Kira

~

The only sounds I can pick out as we near the station are the rapid beatings of Kuro's wings and the erratic rhythm of my own heart.

A familiar sense of wrongness hangs in the air like something trying to distort my thoughts.

"Stay close," Kuro whispers, flying closer to my side.

We arrive at the station but Troy is nowhere in sight, the streets are empty, a cold chill, carrying by the faint remnants of a different Dark Magic, blows past the both of us causing a shiver to run down my spine. Some scorch marks on the road indicate signs of a struggle, maybe they had taken him by surprise, but that would mean he'd had no time to send the text.

Kuro is squatting to inspect them.

I survey the area, about to suggest heading down into the station when my eyes catch some movement from a nearby lamppost. Walking over to, I pull down the piece of paper, inspecting the weirdly drawn made of pentagons and

"A talisman, the spell is probably to keep us from being able to communicate with magic," Kuro takes it from my hand and he tears it up, “Reminds me, we'll have to teach you spells later.”

"Sure! At least we know why he sent a text now," I grin smugly in his direction but he's pointedly ignoring me, pacing some feet away as if to not confront the reality my suggestion had turned out helpful. You little-

"I have a bad feeling about this."

I feel the exact same way, but before we can discuss something in relation to a plan, my instincts flare up, alerting me to a presence behind me. I summon my staff, making it take up the form of a scythe. Spinning on my heels, I'm ready to strike at whoever is behind me when my eyes instead meet with Troy's golden lightning hurtling towards me.

Huh?!?

Stiff with shock, I'm shoved roughly to the ground by Kuro in time to watch the arrow sail over our bodies and strike a Jorōgumo that had been hiding in the shadowed alleyway in front of where I'd been standing. Waiting to strike.

The yokai lets out a pained screech, falling to the ground with the fading lights of Troy's arrow spilling from its head.

Troy flies down from his perch, wings vanishing when he's a few feet from the ground. He lands straight, eyes holding disappointment, "You're both late."

"Did you just use us as bait, Angel boy?" Kuro pouts.

"I noticed the spell but I didn't want to fly down without being sure,” he pushes a lock of hair from his face.

I'm glaring from the ground, "Are you crazy?!"

"I had faith in the brat's ability to pull you out of harm's way, if not, the blast would only hurt a bit…I think." He brushes me off as if he hadn't been this close to catching a manslaughter charge. His right-hand is glowing with a gold circle eerily similar to my seal, weird symbols dancing in different directions. He raises it to the air, lightning shoots upward, spreading out to illuminate the whole street and the dark alleys.

I gulp nervously as the reality of our situation settles in.

"We're surrounded," Kuro says, far too cheerful for my liking.

Several red beady eyes are trained on all three of us standing in the open, "Shit."

"I tailed one that had taken a hostage here, it was probably a trap from the start but we can't let it get away,” Troy states.

Kuro smirks, cracking his knuckles, “Gotcha, give me some cover and I'll take care of it.”

I fall into position as practiced as a few of the spider women start lumbering closer, climbing down buildings and hissing loudly in our direction.

Jet black wings take to the sky, the yokai spur into action, some leaping after him. I sprint into action, jumping onto a lamp post and slicing off the head of the Jorōgumo closest to getting him. Blood is pumping hotly through my veins, fear and determination to prove myself spurring my actions.

All I'd need for now are these instincts.

Troy finds another perch as well, shooting off at any one that so much as moved.

A week was by no means enough time for me to become a half decent yokai fighter, and by no means were we a synchronized unit, but I stayed out of Troy's way as Kuro had instructed and picked off the ones I could with my enhanced speed and strength.

"We don't expect you to go all out just yet, which is good, the most difficult part of this job is keeping property damage low," there’s a sheepish smile on his face, "Take your time to adjust to your powers.”

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"And if I slow you guys down?"

He gives two thumbs-up, “We'll pick the slack until you're ready, that's what teams are for right?”

My scythe buries into a spider trying to launch itself at Troy from the side.

I hate these monsters.

I hate the thought of having to risk my life day after day, not knowing if one misstep would lead to the deaths of others.

Even so, it's too late to turn back, these two had chosen to stick with me, and they were doing their part. I couldn't fall behind and be the cause of our failure. My instincts had told me this was the best path and I'll take whatever leaps they told me to.

Lucifer had told me all Keepers were connected to the one who gave them the Seal. Hikari's emotions would be my guide until I could tackle this on my own. The last thing I needed was someone else's feelings twisting mine but this meant I wasn't alone.

A huff escapes me, amused at my own predicament.

It seems I wasn't going to be alone for a while.

