Takuya winced as he desperately tried to heal Kiara's infection. However, it was expanding faster than he could purify it.

"It isn't working," Rosalba said, biting her lip. She glanced down at her angel tool. "Would this work against demonic infections?"

Hideo stopped shooting aimlessly and turned toward the two of them. "Please save her, no matter what," the gun knight pleaded.

Takuya stared at his katana. "At this rate, the only way to save her would be to cut off her arm."

The boy's emerald eyes widened. He lowered his head. "If...if that's what must be done to save her then..."

Takuya nodded his head and pulled out his katana from his sash. He focused on Kiara's infected arm.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Etsuo shouted as he and Roa came running over.

"Etsuo!" Rosa said, running over to him. "Can you heal Kiara?"

Etsuo glanced over at the unconscious girl. He gasped as he saw the wound. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"I'll give it a try but no promises."

He jumped over to Kiara and placed his hands several inches away from the wound. Red flames emerged from his hands and spread to her entire arm.

Hideo and the others watched in awe as the flames, and the demonic miasma battled each other for dominance. The dark wisps reached out for Etsuo, but his flames would burn away the ends closest to him.

"Hey, be careful," Roa said, taking a step back. "You don't want to get hit by it."

Etsuo kept his focus on the demonic aura, but wisps pushed back against his flames. If its creator hadn't been a fire user, he would've been able to burn the miasma long ago. He grimaced as the miasma started to overwhelm his flames.

Looking down at Kiara, he felt a sense of familiarity. It almost felt as if he were looking at Dine. He shook his head. He had to focus, or else the demonic aura would take him over too.

"Gahhh!" Etsuo screamed, startling the others. "Come on, Kiara! Fight back! I can't do this by myself!"

Kiara moaned as she began to stir once more. The expanding Miasma was consumed by flames. Not only those of Etsuo but those of the one it wished to make its host.

"Etsuo?" Kiara asked, opening her eyes. She let out a soft grumble.

"Kiara!" Hideo said, crawling over to her.

"Hey, don't get too close!" Etsuo yelled.

Hideo stopped.

The white-haired teen intensified the strength of his flames. Kiara groaned as the miasma continued to struggle.

"You're causing her pain!" Hideo yelled.

"It's the miasma's doing, not mine!" Etsuo yelled, glaring at him. "Now, be quiet!"

Roa took a step toward Hideo. "If you like, I can take care of him."

Etsuo sighed. "We're currently in a truce." He looked down at the sweating Kiara. "Continue to fight back, Kiara. Come on, you can do it!"

Kiara nodded weakly as she clenched her fists shut. She wasn't going to allow the miasma to win.

***

[Unknown Location]

Nori panted as he walked deeper into the darkness. Even with a cloak of light, the miasma was still taking its toll on both Eita and him.

"Say," Eita said, glancing over at the kid. "I've been wondering this since we met. Why is a kid like you part of the army? Aren't you like twelve? The next youngest member after you and Yuko is Princess Rosa, and she's seventeen now."

"Nori and Yuko are sixteen," the kid said with a serious face. He lowered his head. "As for why Nori is part of the army... Nori has no choice."

"Huh? What do you mean you have no choice? Is someone obligating you? If so, who is it?"

Nori lowered his head further and bit his lip. "It'll be best to not talk. Nori needs to save his strength."

"Well, we're here," Eita said as he came to a stop. Lying on the ground on top of a stone altar was Suzuki.

"Gah!" a voice like that of a harpy vibrated throughout the strange space. Descending from above was a black-winged woman covered in black thorns. She had two large horns like Suzuki, except hers were asymmetrical-- the left one being longer than the one on the right. She moved her head back and forth as if in pain.

"She's transforming into a demon," Nori said, raising his sword of light. He winced as the miasma continued to drain his energy. If they failed here, then they would soon be gone or be corrupted into demons. Either way, their souls would be lost.

"Kill me, please," the creature said in agony. "I don't wish to turn into a demon. Please kill me."

