Flames crackled around her, glowing eyes watching curiously as her hands clapped together, concentration marring her face as she repeated the moves she'd been taught all those years ago. Before everything. Before they'd pulled her out of classes and declared her a failed alchemist. Anyone else would've been sweating buckets, trapped inside the inferno, but Leia wasn't just some random passer-by.

"You can withstand it?"

Curiosity lined its tone, golden eyes boring into her own as the temperature increased another notch, its gaze surveying her skin as it remained the tawny beige it'd always been. It wasn't even looking slightly pinkish from the heat, but the girl in front of the beast was struggling.

"Damn right." She spat, glaring at it. "So, stop trying to burn me to a crisp. It won't work."

"You sure about that? I'm not even halfway to my hottest temperature..." A flaming grin formed out of the golden flames. "Beast Flames are in a completely different league to what you've faced before, little alchemist."

"Flame Soul."

"Oho... So, you have heard of my kind..."

"Of course." Leia said, a small grin on her face, even as her clothes caught fire. "Dammit." She muttered, extinguishing the flame with her fingers. "Would you mind keeping your flames away from my clothes? I'd prefer to avoid running around naked."

A low chuckle reached her ears. "I wonder how long you can keep up this nonchalant act..."

"Who says it's an act?" She asked, a smile still plastered across her face... at least until she heard a second heartbeat from inside her chest. "No..."

"Realising how foolish you are, human?"

"It's too soon..." She whispered, clutching her chest as the heat inside her chest built. "Not now..."

"Hmmm?" Laughter echoed around her. "Is the heat getting to you already?"

"Shut up." Leia's voice was weak. All of her faint control over the raging flames evaporated, the heat she'd been suppressing spreading down the corridor. "Dammit... where are those idiots?!" She muttered, cursing under her breath. She'd never had the misfortune of meeting a Beast Flame before... she knew all too much about Flame Souls, though, and that was what a Beast Flame was. A flame which had gained consciousness – one which had created its own soul. They could take many forms, one of them being that of any beast walking the earth, like the one taking shape in front of her.

Golden flames crackled even brighter, heat lashing at her, but they were nothing compared to the fire burning inside her chest. Her hand rose of its own accord, her palm facing the flaming creature that'd slowly begun to take on the form of something Leia knew far too well – a dragon.

"I think it's time to end this..."

"Yes." Two voices left her lips, her head rising, brown hair blown back from her face by the sudden burst of heat from her own body. "I think so too..." Amber eyes shone, glowing brightly, watching as realisation shone in the golden eyes, seconds before flames burst from her outstretched hand.

Brickwork exploded outwards, showering rubble down into the courtyard below, a strange smile on Leia's face as golden flames raced towards her. They touched her chest, leaving a strange circular marking a little way down from her throat, as the golden fire seemed to get sucked inside her. Eyes rolled back into her skull, her body crashing limply to the ground as the flames disappeared from the destroyed hallway. Her chest clenched, her breathing ragged even in her unconsciousness as small glowing golden chains wrapped around the heart she could see in her mind's eye. The heat inside her chest vanished, a strange sense of calm overcoming her as she lay on the floor. Her clothing was half burnt, a small scrap of cloth barely covering the inky black mark beneath her throat that felt like it'd been burnt into her skin.

And that was how she was found minutes later – battered, bruised and yet somehow still alive, much to the amazement of a certain brunette.

"Brat." Xander nudged her, a scowl written across his face. "Wake up."

The white robed man next to him grabbed his arm. "I don't think she'll be waking up anytime soon." He sighed, carefully lifting her up from the floor. "Come on. You're her guardian, aren't you? We need to get her to a treatment room."

"I can take her to the hospital." He said, staring rather intently at her crumpled form in the man's arms. She looked oddly small and delicate compared to how she normally seemed. Maybe it was because he was used to seeing her scowl and vehemently proclaim she wasn't up to no good, or maybe it was because he'd been the one to carry her to the hospital last time. He didn't know.

"It happened under our watch, so we'll treat her." The alchemist said, carrying her away before he could protest further, leading the group of them to a nondescript room full of benches and alchemy equipment. "Ben, grab a healing elixir. Preferably a higher-grade one. We don't know if she's got any internal damage."

"The silvery stuff?" He asked, pointing at the small silvery flask sitting on the corner.

"Hmm?" The older alchemist turned, confusion written across his face until he spotted the glass bottle of the silverish-green liquid. "Bring it over."

The boy did as he was told, depositing the flask on the table Leia was sprawled across.

"I didn't think any of this lot here would know the recipe for a decent healing elixir..." He mumbled, having quickly examined the substance. "Now... is she going to wake up anytime soon, or do we need to force it down her throat?"

"Umm... We could just take her to the hospital, you know..." Xander interjected, placing his coat over her ruined clothing. "Wouldn't that be nicer than sticking a tube down her throat...?" He trailed off, realising they'd already done just that. "Never mind." He said rather dejectedly, watching as the cuts and small grazes she'd received from the exploding brickwork healed themselves, colour returning to her face as she coughed and spluttered.

"There we go."

Leia scowled, gagging as the tube was removed. "Was that really necessary?" She grumbled. "I'd have woken up eventually."

"Time is of the essence, silly."

"Why?"

"Because of what Ben over here told me." He said, eyes narrowing until the sound of a door slamming open interrupted them.

Dark brown eyes met theirs, emotions carefully concealed as the brunette stepped further into the room, surveying the situation cautiously. "What happened?" He asked, staring the other two alchemists down, the gold sash telling Leia he was someone rather important despite the fact she didn't recognise him in the slightest. "Where's the Beast Flame?!"