sorry!" She said, facing Leon and Elly. "But this is a very important choice that you must make alone. It can change your whole life!" She tried her best to keep a serious face on, but couldn't help a little giggle.

Erin laughed. "That means Koyuki has no idea what to have either!" She looked at the colorful display, she could have her favorite, blue sky and marshmallow ice cream-- was that a cookie ice cream?! Erin licked her lips, she had been waiting for that flavor to arrive for so long!

Elly practically shook with excitement, she felt the shiver run down her spine but suppressed it, after all she was a big girl now, twelve years old, even if she did sometimes act younger. If she wanted to impress Onii-san, she would have to act more mature. She turned and looked at Leon. "Onii-san, I just want a strawberry icecream with gummy bears on it in a waffle cone. Can I have that?" She was trying not to speak in third person, sure it was endearing but it made her seem younger than she was.

Leon laughed and put his hand on Elly's head. "Of course, Elly, but since you are being a big girl, how about you order for yourself." He could tell that she was trying really hard to be more mature, and he liked that. Elly had always acted a lot younger than she was, it was probably due to being spoiled by mom and dad. He said internally a bit and smiled on the outside. It was nice to have the world right, even if only for a minute.

Koyuki licked her lips when the waitress handed her the ice cream she'd ordered, the chocolate-covered waffle cone slowly melting in her hands. It was her cherry sorbet and coffee favourite with a twist- Erin's fave, blue sky. No one knew exactly what 'blue sky' contained, nor what made it so dazzlingly blue, but in Koyuki's opinion, it vaguely tasted of bubblegum. She ate a little of the white whipped cream, the strong flavor of the warm caramel topping overwhelming all others. She hadn't asked for marshmallows, instead she had colorful chocolate and a dash of strawberry. "Ahh..." She smiled at the ice cream. "I'll have a stomach ache so big, I won't even move tomorrow!" She giggled and picked her wallet, paying for all four ice creams.

Erin looked around, picking a good table for them. "Hmmm... How about over there?" She pointed at a table that was in the corner, with a nice view of the plains behind the city through the window. She walked there, carefully handling her mint and chocolate with cookies ice cream not to lose a single drop. The marshmallows on top of it dangerously swung, but Erin wouldn't let them fall. She would save the poor marshmallows, and eat them!

Elly sat down with her ice cream and tried her best not to make any little sounds of joy. She really liked ice cream, but she was even happier to be with Onii-san, without any danger around. She was unfortunately too slow and could not sit next to Onii-san and was forced next to Koyuki-Senpai, but at least she was across from him. She couldn't help but smile as she ate her ice cream, contentment feeling her and spreading to those around her without effort.

Leon sat next to Erin and laughed as she struggled so carefully to not lose anything from her leaning tower of ice cream. It was a nice change of pace to be able to sit around and enjoy ice cream without fear of death. He thought back to the way things were when he had first met Erin and he realized that things had gotten a lot more dangerous since then. Sure they fought the occasional witch back then, but recently it feels like their lives were in danger every day. Something was going to happen, something big, and he did not need his danger sense to warn him of it.

A thrill began to climb up Koyuki's spine, she could feel an imminence of... something. She lifted her head suddenly to look around... and dropped her ice cream all over her clothes. "N-nooo!!" She screamed, making an overly dramatic pose. She took a sad bite of the waffle cone. "Urgh... This is gonna be hell to clean... maybe if I get a spoon, I can eat it...?" She muttered to herself, looking at her hopelessly dirty skirt.

Erin tried to supress a giggle, but it soon became an unbearably large laughter attack, that she couldn't hold back anymore. A tear rolled down her cheek, she knew she was being mean to Koyuki but didn't care, Erin needed a good relax and that sure was doing the trick. She wiped her tears away when her laughing began to fade out, apologizing repeatedly, but still making the most stupid face she could, twitching from her tries of supressing the laughs.

Elly looked away, she knew how sad it was to not only lose ice cream, but to get it on your clothes too. she looked out the window and watched the light blue sky as a few birds passed by. She was not one for philosophy, but she wondered how long the world could stay at peace. Things were getting more and more crazy every day, and witches seemed more and more common. Why did this have to happen? She wondered if the universe was worth saving, if this was the price. Silently, she took another bite of her ice cream.

