Afton fumbled in his pocket for his switchblades. Procuring three, he turned and gave one to Kaylie and sent Quinn to see who was awake, “Tell them to remember... no using their powers. No showing their face. We're a gang of crazy robbers. Tell them... to hide while I take care of this.”

Quinn nodded and searched in his worn boot for a something.

He handed Afton a short double-edged dagger.

“That should work better than measly switchblades,” he said.

Afton smiled and patted Quinn on the back, “Thanks, buddy.”

He was about to step out when Kira grabbed his shoulder and went out himself.

Oh... just the best. I guess we might all die after all.

Kira strolled out, one hand in his pocket, head cocked, a bored look about him. “What... what do you want?” he asked.

He didn't even put on the hood, seriously!

The armed whatever they were's dashed upon Kira. The first one did a little sort of slash at him, which Kira promptly dodged. He grabbed the guy's hand, bent it backwards and rolled it up so fast that the next thrust was landed to the heart of the idiot who first dared.

“It seems you wanted to try, huh?” he growled.

They formed a double-layered semi-circle about Kira and there were still more left.

“Hey, bring it on, bastards, I'll smash anything you call human,” he said, seemingly more bored than ever.

Five dashed upon him at once and he blocked them with his right forearm. “That hurts, idiots, you're driving me to the point of madness. The blades pressed deeper still and his forearm had to be supported by his head for it not to fall. Five others used forward hold, edge-in to slash at his feet and back.

Kira feel to his knees, laughing, “Now this is getting better.”

His right forearm, pinned above his head, he brought in one quick motion around the front of his head and spun to the right so the blades slipped off with chunks of his hand. It threw the perpetrators off balance and he did a quick ground-swipe with his right foot to throw them completely off. He stood quickly. Smirking at them.

Six down for now... twenty-four more to go...

Another five came around, left hands holding a dagger in backward holds, edges out, right hands gripping forward hold, edge out.

“Argh! That hurts... that hurts, seriously!” Kira said, glaring at them, daring them to come forward.

They were going to when someone came up on horse-back. “Hold!” he yelled, “I'll take care of this kid.”

Afton looked at the new-comer through the window... he wore the suit of Isumton, the badges showed that he was a higher-up.

“You there, yes you,” the man yelled to Kira, “come over... do not fear. The way I do things is through words, not war.

“Liar,” Afton muttered between his teeth.

“Your name, son?” he asked, putting a hand around Kira's shoulder and bending in for an answer.

Kira smirked and put a hand to his ear, “As if I'd tell you, idiot.”

The man just laughed and wagged a finger at Kira, “You're good, kid, I like your spirit!”

Kira laughed together with him, “But I don't like any part of you,” he said, matter-of-factly, sarcastically bowing in respect.

The man laughed again, “Shall we talk business or are you not the right man?” he asked.

“Ah... business? Everything will go back to normal if you and your team vanish,” Kira said, his same bored look resurfacing.

“But... before that. I need to search your little hut there,” the man said, smiling, yet turning serious, “you see, son,” he continued, “I'm looking for a little traitor by the name of Afton. He's committed a serious crime worthy of death, forty times over.”

Kira seemed to have been amused by that statement and he scoffed, “And I am too, looking after him. If you dare touch him in any way, I'll personally kill you forty-one times over.” Kira poked the man's shoulder after every word of the last sentence, ending in a super-annoying smile and a curt tilt of the head.

Afton couldn't hear a word that Kira said, but he knew it must have provoked the man in some way because he pulled out a sword and struck at Kira. Kira dodged but the blade was long enough and it sliced a shallow cut through his neck, right under the chin.

Kaylie, who'd been watching, punched the door open and walked out, spinning a blade between her fingers, resolution in each step as she too pushed her hood off. She shook her hair out and between the strands, one would have caught the intent to murder in her eyes as she threw the blade, “Oops, I missed,” she said, pulling it from the tree right behind the man. “It won't be just a scratch the next time you touch him,” she said, threateningly tracing a cut through his neck too.

The soldiers fell upon them, one unarmed, the other with a switchblade. Archers must have been lurking the whole time, because the arrows covered their front as Kaylie and Kira fell to a back-to-back position.