I hold out my hands, twirling the staff just lightly, "How does this wind thing work again?"

'We've been over this human, treat the power as an extension of your emotions, let it out but control the amount you let-'

The air whips to life around me, bursting, spinning wildly as it pushes everything back. Slamming the spiders into any available surface. Troy takes advantage of their disorientation to strike them all down. I flash a proud smile his way, while trying to get my breathing under control.

“Could use more work, let's go find the midget," is all he says before breaking into a run.

Pushing my wounded ego and the ache in my muscles aside, "You don't fly much."

"I'm saving my strength, Magic Energy isn't an infinite stream…besides" He gives me a sideways glance, "You feel it too, don't you? Something more dangerous than the Jorōgumo. It's probably controlling them. He should have figured it out before we get there."

"Is that why we let him go ahead?"

Troy's expression hardly changes as he speaks, "He's a nuisance but his grasp of his Magic Energy, his memory and the depth of his knowledge are his greatest assets; his true potential hindered only by his brashness.”

Having only known Kuro for such a short time, this insight doesn't quell the unease in chest about his origins. The Dark One. I wonder exactly how he'd gotten his powers and that title.

Sometime later, further in the future maybe, when we were more friends than just three teens coming together for a common goal, I'd find the truth.

We arrive where the trail of Kuro's Magic Energy leads to an end. There are fallen feathers leading all the way to a sewer hatch that’s half open.

Did he really chase the creature in there?

Troy beckons me to follow, kicking the hatch off without so much as a grunt. He goes in first, electricity crackling around him to light the place up before going dim once he sees sure the coast is clear. A simple hand gesture tells me it's safe to come down so descend the ladder quickly and study the tunnel a bit more once we get to the bottom.

Other than the smell being absolutely awful and the disgusting humidity sticking to my skin like the world's worst sauna, the place was actually quite spacious.

I create a small whirlwind around myself to disperse the stench, some pride kicking in that I'm getting a better handle on controlling small air currents.

"Stop that," Troy scowls.

"I'm sorry but this place stinks like shit."

"Obviously, it's a sewer system," He starts down the path to our right. "It'll attract unwanted attention, and it's distracting."

I resisted the urge to argue, stopping the winds and trying to focus on anything but the disgusting smell of rot and decay coming from all around us. The overpowering stench akin to everything in the fridge deciding to go bad at the same time before stuffing itself into a rotting carcass.

Troy, somehow unperturbed, continues the soft glowing thing he has going on. I can't help but be impressed at how he and Kuro handle their abilities with a kind grace, fervor and ease.

An acceptance of a part of themselves.

My hands clench uselessly at my sides. Would I ever get to that point?

Did I even want to?

"Stop."

My steps halt on command. Bending down, he peers into the murky sewage water and staring long and hard at it. I ready my weapon, watching him reach his white glove-covered hand in and pull something out. I had noticed his gauntlets took this form when he wasn't in active battle.

What he holds up makes my inside wrench.

A hand.

A human one, bloodied, slimy and pale, caked in clumped blood and water fluids swimming around in the sewers.

After the underground passage, I'd thought I could handle anything but it seems I might have been overestimating myself. I dashe off a few feet away and retch my dinner into the murky water.

"You're overreacting, De-" He stops coming toward me, facial expression morphing into that of confusion.

"You okay?" I want to turn around, but my feet don't budge. I try again with my enhanced strength fighting but they remain stuck, tugging against some mysterious force.

I peer into the water, willing eye sight to see through the darkness.

Webs.

Intricately and thickly woven span the entire area as far as the eyes can see. It doesn't take me long to realize the arm must have been a ploy to draw us into these parts of the waters.

Before we can even begin to talk about a means of escape, heavy bodies fall from the ceiling of the tunnel. One landing directly on top of me, pushing me into the source of the rancid smell around us. I hold my breath, keeping my mouth shut and struggling to get to the surface while trying to fight off the monster that had its hold on me.

A slice from my weapon was followed by an agonized scream.

I scramble to my feet, legs still tangled by the webs, I wiped at my eyes, they sting but I can finally make out where Troy stands. Struggling against the rapidly increasing onslaught of spider women.

My scythe cuts cleanly through some webs and hope blossoms in my chest. I set to work, raising my weapon to free both of us, instead it falls to the ground.

It takes a second but I finally feel it, a set of jaws dig deeply into my shoulder, filling my veins with an all consuming burning pain followed all too quickly by a melancholic dizziness. A scream dies in my throat as I crumple into the shallow flow of water.

The world, my world, is tilting on its axis again. I see Troy falling as well.

I really didn't like where this night was going.