Nori tightened his grip on his sword as he kept his head down.

Eita ran over to the unconscious Suzuki and pulled her into his arms while Nori unleashed his chains on the woman. The demon-like woman struggled against the chains, but Nori continued to hold on tightly.

The kid raised his head and threw the sword with as much force as he had, sending it plunging into the heart of the creature. A red light emerged from where Nori's sword had stabbed her. The brilliant crimson glow covered everything and everyone, destroying the miasma as well as the stone altar Suzuki was on.

***

"Nori!" Nori heard Yuko yell.

The little boy opened one eye and was surprised to see his best friend holding him tightly. He was back in his own body.

"Nori!"

"Yuko, you made it," Nori said, smiling weakly as he touched her face. His eyes gradually closed, and his body went limp like a puppet whose strings had been severed.

"Nori!" Yuko yelled, quickening her pace. "Nori!"

"Yuko," Rosalba said. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw Nori lying on the ground. She flew over to the two and placed a hand on Nori's forehead. She gasped. Nori's life force had grown very dim and was fading fast. She turned around and saw that Etsuo was still busy with Kiara.

Takuya ran over to her and placed his hands over Nori. He winced and turned away, his brow furrowed. "His life force..."

"You can't heal him, can you?" Rosa asked as shivers ran down her spine.

Takuya let out a small cry. "I can heal wounds, but this..."

"No..." The princess closed his eyes and covered the child in a ruby light that radiated from her bracelet.

"Yuko, what's wrong? Is Nori alright?" someone called out. It was Tetsuya. The knight's golden eyes widened as he saw what Rosalba was doing. "Rosa!"

Rosa shook her head. "Sorry, I know that I said that I wouldn't use this power again, but this is the only way to save him," Rosa said, wincing as she felt an ounce of her life force abandon her body.

Tetsuya lowered his eyes. He and the others had arrived too late to help out Nori. He glanced over at Eita.

"Suzuki and Eita's life-forces are also dim," Takuya said.

Rosalba stopped pouring energy into Nori. She smiled. "There, he should be fine now." She rose up and staggered toward the other two. "Now, to heal them."

"Stop it!" Tetsuya yelled, grabbing her arm.

"Please, let go of me," Rosa said, smiling weakly. "I, I need to save them. Like I said, it's my duty as a knight to save others!"

"Rosa is just like Nori," Yuko said, glancing up at her with shiny eyes.

Tetsu's hand quivered as its grip on Rosa loosened. "Why must saving mean to sacrifice?"

"I wish I knew the answer to that myself. Though I see it as nothing can be gained without something being given. Be that effort or even as heavy a price as one's own life," Rosa said as she collapsed to her knees.

"Rosa!" Tetsuya said, turning around.

"Why do you care for me?" Rosa asked as she placed a hand on Eita and another on Suzuki. "Is it because I'm a princess?"

Tetsuya looked away. "I... do I need a reason to care for someone?"

Rosa smiled. "No, I guess not." She closed her eyes and covered both Suzuki and Eita in a red glow.

The shield knight closed his eyes and pressed his chest against Rosa's back.

"What? What are you doing?" Rosa asked, flustered.

Tetsuya smiled as he touched her bracelet. "Remember what I told when you gave Yuko some of your life? I wanted to repay you by giving you some of mine. So, here you go."

Rosa smiled slightly. "Thanks, Tetsu."

"P-plus, I'm afraid that you might faint at your current stage," Tetsuya said, chuckling nervously.

The princess shook her head. "Thanks, but I can do this by myself."

Tetsuya sighed and tightened his grip on her bracelet. "Don't be prideful at a time like this."

Rosa winced. "Alright." A purple aura flew from Tetsuya toward the bracelet. Rosa gasped as she received the energy. It was... familiar, even to Tetsuya. She shook her head and focused on healing Eita and Suzuki's lifeforce.

"Think that's enough," Tetsuya said as he let go of her bracelet.

The princess nodded as she pressed her head against his chest. "Hope you don't mind... me... sleeping."