Leon moved immediately, he wasn't sure why it was so important to him, but he had a cloth and water quickly and began to dab the ice cream out of the skirt. "You sure are clumsy, Koyuki-senpai." He said with a grin. The ice cream had a lot of sugar in it, but he was able to clean almost all of it out, she just had a small damp spot on her skirt now. As he stood up and smiled he felt something....it wasn't his danger sense....but something wasn't right. "Koyuki-senpai....are you using any illusions right now?"

Erin quickly saw that the quietly sobbing Koyuki was in no state to respond. "I... don't think she is. I can't feel any kind of reality alteration coming from her." She said, getting up. She could feel something... strange, was it a witch? She was unsure of what it could be, not even knowing if it was dangerous or not. She helped Koyuki to her feet, holding her hand and patting her back. She'd suffered a big shock.

Koyuki looked towards the glass-made door, tryinng to abstract herself from the sadness, when a familiar face passed by. "Hey, Eri...!" She said, frowning. "Isn't that your brother?"
It was. Tobiko Konohaki, walking by. But something seemed... off, he wasn't behaving naturally. Koyuki could tell just from looking, he wasn't even walking too straight. Where was he going? "Something is wrong, we should follow him."

Elly stood up, the boy was probably a lot older than her, but she could feel a strong mixture of emotions coming from him. Something really was off. "Senpai....that boy is in danger, I think." Elly set down her ice cream, it was a bit sad, but this was more important. She locked on to his emotions, as crazy as they were. "I can follow him anywhere now. Let's stay close, but out of sight." She turned around and smiled, it was nice to feel useful.

Leon simply nodded and stood up, he would trust this to his sister and the others. His danger sense was not going off, so the boy was in no immediate danger, but he would let nothing happen to him, no matter the cost. Erin could not handle another emotional blow like that right now. He steeled himself, preparing to move when needed.

"What the...? Where is that idiot going?" Erin frowned and sighed, couldn't her brother keep out of danger for one second? No, he couldn't, because he was the greatest dumb idiot ever to walk on this Earth. "Well, whatever. Let's follow him so he doesn't get himself killed. That would be bad." She started to walk to the exit, carefully waiting for Tobiko to leave her line of sight.

Koyuki nodded to Erin and Elly, she would help Erin's brother even if she was unwilling, Erin loved her brother a lot and was really close to him, even if they spent all their time angry and fighting. She would suffer a lot if something happened to him, both of them would. Koyuki looked to Tobiko as he walked, where was he going? "Hey, is he walking to the industrial area?!" She asked, looking at his path and carefully scanning it. There was no doubt, he was headed to the factory district.

Elly felt something strange as they stepped into the factory district, an oppressive feeling fell over her, it was like walking into a mass of hatred, but it felt different from a witch. It felt.....human. Elly shivered and began to look around as they walked. The feeling was dampening her powers and making it hard to keep tabs on Erin-Senpai's brother. "Something....isn't right."

Leon nodded, he felt it too, the oppressive feeling, Elly was right. "There is something more than a witch here, we need to be on our guard." What could it be? He tried to think back, and suddenly it dawned on him, they were in the industrial district, just earlier that day they were warned to stay away. He was sure they would have to fight over this, but he couldn't just leave Erin's brother to a witch, either.

Erin couldn't focus on what anyone else was saying, she merely followed her brother wherever he'd go. She didn't even notice the strange aura of oppressive feelings that fell over her slowly, as they entered the industrial area. They weren't supposed to go there, were they? But what did it matter? Tobiko had, and Erin was sick of always being the overprotected kid, she wanted her freedom. And she wanted it right now! No matter the cost, if she helped her brother she would prove to everyone she was strong!

"Eri?" Koyuki tried to hold Erin's shoulder, the only result being her hand shoved away. Something was wrong, she was entering her 'I'm strong, I can be free like Tobiko' mode. Which Koyuki did not understand at all, Erin was already really free, she could basically do anything she wanted, her parents had always respected her growth and strength. But as always, Erin failed to see that.
"We have to help her, or she might get in serious trouble!" Koyuki said, trying to keep up with her friend.

