"Oi, are you sure you should be out of bed?"
"Maa, I'm sure I'll be alright, Izaak!"
"You looked like death yesterday."
"Well, you'll just take care of me, right?"
"I'm not your babysitter."
"Hahahaha!"
Two friends were currently walking to school. Akihito laughing merrily while Izaak was scowling at the other.
"Onii-san!"
A blonde blur attacked Akihito. The greenette stumbled slightly, but the teen managed to maintain his balance.
"Hikari-Imouto!"
"Onii-san. You. Should. Be. In. Bed!"
The blonde pouted and narrowed her fluorescent eyes at Akihito, who laughed in response and wrapped an arm around Hikari's shoulders, bringing the smaller of the two into a hug.
"Maa, you worry too much. Besides, summer break is coming soon."
Hikari frowned--more like pouted--and grabbed Akihito's cheeks, pinching them and stretching them apart.
"Kage-nii-san is furious..."
"Ehf? Sigh. I gueff I'll havfe ta deal wif the wath of my demonic littale bwo~!" (Eh? Sigh. I guess I'll have to deal with the wrath of my demonic little bro~!)
Hikari sweat-dropped at this.
"Kage-nii-san might make you stay in bed permanently, ya' know--and it won't be from your illness."
"If awight. I feew much behta today. And can yew pwease left gow ov ma chweeks aweady?" (It's alright. I feel much better today. And can you please let go of my cheeks already?)
"Ah, sorry. Your cheeks are just so cute~!"
The light child gushed, but she finally released the poor greenette's abused cheeks. Akihito gently rubbed them, smiling softly at Hikari, ruffling her hair with his right hand. Izaak coughed into his fisted, right hand, gaining the attention of the two. Akihito grinned and hugged Hikari one last time.
"Gomen, Hikari-Imouto, we gotta go now."
The light child huffed in response.
"Don't say that I didn't warn ya' bout Kage-nii-san--he'll send you to the depths of the underworld."
With that, the small blonde vanished in a glow of white light, leaving Akihito and Izaak alone to walk to school.
The two made it just in time for the bell, taking their seats before homeroom started.
~~
"Neh, Akihito-Otouto."
*Hai, Anatole-nii?*
"Are you sick?"
That made Akihito glance up from his food, including the others in the small group of friends.
*Eh? What do you mean?*
Anatole frowned, sunset-orange eyes narrowing.
"...You look a little...pale..."
*Really?*
Izaak had his lunch, a plain, turkey sandwich, frozen halfway to his mouth. The blonde narrowed his eyes, worry flashing through them for a millisecond.
'This is bad...the stupid Snake is becoming suspicious already...I guess I'll make a distraction.'
Izaak kept a blank face on as he randomly punched Anatole in the face. Everyone gaped, including Akihito, at Izaak as the blonde simply continued to eat his sandwich, ignoring the incredulous stares. Anatole, who tumbled halfway across the rooftop became still--like deathly still. Then the bluenette suddenly shot his head up, propping his body up with his arms. Blood was trickling from his forehead and down his face. Anatole's face was full of rage as comical tears cascaded down his cheeks.
"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR, WOLFIE?! I KNOW YOU HATE ME, BUT DID YOU HAVE SEND ME ACROSS THE ROOF FOR ASKING IF MY OTOUTO WAS OKAY?!"
"..."
"HEY!"
"...I felt like it."
"HAH?!"
"Shut up and finish your lunch."
"DON'T IGNORE ME!"
Akihito sent a silent thanks to Izaak with a simple glance of the eyes as everyone simply took this as a...normal occurrence. Anatole continued to grumble, muttering something about 'bipolar wolves' and 'stupide lupo needing anger management'.
Everyone then continued to eat their lunch, forgetting the question that was directed to Akihito. Although Engelram and Meilin shared a suspicious glance with each other.
Lunch ended and the group of teens headed to their last two periods of the day. When the classes were finished, the last days of school have finished, starting summer break for the students.
~~
"They're already having their suspicions, Akihito."
"Maa, they're not dumb Izaak...who do you think will find out next?"
"Listening to my instincts, I would say...Engelram and Meilin."
"Even though you say that Meilin-chan is an idiot?"