Kaylie, burning with hatred, anger, and the will to protect, turned to using her power and froze many of their hearts.

The man, unnerved by the wound in his neck, snapped back to reality. The man was, after all... Jasker, the one sent to find Afton's past. He captured everything into his head for future reference... especially the fact that the two of them healed almost immediately.

“I can't take much more, Kaylie,” Kira whispered once as the changed position, “we should get Afton.”

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Kaylie shook her head, “I won't... I won't allow my little brother to...”

She stopped halfway through her sentence when she saw him... his infamous triple slash death, his own bored look and those pursed lips.

His appearance gave the two of them to shake off back cramps for two seconds and Kaylie groaned, “Oh, great! He's not going to talk for weeks!”

Afton, seemed to be able to dodge every blow sent his way, he sprinted through them, half-crouched, slashing at their legs.

“Afton.... knows how to use daggers,” Kira said, shrugging as he did a judo throw on one of the guys.

“But he isn't infallible! He's human, Kira,” Kaylie yelled, as she stabbed a guy on the right and froze another to death on the left.

“What? Do you want me... to do something... Argh... about him?” Kira asked, turning hologram as one of the guys tried to stab him.

“Whatever!” she screamed, “don't let him get hurt!”

Afton seemed to be able to roll out of anything. One moment he was standing, the next, he was on the ground again. That was just his style. His face was covered with blood, as were his hands. There were apparently more than just thirty soldiers. All the three children were mortal in some way.

“It's Afton!” the man screamed suddenly, “Don't let him escape!”

“He's tired, Kira, at the rate they're going, he'll die,” Kaylie whispered urgently.

“At the rate they're going, we'll all die, but who cares, I've survived death,” Kira said.

She looked at him. Ironically, he had that same bored look as he fought each person. “Please... Kira?”

Kira shook the last person off and turned to Kaylie, “You know what? You guys run off first. I'll go poisoned soon, so...” he shrugged.

Kaylie nodded and hugged him tight once... The arrows and blades that came at them hit their mark. But we all know... a little pain never hurt Falconers. “O... ok... erm... you can... go now,” Kira stuttered awkwardly, as he tried to look anywhere else but at her.

She smiled at him before appearing beside Afton and then just disappeared.

Kira's heart raced... he tried to shake it out of his head... tried to shake her out... to no avail. “Whatever,” he muttered. His eyes flickered red and he felt renewed energy flow through him.

The world went black for Kira, but he didn't need sight. The serum in his veins had a brain of its own... every single drop...

****

“Afton! How could you?! Kira already told you to stay back!” Kaylie chided.

“But you guys needed help!” Afton protested.

“Afton...” Kaylie said, softening her voice, “I don't want you to ever get hurt again. You must remember that at everything you do, my life is in your hands. Afton... that means. If you die, I won't want to live anymore. You're the last piece of my heart.

Afton looked at her, hope in his eyes. But that was Kaylie. The girl who'd never even had a crush. A dense little person who'd give up life because of family and nothing else. The girl without a heart.

“Kaylie, would you...”

Would you ever start thinking of me as anything other than a brother?! I'm older than you anyway... it doesn't depend on height.

“Would I what?”

“Would you let me be your light this time?” he asked. The original question was totally dismissed. No way she'd say yes.

“You didn't know?” Kaylie laughed, “you've always been my light!”

She smiled, a smile that made his heart beat faster, but...

No... stop already. She doesn't even know what she's saying. I'm taking this the wrong way. But... but I still can't help but hope... hope that she means all this.

“Afton, you sleep well, I'll bring you back or bring everyone here by the time you wake up, depending on the situation.”

Kaylie disappeared out of sight and Afton smiled sadly before finding a suitable tree against which he'd spend the night.

****

A little girl and a little boy sat at the edge of the lake. The little girl was telling a story of some sort, it seems. She told it without emotions... without gestures. A short sad love story of Romeo and Juliet.

“In the end, they both died. Their story is so sad. I won't want that kind of life. Don't you think love is a terror? I think a lot of people's ends sprouted from love of some sort. So... you must never ever ever ever fall in love,” the girl said to the boy.

“But... what if it's you?” the boy whispered shyly.