Elly didn't know what to do here, she could understand Erin-Senpai's feelings, but she didn't really know what to do about it. This whole situation was way to complicated for her. Was this the kind of situation that Onii-san dealt with on a daily basis? Elly shook her head and steeled her resolution, something bad was about to happen, the oppressed feeling was getting stronger, and she could feel the influence of a witch now. What was going to happen?

Leon knew that something had to happen, Erin would need help, but now was not the time. For now, she would have to figure this out herself, if someone always solved the problems for her, she would never grow. That did not mean he was planning to abandon her to this, he knew she would need their support and he intended to be there for her, no matter what. His danger sense was starting to go off, whatever was going to happen here, be it a witch, or other, it was going to happen soon.

Erin froze. She could feel a witch. But at the same time, it wasn't a witch. She was standing at a double-way path. Her brother went left, but she followed the right way, that's where the witch's energy was coming from. She was standing at a dead end, something shining in a corner, surrounded by dirty water but keeping it away.
It was a grief seed. But not just any grief seed. It seemed... larger than normal. Erin knelt down, picking it up, and examined it, carefully. It was empty, no grief inside it. A silver gear pattern shone against the transparent sphere. From up close, Erin could see it was clearly bigger than an average grief seed. Was it of a particularly powerful witch? Her anger against her brother instantly vanished when she touched the seed, the mystery overwhelming the rest of her feelings.

Koyuki ignored Erin's deviation, and kept following Tobiko. Someone had to keep an eye on him, or he'd get in trouble like he always did. Erin's mind was, as always, shut off from her. That could be really bad in some situations, like this one. But Koyuki was following Tobiko, no matter where it lead. Probably to danger, and trouble. But, he couldn't protect himself. She would have to.
Again.

Leon stopped, he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to protect Erin's brother, but he could not abandon Erin either. He felt the danger from both sides, what would he do? He looked at Elly and smiled, she would help him out, he was sure. "Elly, go with Koyuki-Senpai. I will go with Erin, we can protect everyone this way. We will catch up soon, I promise." He ran off, coming up behind Erin, just as she picked up the over-sized grief seed. "What is that?"

Elly nodded and agreed with Leon. She wanted to be with Onii-san, and did not want to leave him alone with that girl, but this was an important to proving that she was an adult. She ran off, following Koyuki and Tobito, into the darkness. She felt the eyes watching her from the darkness, and knew that something was going to happen, and soon.

Erin turned around. Leon was standing there. "I... I don't know." She said, twirling the seed in her hands. "It seems like an empty grief seed, but it's empty." She looked at the transparent orb. This seed was not corrupted, but it still gave off an immense aura of power and danger. Erin was about to give it to Leon so he could see it himself, when it vanished from her hands. It didn't fade, or turn into dust, or anything like that. It just disappeared. Erin looked back, she clearly saw a figure disappearing in the shadows, unbearably fast. Was that the thief?

Rita ran through the shadows, the huge grief seed in her hands. She had to protect it, she couldn't let such a monster try to put itself on her way. If it was ever unleashed, that witch would kill everyone. She knew. They were too few and too weak to protect themselves and the city, she would have to avoid the danger. Thankfully the seed seemed to be clean, if it was not... Rita didn't want to think about that. If she had to stop that kind of devastation, she would just let herself die. It would be easier, so much easier.

Koyuki grabbed Tobiko's wrist, pulling him to a stop, but he kept walking, forcing her to be dragged. She heard Elly running behind them, and turned back to face her, but all she could see were stares through the dark. "Elly?" She asked, frightened. She held Tobiko's wrist tighter, her breath coming irregularly. What was she going to do? She didn't know where she was anymore.

The darkness suddenly attacked. Several figures cloaked in shadows jumped out and swung weapons, a crossbow flew at Koyuki, aimed for her wrist that was holding Tobiko, while Elly was smashed in the back with something quite heavy. The assault did not stop there, even Erin and Leon were attacked by a pair of twin shadows, each hold a sword. This was sacred ground to them, and none would escape alive.