"...She can be sharp when she wants to..."
"Haha! Okay, okay, no need to act all grumpy!"
A flash of white light and a haze of black appeared before the two teens that were heading for Akihito's house.
"Akihito-nii, Izaak."
"Fufu, Onii-san! Izaak-kun~!"
Kage nodded his head in greeting while Hikari latched herself onto Akihito's right arm.
"Hikari-Imouto, Kage-Otouto!"
Akihito smiled down at the two, bringing them into a hug--the shadow child more reluctant than the light child. He released Kage and Hikari from the embrace, the greenette's face taking on a serious expression.
"I'm going back to the field guys."
"WHAT?!"
Hikari sounded more worried, but Kage practically snarled at Akihito.
"Akihito-nii, you just recovered from your attack, and you already want to go back?"
"Fufu, Kage-nii-san is right. You must stay in for a few more days."
Akihito simply smiled.
"Maa, it's alright, it's alright. I'm doing fine! No pain or nausea! Don't worry!"
Suddenly, autumn-red eyes turned serious, looking into molten-gold and fluorescent-purple.
"You guys must've sensed it by now."
Izaak, who had been listening to the conversation, became wary of the dark shadows that drifted into Akihito's eyes momentarily. The blonde questioned Akihito on what was wrong.
"Sensed what?"
The greenette turned his head to the side, looking up at Izaak, smiling disarmingly.
"Nanashi with magic, or Hakken, isn't something you should really be worrying about..."
Electric-green eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"Well...actually, let's go to my house first; it's getting dark."
Akihito let Kage and Hikari clamber onto his back, not minding the extra weight. Yuhi came flying by, settling onto Izaak's left shoulder. The blonde turned his head slightly to the left, raising an eyebrow.
"I still can't believe that you're a Phoenix, ya' know."
"See~ing is believing~!"
Izaak rolled his eyes at the canary's response.
~~
"So, basically, Hitokuijinshu are Haken that have eaten another Hakken, earning its name as a 'cannibal'. And it can actually disguise themselves as average humans."
"Yes, and they can use magic as easy as a B-class criminal."
"And why did you not tell me this sooner?"
"Well, I didn't--actually, I could've told you guys everything while I was Muyoku...haha! How silly of me!"
"Genius."
"Eheheh!"
Akihito and Izaak were conversing in the living room, Kage and Hikari returned to Akihito's inner world. Izaak warmed his hands on the cup of green tea that Akihito gave him, pondering the information on the new enemy.
'First off, Nanashi are the most basic and demonic looking dark being--they're pretty much the small fry--and taking one of them down wasn't a simple task!' Izaak mentally growled. 'I'm becoming weaker...'
"Oi, oi!"
Izaak was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Akihito's voice. The greenette was grinning, waving his hands in front of Izaak's face.
"You aren't weak." Akihito's face turned serious before smiling again. "I am planning to help y'all in some training--how about it?"
Izaak's face was blank momentarily before chuckling at the greenette, he smirked.
"Sure thing, Akihito-Sensei."
Akihito laughed.
"Maa, maa, just call me like you always do! By the way, I have something to leave in your care~!"
Izaak watched as the greenette closed his autumn-red eyes, seeming to concentrate on something. Suddenly, a glow of green light appeared in Akihito's hands and...
Yip!
...there was a dog there.
Izaak stared disbelievingly at the white puppy in Akihito's hands, glancing up to look at Akihito, who was acting like nothing was wrong.
"...Akihito..."
"Yes~?"
"That's a puppy."
"I know, right~? Ain't he cute~?"
Izaak face-palmed, Akihito grinned.
"Maa, he's harmless! And he's gonna be your partner~!"
"..."
Smile. "....."
"........."
Yip!
"Sigh...Whatever...I should be expecting the unexpected from you from now on."
Izaak ran a hand through his blonde locks, glaring slightly at Akihito. The greenette simply smiled in victory, letting the pup in his hands go.
"By the way, Izaak."
"What?"
The white dog curled up in Izaak's lap, yawning loudly.
"The little guy doesn't have a name yet, and he'll be your partner from now on."
"Wait, what's with this partner thing?"
"Haha! It's like how Yuhi is my partner--and your partner is actually in his 'dormant' state~!"