"Rosa," Tetsuya said, gasping.

"She's fine," Takuya said, chuckling. "Ya really do like her, huh? Kinda odd since ya barely met. Just be careful not to get hurt."

Tetsuya lifted her into his arms. "Stop, ya sound like Teresa!"

Teresa snickered. "Still denying it, huh?"

The young man looked away.

"Hmm, it appears that it's down to two, one of whom has no teammates able to fight," Kuroshi said as he appeared behind the siblings.

"Master Kuroshi," Yuko said, taking a step back.

"So you finally appear," Tetsuya said, narrowing his eyes at him. "Well, for your information, we've resolved the crisis by ourselves."

Kuroshi sighed. "I guess given the current state of affairs, we'll call this exercise off. Plus, your mother isn't too happy with me."

"Of course, I'm not!" Anis said as she emerged from a portal. Her violet eyes shot Kuroshi a nasty gaze. "How could you allow it to get to this extent and not step in? You didn't even allow me to do so!"

Kuroshi sighed. "Relax, all is fine. Like Tetsuya just said, they've resolved everything by themselves. Look over there, Etsuo has healed Kiara. And the princess just saved Nori and the other two."

"Fine? You really think it's fine that the princess used some of her life to heal her fellow teammates when you could've healed them without such a sacrifice?"

"Well, they aren't her teammates for this exercise. I did tell her to mind her own business. Also, even I am incapable of healing the kind of infliction that their attempt to save Suzuki left on them."

Tetsuya narrowed his eyes at him. "What are you plotting? Did this have a purpose?"

The black-robed man snickered. "Of course it did. However, it seems you folks are still too kind-hearted for warriors," Kuroshi said, turning around and putting his hands behind his back. "Anyway, how about we go greet our guests?"

"Guests?" Tetsuya asked, looking around. "I don't see anyone."

"I see Dad and Dan," Kiara said as she leaned on Etsuo for support. "And someone else..."

Hideo held her hand. "Be careful, sis."

She sighed. "I'll be fine. Check who is coming over here."

Hideo grumbled. "Alright." He gazed into the lens of his gun. Accompanying his family was a girl around his age with long, flowing white hair. Her eyes were the color of the highest quality of refined gold he had ever seen.

The young knight looked up. "Whoever she is, she's beautiful," Hideo said, blushing.

Teresa chuckled. "Love at first sight?"

Hideo shook his head. "What? No." He crossed his arms. "I am not some sap like your brother."

Takuya winced.

The emerald-eyed knight leered at him. "Why are you wincing? I meant the younger peasant."

Teresa sighed. "So ya did fall for that vixen..."

Takuya lowered his head.

Kuroshi put a hand on Takuya's shoulder. "Love hurts, especially when it's toward princesses or those who are tied to royalty somehow."

Teresa gasped. "How do you know who we're talking about?"

Kuroshi chuckled. "I saw him with Akari the other day."

"I'm going to go greet Dad and Dan!" Hideo yelled, waving. "Take care, sis!"

"Hey!" Kiara yelled as she let go of Etsuo to try to go after her brother. She stumbled forward, but Roa caught her.

"Easy there. Ha, that brother of yours sure is odd. One second he's worried about you, and the next, he goes rushing on ahead."

Kiara smiled as she straightened herself. "I think it's a good thing. These past few days, he's been rather down. Not that I blame him... after what Dan tried."

"What did he try?" Etsuo asked, furrowing his brow.

The young girl looked away. "I rather not talk about it. If it's not much to ask, could you take me to my dad?"

Etsuo nodded. "Sure."

Roa sighed. "Such a nice guy, or perhaps 'pushover' is the better term," the raven-haired teen said as he walked away.

"Is it me, or has Roa been actin' odd?" Takuya asked, tilting his head.

"It's not you," Etsuo said, lowering his head. "Roa hasn't been feeling well lately either, especially today. But it'll eventually pass, I hope."

**Solar Note: Who do you think the girl who is accompanying Hideo's father and brother could be?**