Elly stood up slowly, the attack was heavy, but not nearly as bad as some attacks she had felt fighting the witch. She transformed herself and brought out her hammer, just in time to block the second attack. It seems she was being hit form the shadows by some large figure bearing a heavy metal ball on a chain. "I don't know who you are, but if you mess with me you are going to regret it!" She jumped high into the air, and brought the hammer down with such force that it shook the ground for about two hundred meters.

Leon at his opponents, he recognized the girl from earlier, the one who had been causing him so much trouble. Why were these poor souls fighting against their will? Hurting people and themselves for some invisible person's scheme? The thought made him so angry that the ground shook. No, that wasn't him. He looked off to the direction that Elly had run off to, was she fighting as well? The distraction cost him, as one of the twins slashed at him, bringing out a deep cut along his arm. He jumped back instinctively and raised a fighting stance. "I don't want to hurt you, but I cannot let you kill me either...."

A sharp pain struck Koyuki's wrist, and she pulled it back to try and see what had hit her.
Wait, no. She didn't feel pain. Her soul gem stopped so. She'd just felt what seemed to be a very sharp arrow ripping her skin. Feelinglessly, she pulled it off, watching as the wound healed, quickly. Shooting a stare around her, she noticed Tobiko was gone. Her heart skipped a beat and a feeling of fear tightened her inside, where had he gone?

Erin took a few steps back and looked at the figures. They were dressed wholly in black, with feelingless eyes that didn't seem to focus anywhere. They reminded her of Inkyu and the way he stared, so feelinglessly, like he was looking at the person's soul. Erin held out her soul gem, hesitant to transforming. Could they really defeat those shadows? They'd proven to be incredibly powerful before. Maybe they should just run and spare their own lives, but something held Erin back.
Her brother. She gritted her teeth and transformed. She'd save him, at any cost.

The force of the shock wave launched Elly into the air. She launched herself way above her opponent, or where she assumed them to be, and slammed down with her hammer. She shattered the ground, and caused one of the pillar supporting the building to bend slightly. "Oops, better be more careful!" She flipped backwards, using her hammer as a base, and again, as the ball and chain swung at her. There was some skill behind it, more than Elly had with her hammer. This could be very dangerous, she would have to end it quickly.

Leon slid his foot back, and bent his body, as the sword slashed just inches from his chest. This wasn't good, she was not holding back this time, she was going to kill him, if he was not careful. He struck out with is elbow, catching the girl in the wrist and causing her to drop the sword. It was not enough though, she reached into her belt and pulled out two sharp looking knives and began to attack him again. Something had to be done, whoever was controlling them is probably doing it manually to get this level of coordination. He would have to find the source and stop them directly, otherwise these puppets would keep coming. He looked up and started to leap and climb up the building, it was tough because he had not transformed yet.

Erin looked at Leon climbing the building's wall, puzzled. What the hell are you... She started, but began to think. These poor kids weren't thinking with their own minds, they were being controlled. So someone had to be controlling them. And if they were to take that someone out, not only they'd save their lives but also the lives of the puppets. Erin chuckled, it was obvious. She only realized her arm had been cut a few times when she felt the warm blood sliding down and staining her dress. She tossed her spear and let it hit the tallest building's wall, and tried a few missed kicks on her assailant. When she realized she wasn't going to get anything done, she jumped, and supported herself of the spear, that was sticking out of the wall. Now she just had to reach the top.
I wonder if they'll come after us. She thought, looking down at the two puppets.

It was only when a second arrow cut through the side of Koyuki's uniform that she realized she was still under attack. It was pointless to look for Tobiko now, she'd have to find him later. She took a gun out of her bag. She always carried a gun with her- It wasn't legal, and it spent actual ammo, but it was okay. At least she didn't have to spend her soul gem's energy with magic. But, shooting blindly wouldn't work here. She could miss and waste all her ammo, or worse- She could hit Elly. But Koyuki couldn't see a thing. Around her, all was black. She was thinking about what to do, when the ground shook and the sound of a string being pulled and let loose came from her left. Instinctively, she shot that way, twice, hoping it'd do some damage.