"Is this part of your training?"
"Yep! Most people don't know about these kind of things, but spirit animals like Yuhi and that little guy can make mages stronger, especially if you name them yourself."
"I see..."
Izaak looked down at the small, white pup in his lap. He was wagging his tail, panting as his forest-green eyes stared up into Izaak's lighter ones.
"...Sila. You'll represent my 'strength' to protect the ones I hold dear."
Suddenly, the pup jumped out of his lap and started to glow. Crackling sounds of lightning reached the ears of the occupants of the living room. The green glow faded, leaving a jaw-dropped Izaak. Akihito laughed, watching Izaak's reaction of the new form of Sila.
Izaak was shocked. A full-grown, golden wolf stood before him. He actually looked big enough for an adult to ride it. Black, jagged tattoos decorated the wolf's arms, legs and back. A lightning flame flickered over Sila's head, matching the color of the wolf's eyes.
"...Sila?"
Howl! 'Yo, Izaak.'
The wolf grinned in a--well, wolfish way. Izaak was shocked to hear a gravely voice in his head. Izaak turned gaze to Akihito, who was grinning at him.
"Just like Yuhi--a canary is her 'dormant' form and a Phoenix is her actual form. Sila can also speak with you and me mentally since we both have partners."
Akihito watched with mirth as Izaak hesitantly ran a hand through Sila's fluffy, golden fur. A few seconds passed by, and Izaak smirked.
"Well, looks like we'll be having some fun with each other, Sila."
'Indeed, I look forward into working with ya', Izaak.'
The wolf gave one more bark before shrinking. The golden wolf reverted back to his 'dormant' state, giving one more yip before leaping into Izaak's lap, closing his forest-green eyes. Izaak stared curiously at the white furball that was in his lap before petting it gently.
Akihito laughed at the scene quietly, but the laughter was caught by Izaak's sensitive ears, so the blonde glared at the other. They sat in a comfortable silence--although Yuhi chirped from time to time. Izaak was the first to break through the silence.
"Everyone else will get a partner, right?"
"Yep, although it depends on that person's resolve first...Engelram and Meilin might be ready soon~!"
Akihito had that knowing look in his eyes while Izaak huffed, still running his hand through Sila's fur.
Without warning, Akihito's head shot up, Yuhi fluttered up to rest on the greenette's hair. Izaak also became alert, watching Akihito's every movement.
"What's wrong?"
The greenette grimaced in response.
"This is really, really bad. A Hitokuijinshu has already appeared..."
Izaak immediately got up from his own seat, making Sila topple off his lap. The blonde bent down and gave a silent apology to the white pup, who huffed in irritation, but clambered onto Izaak's offered shoulder.
Izaak looked back to Akihito, who was frowning at a particular spot on the wall, but not actually seeing anything there. The distant eyes soon snapped back and turned his gaze to Izaak. The blonde observed that the other looked slightly worried.
"Engelram and the others are already there. Did you get any text from them?"
Izaak growled slightly before pulling out his phone, going through the recent texts.

(1 new message from Aldersflügel. 5:53pm)
E: Oi, Volkov. I have sensed something strange lurking in the northeast. Going to go check it out.

(2 new messages from Aldersflügel. 6:01pm)
E: Volkov, I have made it to the location--another abandoned area. It looks like a science lab from the outside. Are you coming soon?
E:You haven't been answering my texts...

(1 message from Aldersflügel. 6:12pm)
E: You aren't one to ignore any text...are you alright? Everyone besides you and Akihito are here already...

Izaak tsked and looked at the clock on the top right corner of his phone.
'6:54pm...and he hasn't texted since 6:12pm...did something happen?'
Izaak turned to look at Akihito, confirming the greenette's fears.
"Looks like they're already there, and Engelram stopped texting since 6:12pm."
Akihito's eyes grew darker, worrying Izaak slightly. The greenette sighed tiredly before closing his eyes to concentrate. A blinding, silver light covered Akihito's entire body, and Izaak watched as the greenette rose. The light dispersed, revealing a silverette with diamond-white eyes.
Izaak noted that there were scars decorating every part of his skin.
'I'll have to ask him about that later...'