“I don't know. I won't fall in love, that's all that I can say,” the girl replied, shrugging, “But I can't help but think the brightest star up there is Romeo and Juliet together... I guess death by love makes bright stars.”

The boy diverted his eyes to the ground and the girl sighed. “The moon is red again. I guess something bad is happening... You know, I like it better when you talk, but... I'll understand if you can't bring yourself to.”

She just didn't understand... she never would... he had liked her since they were 10. Four years passed, he still loved her all the same or maybe even more. At sixteen now, maybe even seventeen, he loved her madly, deeply....

****

Afton awoke to the little rays of the sun in his face. He blinked sleep away and got up. There were the Falconers, spread upon the ground, some sit-sleeping, others lying their full length upon the forest dirt.

Kaylie? Where's she?

Kaylie was sitting at a tree trunk beside Kira... both asleep. Her hand was in his, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, the pretty dark blue hair formed a curtain across half of her face.

Afton swatted Kira's hand away and sat down between them. His face was dark with jealousy even as she awoke.

“Afton! What's wrong?”

Afton wouldn't talk. He looked away, his face darker than ever, “What happened... last night... after I slept?”

Kaylie blushed a little but quickly hid a stray smile, “I brought them all here because the floor before the house is covered with blood and mutilated bodies.”

Afton smirked, “What happened with Kira?”

“Him? I dragged him here when he fainted. That was about all. I was exhausted too so...” she answered, too quickly for Afton.

“Kaylie, if you like him, just say it,” he said bluntly, “I don't really care.” Of course, he didn't not really care, but... jealousy had clouded his mind.

“I don't like him that way!” Kaylie said, blushing a little.

“Kaylie! Listen, I don't know what you're really thinking of him but I want you to know. What I said back then...” Afton stopped and swallowed, “I meant it,” and he walked away.

Suddenly, Afton started running... he didn't know where. He just went... drawn away from them all.

The trees seemed to whisper encouragements in his ear, the wind seemed to direct him to a spot. He stopped to catch his breath but something seemed to drive him forward. It wasn't fear... it was another sort of feeling.

Afton finally dropped to his knees, fatigue over-taking him, adrenaline having just left.

“Look up...” someone whispered. The trees echoed the words and Afton looked up.

“This... it's your parents' graves. I promised you I'd protect you. Maybe this time round I'm not... but I'm showing you the truth,” the voice whispered.

There indeed were two headstones. One big one, another smaller one...

Afton went to the bigger headstone, his hands and knees shaking with emotion. He lifted his fingers to trace the words engraved upon the headstone.

The short epitaph, he read aloud: The dearest person, a faithful patriot who died, serving his country faithfully, Victor Hunter.

And there was another under: Emma Hunter, a blessing from the gods, a wonder of a woman.

The date read: Maius 27th, 79.

Afton put his head to the gravestone of his parents. He wasn't there when they died. He wrapped his arms around the cold, roughly-cut stone. A sharp notch tore a bit of his sleeve off, but it was so little to give compared to how much he should have given.

He refrained from shedding a tear, “I'm not worthy, mother, father. I'm not worthy to even try,” he whispered, his lip quivering as he held the tears in.

He moved on to the next grave, expecting it to be his sister's but... the inscriptions on the stone showed that it was a memorial of a little youngster by the name of Colvile Hunter.

“The brightest child who lives in the Heavens, shining brighter than all the stars forever in our hearts, Colvile Hunter, Ianuarius 13, 74,” Afton read.

There was also a little note under that read: We know not the exact date of his death. We know not whether he meanders the forest alone. We know not if he lives. The date above was the date of his birth. The poor child disappeared on his birthday...

“That was you,” came a whisper into his ear.

“My name... was Colvile?” he asked, a tear dropped onto the empty bed.

“True, but it's Afton now... well, that's all I want to show you. You may return now....”

“Wait! What did my father do? What happened to them all?” Afton asked, jumping to his feet, trying to catch an illusion, an intangible voice that had never been.

“Wipe those tears. It's all in the past and you're a strong boy, now....”

Yes, Colvile was alive... he'd cheated death a few times.... he'd made it so far since then...he is, indeed, Afton.