Leon looked as Erin jumped passed him. He was quick, but he was not using magic and so was easily surpassed. This wasn't a problem, until the blades started flying at him. He did not even know how those two had so many knives, but they were flying all around him, and occasionally he had to turn and block or deflect one that would hit him well. It might not kill him, but if he fell all that way, it would hurt, a lot. He was nearly to the top when the knife hit his spine. It hurt, he shouldn't feel pain, but he did. He started to lose his grip, but force of will allowed him to force himself over the rim. He pulled himself up and lay, breathing heavily as blood flowed out of his jacket and coated the metal.

The ball slammed into Elly's chest, knocking her into a metal pillar and twisting it. She tried to push herself out, but the metal had wrapped around her right arm, pinning it. She hurt, the attack had nearly hit her soul gem, and at this distance and unable to move, there was no doubt the next one would not miss. "Leon.....brother....." She started to cry, she wasn't ready to die, not yet, but what could she do? She closed her eyes tightly and waited for the crunch and the sound of her gem shattering, but it never came. She opened her eyes slightly, just in time to see the large figure leap up, and start to climb the unfinished building....what was going on up there?

Koyuki had taken out her soul gem, which seemed to dissipate the darkness a little, although it did seem to have a few drawbacks. She didn't know if it was paranoia, bad memories or if it was actually happening, but from every direction the shallow sound of silence was filled with the faint noise of rusty gears moving. And moving. Spinning endlessly in a twisted dance, along with a familiar sinister laugh. She kept on, breaking the darkness with her gem, one step at a time, carefully. She couldn't hear the crossbow anymore, though she felt a presence. She could hear steps behind her, steps that weren't hers. They became faster and faster until something was right behind Koyuki. She turned around and pointed her gun at...

...Rita's chin. She sighed and lowered the gun. Koyuki was, as always, rushing. "It's fine, I don't want to hurt you." What did she want, anyway? She had no reason to be there, except that she had a horrible feeling that something bad would happen, and her instinct was never wrong, something that everyone seemed to remark too often. Or maybe that was just her perspective. But it still sucked, because the only reason she knew all of this was because... well, because she knew. Simply put, she knew. Heavy sounds came from nearby. Rita held Koyuki by the wrist and pulled her, using her own gem to light the path and ignoring the kind of memories it evoked. Screaming and crying, and the very same gears she knew Koyuki had been listening just minutes before.

Erin screamed and ran to Leon. He was hurt badly, but why wasn't the wound healing? Why wasn't he regenerating?! She felt a tear try to escape her eye but supressed it, and instead stood up and looked around. She was in the tallest building around, but she couldn't see anyone who could be controlling the puppets. But she had to take out that person. For her brother, for the puppets, and for Leon. She had to do what he couldn't, so that he wouldn't get hurt more. She'd never stand losing him, and it'd be even worse if she lost her brother and best friend as well.

Leon could barely move, the pain was unreal, why was he feeling real pain? He was not sure, but he knew that it probably had to do with the person they were getting closer to. He pushed himself forward, and leaned up amongst the the pillars and looked around. His sense of danger was going off, but that was no surprise, they were in all sorts of danger. No. This wasn't right, something else was going to....suddenly a pulse of darkness engulfed the area. Again, just as three figures landed next to him, one gigantic and two lithe and agile. Suddenly the entire area was engulfed in an aura, and the world transformed, as a witch was born.

Erin was engulfed by a witch's barrier, darkness reaching everywhere, like an endless corridor of nothing but death. She fell to the ground with a 'thump' noise, and laid there for a bit. Another witch. She was sick of witches, witches everywhere, witches everyday. "Go away, witch..." She whispered. She didn't have to fight... She'd just stay there, restfully. Maybe someone else would kill the witch. She could deal with the familiars herself. Until it hit her. Leon was there too. And he was hurt, he was very hurt. Erin got up, feeling dizzy. Her hands were shaking. No, no they weren't... Her whole body looked like it was a colored pencil sketch. An effect of the witch's barrier, perhaps? It didn't matter. She looked around. "Leon?" She said, her voice shaking. Where was he?

"A witch..." Rita mumbled, running to the breaking building near them. She began to climb it, holding Koyuki with one hand and supporting herself with the other, awkwardly leaping to the next place she could hold. When she reached the top, all she saw was a barrier entrance with a very recognizable mark. "Izabel... huh." She said, releasing her soul gem. Pink light surrounded her as she transformed, and jumped inside the barrier quickly, leaving a puzzled Koyuki behind.