Sila yipped and clambered into the hood of the jacket the blonde was currently wearing. Yuhi, now a Phoenix, made circles in the air, flying around her partner, who was adjusting his mask onto his face. Muyoku turned his head to Izaak.
"Before you go, I want to make a 'link' with you."
Izaak raised his eyebrows, watching the other take off one of his gloves. Izaak noted the brand of slavery on the bare, right hand, and he frowned darkly. Muyoku saw the expression but said nothing, continuing on the task at hand.
A silver light glowed at the tip of Muyoku's right index finger. The silverette tapped the finger to Izaak's forehead, surprising the blonde slightly. Izaak rubbed his forehead and scowled at the other.
"What the heck was that for?"
'I did that to make the 'link'.'
Izaak was shocked to hear Muyoku's voice in his head, but his face morphed into a scowl when he heard the other's chuckles drift into his mind.
'Shut up, Akihito .'
'Hai, hai~!'
Muyoku then cheerfully waved his hand in the air, giving a two-fingered salute.
"You should probably go ahead of me; it would be kind of suspicious for you to be with me when we arrive."
Izaak simply nodded before disappearing in a flash of green, bringing Sila with him.
~~
"Konichiwa~!"
"...."
"Uwah! How cold~!"
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"Maa, calm down. No need to get all rowdy~!"
Engelram and the rest of the group were warily watching a mysterious figure that was dressed in nothing but black. He wore a black jacket, jeans and shoes. The teen, about 5'5" tall, and had spiky brown hair and pitch-black eyes.
What made the group more uncomfortable was the fact that light didn't seem to reflect in the teen's black eyes. The brunette also seemed to produce a creepy aura, and the sly smile wasn't helping. Engelram glanced to the side, making eye contact with Meilin, despite the red-head's mask. Before the two could move, the mysterious brunette spoke up, grinning darkly.
"Ara, ara? Now, now, don't go thinking about taking me down~," He disappeared. "Or I'll slaughter ya'."
The brunette appeared behind Meilin, bringing his arm down in a chopping motion at the orangette's neck.
Blood flew in the air.
But it was the mysterious brunette's. Meilin watched with wide eyes as the flash of green light faded, revealing Izaak. The blonde kicked the brunette in the face, sending the man crashing into the walls of the science room, breaking a few testing tubes. Izaak tsked and turned to face Meilin.
"Oi, you alright, Mei?"
The orangette shook off her shock and grinned broadly at Izaak, jumping up to the other to hug him tightly.
"Yé! Zak-chan, you're here~!"
The blonde huffed and ruffled the other's orange locks, making the other pout.
"Sorry I'm late..."
"Wao~,that actually hurt~!"
The others snapped their heads to the brunette that pushed himself out of the broken glass. The man was grinning maniacally, brushing the glass off his jacket. Before Izaak could spring back into action, the blonde heard Engelram speak up.
"Um, Volkov?"
"What?"
"You do know that there is a white puppy in your hood, right?"
Yip!
"Yeah, so what?"
"That's--!"
Everyone quickly snapped their heads back to the brunette, surprised to see the teen's usually carefree face twisted with a scowl of fury. The teen's normal looking eyes were also different--black surrounding his glowing, red pupils.
"Where...where did you get th-that...thing!"
Izaak growled when the brunette called Sila a 'thing', but he was confused by the other's anger and slight...fear?
"First of all: Don't call Sila a 'thing'. Second: What the heck are you so afraid about?"
The brunette simply ignored the question and started to ramble on, quaking in fear and clutching his head tightly.
"Hahaha...he's here, he's here...Master won't be happy...spirit animal...no, no, no...hehehe...what to do~? Just kill them all~? No, no, no...Nanashi disappeared because of him. Hahaha...no wonder...must kill him...heheh...yes, yes."
Izaak narrowed his eyes at the crazed brunette, piecing together the words the teen spouted.
'He's talking about Akihito...and who's 'Master'? Akihito would probably know something...also something about this maniac's fear of Sila.'
Suddenly, in a flash of red, the teen was pinned to the wall, a sword piercing the brunette's stomach. The hand that threw the sword dropped to his side, drawing the attention of the people in the room to a certain silverette.
