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Nick dove to the ground to avoid the kunai, and up above in the grandstands, Halcyon face-palmed.

"Fight! Don't dodge! Fight back!" Halcyon hissed from above.

Following his ally's advice, Nick (with a groan, first) lifted the harmonica to his lips and, still lying prone, blew into the device as he pushed his hand out.

Man-sized boulders flew out of the ground, but their aim was very erratic. There was only a small chance that one would hit Ami--heck, there was even a chance that one would hit Nick!

As the boulders went their way, Nick hastily sat up and switched his harmonica for his guitar.

"A-ah!" Nick exclaimed, as he scrambled back. Particles of boulder assaulted him, and he received several small scratches in several places.

But Nick managed to pluck a single, pure note on his guitar, and a giant hand (invisible, and big enough to hold Ami in its palm enclosed) was sent to slap the ninja at high speed.

"Oh sh--" Nick stumbled, backwards, and that was when he whistled. Suddenly, time seemed to slow down for him, making the task of dodging all shurikens all too easy. However, in his haste, Nick had forgotten to wait until the shurikens were close enough. Now, as the shurikens slowly edged closer, Nick faltered (as this sound-induced time paradox relied on a single breath) and his whistle failed.

In this case, one shuriken scratched Nick, and the other dug straight into his arm.

"O-ow..."

Nick declared, pained, and he fell to his knees. Nick plucked a couple more notes on his guitar (which might make Ami jump back, expecting a giant slap again) and his pain eased away, although the wounds did not heal.

Nick managed to stand, and he plucked another few notes from his guitar. Synchronous with this tune, he whistled again, the sound now becoming harsh and dangerous to sensitive ears.

It was the Banshee's Wail, which was arguably one of Nick's most potent song-spells. Such a sound would disorient and confuse all who heard it for long after the synchronous whistle and guitar tune faded... it would be as if the after-effects of being spun in a circle (being dizzy) many times, except that it would not fade away for quite a few minutes.

Nick was unaffected as he struggled a few steps forward, sweat dripping off of his forehead as he tried to ignore his wounds.

"Nick, move!" Halcyon shouted.

Which was the absolute worst thing to do, because at the sound of her voice, Nick turned to look up at her. The giant shuriken caught his arm, sending Nick spinning and doused with blood.

Missing an arm, Nick collapsed. It took an agonizing minute, but eventually, he turned into a trophy, thus signaling his defeat.

Halcyon face-palmed.

Nick stood slowly to his feet, as if expecting the pain to still be present. Half-smiling, Nick reached over and plucked another tune from his guitar. It was the Meloclayr--the opposite tune of the Banshee's Wail. It cured confusion, haze, and restored clarity of thought. This affected Ami, as well.

"Er... good fight," Nick said, still somewhat dazed--not by confusion, but by the recent experience of pain.

Above them, in the grandstands, Halcyon was muttering to herself, already bored.

Nick nodded, clutching his no longer severed arm. "Y-yeah... I don't know what Halcyon was thinking."

((Gtg.))

Nick jerked a thumb in Halcyon's direction. He ignored her as the red dancer attempted to work up the courage to jump down to the arena.


Halcyon was at the edge of the stands, trying to work up in herself the courage to jump, because the area where she was sitting was as far away from stairs as possible. And Nick had jumped, so why couldn't Halcyon?

Eventually, Halcyon did jump, but she caught her foot on the railing and ended up sliding down the wall instead of landing on her feet. Dazed but unharmed, Halcyon slide all the way to Nick and Ami's feet.

"Wh-oo-oo-ooah..."

Any other person might have rolled their eyes, but Nick simply bent to help her up. "Are you all right?"

Halcyon then laughed at herself; the sound being clear and tranquil, reminding one of a crystal bell ringing gently.

"Well, I hope you're very happy," Nick said to his charge.

Halcyon, who had just let up on her laughter, broke into another round of giggling. After a moment of composing herself, she replied softly, "Yes, Nick. I had fun watching you fight like a girl."

Nick ignored this and returned his gaze to Ami. "Thanks again for helping me... entertain Halcyon. Well, Halcyon, we had best be going...."