Koyuki stuttered. What had just happened? She had no idea. She sighed and crossed her arms, should she go in that barrier? There was already one too many magi inside. She could feel Leon, Pink Girl, Erin and... Where was Elly? She was not inside the barrier. Koyuki looked down, there was a faint purple glow coming from the building. She jumped down. "Hey, Elly?" She asked loudly.

Elly was pushing against the pillar with all her might, but it was bent in such a way that she could get no leverage, and so she was not moving. She felt the barrier explode and knew that there were several people inside. She had to get up there, she had to help everyone. She sighed and leaned against the pillar, at least here she was alone, safe. Suddenly a flash of orange landed next to her. "Senpai." She said, a slightly excited squeak escaped her lips. "I thought you would be inside the barrier, fighting the witch?" Suddenly Elly felt pain, real pain, not magical pain as something solid and wooden buried itself in her chest and nicked her soul gem, causing the tiniest of cracks to appear in it. Her scream echoed throughout the factory.

Leon looked up at the trio, they would surely finish him off now, he was helpless, he couldn't even release his soul gem yet. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Erin, Elly....I guess this is my end..." He waited for a moment for the blow, the attack that would end him, but it never came. He opened his eyes and looked up, the three had no moved yet, in fact they were not moving at all, aside from the subtle rise and fall of their chests. "What? Why do they not move?" His question would have to wait, he heard a strange sound and several ghost like creatures began to appear. "Well.....damn."

Erin watched the white papersheet ghosts surround her, and she slashed a few with her spear. This barrier was strange, dark and ominous, and awkward figures stared at her in the walls. No, they were not any figures. She recognized them with ease. Guernica, even more distorted, Mona Lisa twisted unnaturally, and The Creation of Adam too, albeit very modified. She killed a few ghosts and started running through the endless hallway, there was no one there by her side so she'd have to find them. There were two other magi there with her. Leon, obviously, and the other girl, the one that had called herself 'Rita'. She stopped a moment to catch her breath, unsure of what to do next. Neither Leon nor Rita were anywhere to be seen, and Erin was lost. Alone.

Rita killed Michaela after Michaela, mercilessly slaughtering the devilish familiars. She'd have to find Leon quickly, or the familiars would end him. Thankfully she knew exactly were she was, and where he was too. She slashed a wall, revealing it was but a soft cloth, and passed through. Leon was there, just as she'd expected, as well as the three dark figures who had been attacking them before. Their 'attackants', as Erin had so cleverly thought. Rita chuckled and slashed a Michaela in half.

Koyuki didn't know what to do. Elly was suffering very much, but she couldn't take her from there without the pillar crumbling, killing the two of them. She did the only thing she could, reached to her very carefully and removed her soul gem, not putting enough pressure for it to hurt Elly, and wrapped it in a piece of cloth, very cautiously, before putting it in her pocket. That way, she wouldn't be hurt. "Calm down, Elly, it's gonna be okay, you hear me?" She gave the girl a reassuring smile. "I'm gonna save you." Now, if she knew how to do that...

Leon tried to stand up, but with the knife still in his spine, he was going nowhere. He had to get out of here, to find Erin, this was her first witch after returning to normal, he did not know what this would be doing to her. The ghosts got closer, but suddenly the began to vanish. He twisted his body, as painful as it was and looked at the new entry, it was a girl in pink, with an eye patch? Had he seen her before? He could not recall, he slumped back, taking any pressure of the knife that he could. For now all he could do was wait.

Darkness began to engulf Elly, the pain was intense, even with her soul gem removed. She could not move, she could not breathe, what was she going to do? She was alone, no one would help her. She began to hear a voice in the distance. "Do not worry, Elly. I will save you, you must listen to me, the person in front of you caused your pain, if you destroy her you will be free. You must destroy her, it will end all your pain. Destroy her!"{ Elly's eyes opened suddenly, they were solid black and a look of intense hatred covered her face, as she ripped herself, bodily, from the twisted metal of the pillar and swung at Koyuki with her good hand, bringing the hammer to bear.