*Konbanwa, Mina-san.*
Izaak smirked, glancing at Muyoku before turning his gaze to the brunette.
'Is that a Hitokuijinshu?'
'Yep, but we're pretty lucky...'
'What do you mean?'
'This one is a little new--we're sorta dealing with a newborn baby.'
'I see... But I suspect that this will still be difficult though...'
'Haha, right you are, my friend.'
The group of teens watched as the Hitokuijinshu simply pulled the sword out, spitting some blood out to the side, grinning widely.
"Well, well...if it isn't the 'Wingless One'~!"
Izaak couldn't see Muyoku's face, due to the mask, but he could suspect that the silverette was frowning.
"Master is very mad...Master wants to kill the ones that kill my little brothers and sisters!"
The brunette cackled, and everyone, except Muyoku and Izaak, watched with amazement and horror as the wound from Muyoku's sword started to close up.
"Now die!"
The Hitokuijinshu flashed over to Muyoku bringing the silverette's own sword against his other twin. In a soft voice, but sadly heard by the others in the room, Muyoku spoke. Those who have never heard Akihito speak before were surprised, but those who have heard the greenette's voice narrowed their eyes in suspicion.
"Return, Hogosha."
In a glow of silver, the blade the Hitokuijinshu was holding was suddenly in Muyoku's unoccupied hand, light glinted off of both blades. The brunette widened his eyes in surprised as Muyoku brought his twin blades down in an 'x'. In defense, the Hitokuijinshu brought his arms up, hardening them with metal magic. Seeing his opponent's defense, Muyoku started to chant in Italian.
"Free and running, never stopping. A soft breeze that shall turn into deadly scythes...Incantesimo Del Vento Número Novantacinque: Uragano D'argento." (Wind Spell Number 95: Silver Hurricane.)
The blades slashed right through the Hitokuijinshu's arms like butter. But before the brunette could scream in pain, Muyoku slashed at the other's unguarded throat, making the brunette to gurgle instead. Of course, the wounds healed quickly, but Muyoku was faster, dancing in a flurry of blades.
"B-Brat!"
Izaak could swear that Muyoku was grinning by now. The blonde also couldn't help but let a smile slip, this time, knowing that it was his greenette friend under the mask, giving him a great show of power. Izaak smirked.
'Training will certainly be interesting...'
'Hopefully, it will.'
'Please don't randomly come into my head, Akihito'
'Hai, hai, sorry Izaak.'
Muyoku kicked his leg out at the Hitokuijinshu's feet, making the brunette fall on his back. Muyoku then brought his twin swords down, one sword each stabbing and pinning the brunette to the ground. Suddenly, Muyoku placed his right hand onto the Hitokuijinshu's head.
"Bright and blinding. Sending demons to flee. Wounds are healed with a simple brush of a pure, white feather. Call upon the sun's sword and protect us from the army of shadows."
The brunette screamed in pain, and everyone, except Muyoku, flinched. Izaak became confused on what was happening.
'Oi, Akihito, what are you doing?'
'This is called 'the Revival'--I am separating the Hitokuijinshu from the human soul that it ate.'
Izaak's eyes widened.
'Is that even possible?'
The blonde could hear the silverette's chuckles resound in his head.
'Yes. Now watch closely; it will only happen in a moment before vanishing completely.'
Izaak narrowed his electric-green eyes and watched the scene carefully, the others closing their eyes from the brightness. Izaak watched as a black shadow, looking a lot like a normal Nanashi, was pulled out of the brunette. The shadow continued to scream along with the brunette's body. But once it burned away, the brunette's face became calm and serene. The teen opened his eyes, revealing sky-blue eyes. He smiled--not the sly, creepy and fake one--but a genuine and warm one.
"Arigato. Please...take care...of...my little...princess...for...me."
"I will."
The brunette smiled, closing his eyes before he disappeared, dispersing into light-blue shards of light. When the brunette was gone, Muyoku stood up, and Izaak watched the slightest movement of the silverette. By the slump of the shoulders, Izaak could tell that his friend was tired, but he could sense that it wasn't from the fight or the destruction of the Nanashi on the human soul.
Izaak was able to get a glimpse of Muyoku's eyes, he clenched his hand into a fist in his jacket pocket. The diamond-white eyes looked sad. Muyoku noticed the gaze and looked back at Izaak, and the blonde could tell that the silverette was smiling sadly under the mask.
'It's depressing to see that I could not save another...'
Izaak scowled, walking up to Muyoku. The others were just recovering from the blinding light, rubbing their eyes of blinking them, hard.
'Hey, you're not superman--you can't save everyone. Just protect the ones that you can and just try your best to add more to that group of people you want to protect. The dude wanted you to protect someone called Akiko, right? So at least do that much for him.'
Izaak stopped right in front of Muyoku, tilting his head down slightly, since the blonde was a bit taller than the silverette.
'I'm not expecting you to even protect me...'
Muyoku snapped his head up quickly.
'Wha--?'
'Because I'll fight alongside of you. You won't be fighting alone, idiot.'
As Akihito did to him when they first met, Izaak bumped his fist against Muyoku's chest, smirking slightly. The silverette simply stood there before chuckling out loud, Izaak dropped his hand to his side. This surprised the others in the group, that were watching the non-verbal conversation.
"Pfft--hahahaha!"
Everyone, except Izaak, simply stood there gaping at the laughing silverette. Muyoku placed a hand over his masked face, continuing to laugh.
"Hahaha! ... Ah, I guess...I should've expected something like that from you, Izaak. Arigato."
There was a silence before it was broken by Aleta.
"Wait a second--so you were able to speak the entire time?!"
"I thought your voice would sound ugly and rough..."
That last comment came from Anatole. Izaak immediately scowled at the bluenette and threw a piece of rubble at Anatole, who quickly swerved to the side to avoid the attack.
"HEY! STOP TRYING TO HURT ME!"
"I made it my life-time goal, so no--I won't stop trying to hurt you."
"SO MEAN!"
Engelram, Meilin, Amaya and Cielo were silent through the entire banter--Meilin was usually out-going and loud. Meilin quickly snapped out of her musings though and quickly bounded up towards Muyoku.
"I think your voice is awesome! You must look pretty handsome~!"
Muyoku merely chuckled.
"Maa, my face wouldn't be that much of a sight to see..."
Meilin pouted, but let the subject go. Muyoku then turned to look at everyone.
"Well now, it's been a long night...I will be leaving now--please be safe."
Before anyone could say anything, Muyoku disappeared into a thick, black mist. Izaak simply sighed before heading for the exit.
"Oi, Mei, Aldersflügel, let's go home already--I'm beat."
Engelram stared at the spot where Muyoku left, thoughts tumbling inside his head, before following Izaak, dipping his head to the others and muttering a 'goodnight'. Meilin followed behind but gave a more exuberant goodbye, waving her hand in the air violently before disappearing around the door. The remaining three stood still for a moment before exiting the lab themselves, separating when they finally made their way outside.
~~
"Master."
"Yes~?"
"It is him. He is here."
"Oh~? Is that why my darling daughters and sons are disappearing~?"
"Yes, Master."
"Hmm~."
From the shadows, a bandaged teen with black hair was tapping his index finger on the armrest of the chair he was sitting on. After a few seconds passed by, the rougette snapped his pale fingers. The Hitokuijinshu immediately exploded, smoke rising up from its remains. The teen sighed tiredly before grinning under his bandages.
"Oh~! This is great~! I'm so happy that he's still alive--even after enduring the poison in his body for so long~! I need to Muyoku-kun again~!"
The rougette turned to look to his right, still grinning.
"Neh, can you bring Muyoku-kun with you~? I really, really want to see him again~."
A figure stepped out of the shadows before kneeling in front of the bandaged teen.
"Of course, Master."
Moonlight reflected off of the teen's red armor. One swords was strapped to the right hip of the teen, light shining on the black sheath. His spiky, dark-blonde hair shifted slightly when he looked up, his amber eyes glowed. The bandaged rougette grinned wider.
"If he has any friends...don't kill them; it would probably make Muyoku-kun sad."
"Yes, Master."
The armor-wearing blond disappeared in a flash of red, leaving the bandaged teen alone. The rougette sighed before chuckling.
"I hope to see you soon, Muyoku-kun~!"