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"Shhhh..." Konton hissed, smirking at the man. "I haven't come here to kill you, Aoki. I need you, remember?" the demon was acting almost kind. "I can cure you... hell, I'll even throw in a few vials of your choice to keep. Strength... speed... perhaps one like this which makes you not need sleep? They'll be yours... but you must get Aoikage. He's going to do something for me... and when that's finished, you must bring him back to me, Aoki." Konton's smirk turned to a smile. "Can you do that? If you want to defect to the other side, I won't even stop you... but I want you to do this for me first."
The demon moved, coming to stand beside Aoki. His claws carefully cut the straps, releasing the man.
"Very soon now..." Konton whispered. "Soon, Aoikage will do something terrible... and you must be there to take him into hiding. I will come for you both... but you must take him away. Understood?"

~ ~ ~

Ainsu said nothing for a long moment.
"Kazuhiko... You understand what's happening to me, don't you?" the man asked, his voice soft. "Please... if you do understand... if you want to protect them, your family and friends... I have to die. The Muse MUST be destroyed and we're running out of time."

~ ~ ~

Once outside the room, Aled did look into Kaguyo's eyes.
"Is Ainsu safe?" the Ou asked suddenly, his voice cold and dangerous. "We hold three of the demon's allies; Ainsu, Aoikage, and Aoki. Are they safe?"

Carefully, Watari helped the woman to stand. "Of course I can walk." the scientist smiled. "I can even run... as I just found out. Come on..." he tried to get Yuki's mind off the gore in the room. "Let's go check on Aoikage, alright? I think... I think things are being handled here."
And they were... because Po-ar was quick to putting people to work. This was an isolated incident, though it was obvious to him who this murder simply reeked of.
Konton wasn't about to kill one of them again.
Not if he could help it.

"Damnit, Kazuhiko! It's not that simple!" Ainsu replied angrily. "I'm prepared to fight it til the bitter end, whatever end that may be... but we simply don't have TIME!" the man shook his head, trying to get his point across. "Konton's on the move. It's only a matter of time before he gets me and makes the Muse stronger. I don't want to fight you! I don't want to fight any of you!"

~ ~ ~

Konton laughed, "As if I would tell you... you'd just spoil my secret." the demon replied.
"Go to Aoikage now, Aoki... before they do. Free him, hide, and then take him away from this place to await me." Konton spoke softly. "Do this... and I'll give you all the freedom you could possibly ask for and more."

~ ~ ~

"We'll check in on him." Watari replied softly, leading Yuki slowly through the hall.
At one point , he helped the woman down to sit.
She was pale, and the scientist feared that she might pass out.
"He won't hurt anyone else." Watari spoke, holding Yuki in his arms as they sat for a moment. "I... I know how to keep him from hurting anyone else on this world."

~ ~ ~

Aled paled, but he reached out, grabbing Kaguyo's arm and stopping her.
Even though she was rocketing down the hall.
"Don't you dare leave me.' the Ou spoke coldly. "We can't get separated now, Kaguyo. He's picking us off one by one. We go in pairs... stay in pairs."
Releasing her, Aled nodded. "Let's go. Together."

Konton laughed. "Like I said... you can pick any poisons or potions that I have in my stock." the demon replied honestly. "I'm giving you your freedom, Aoki. Do this, and you can travel the stars if you so want."

~ ~ ~

"I know." Watari replied, trying to calm her down. "But you need to catch your breath. I... I invented something a long time ago..." the man sighed before continuing. "It's a time dilation device. Everything within the field would move at a slower pace than the rest of the universe. Nothing can get in or get out until a year has passed inside. Outside, it will have been a thousand years." He looked at her for a long moment. "It will protect anyone outside of Tarnbsei, past or present... from Konton's grasp."

~ ~ ~

Kazuhiko's gaze frightened the man suddenly. "Kazu... don't do this. For godsake don't do this when you're alone! You'll be unprotected!"

~ ~ ~

He was right behind her, keeping up as best he could.
The Ou's arm had finally stopped bleeding, but the burns were still there and fresh, rather untreated.
And yet... Aled wasn't about to leave Kaguyo alone.
He couldn't see her turn out like Shiori had...

"I... I never activated it." Watari replied softly, feeling quite ashamed of himself. "I made it, put fail-safes in place but... short of a worldwide catastrophe... the field would never turn itself on."
God, he felt so guilty.
"If I had been there I could have turned it on myself but... I was hardly in any position to try."

~ ~ ~

Konton raised an eyebrow. "The antidote will take three days to fully flush the poison from your system. Until then, it's still going to affect you." the demon spoke, withdrawing the wanted vials. He handed them over to the man. "But what I want must be done NOW. I've caused enough chaos for them to turn their eyes. Do it."
Darkness shrouded the demon and he disappeared from sight.
Three words echoed softly once he was gone.
"Go. They're coming."

~ ~ ~

Quickly, Aled chewed and swallowed the bean.
His arm healed immediately, all of his cuts and bruises simply gone.
"Watari and Yuki are going to check on Aoikage. I heard them talking." the Ou spoke as they turned a corner.

~ ~ ~

Ainsu closed his eyes.
If Kazuhiko wasn't strong enough...
But the boy had never failed before.
"Do it. I... I'd rather it be Kaguyo with me. I... I'll need to explain myself and try and keep the Muse at bay while you're inside."

Aoikage blinked in shock, pulled back and out of Aoki's grasp. "Of course he's trying to kill us... and how the hell did you get free?!" the man asked, backing against the wall, his eyes glued to Aoki. "I'm in here to stay away from you, damnit!"
His wings buldged, but they couldn't break the band.
"Besides, cuffs!" he said, holding up his wrists. "And I can't fly... no wings!"
To be honest, he didn't want to go anywhere with Aoki.
That... and he felt off...
He felt like he had to be there... right there...
Like he was waiting for something...

~ ~ ~

Watari grabbed Yuki, pulling her between himself and the wall. "Aoki! What are you doing?!" the scientist shouted. "Leave Aoikage alone! You have to! THIS IS WHAT KONTON WANTS!"

~ ~ ~

But Aled grabbed Kaguyo, "I'll check on them." he spoke seriously before calling out. "KAZUHIKO!"
He had to get Kaguyo out of there.
Aled knew...
He'd read Konton's mind...
And he knew what had to be done now.
Even though Kaguyo would never forgive him...

~ ~ ~

It was like the Ou's voice reverberated through the dimension.
Ainsu frowned, eyes on Kazuhiko. "I know she has to help, but she could be in danger. If Shiori's dead, Aled won't want her to come to harm."

"It isn't safe here." Aled spoke seriously, literally shoving Kaguyo into the portal. "Stay there! Don't ask questions and don't argue with me!" the Ou spoke coldly before turning away and dashing down the hall.
From inside however, Ainsu was speechless.
The anger flowing from Aled was intense.

~ ~ ~

Aoikage was highly uncomfortable in the closet. "I have to stay here!" he spoke harshly, hardly being quiet. "You don't get it! I HAVE to... There's... there's something I have to do and I can't with you holding me in the closet!"

But Watari grabbed Yuki's arm, suddenly bolting to the ceiling and carrying her as he flew.
The scientist sucked at flying, that was true... but he was trying.
And he was damned stubborn.
Carefully, Watari dodged Aoki's initial grabs before tumbling down in front of Aoikage's cell.
It was empty.
"YUKI!" he said quickly, shoving her into the room, closing and bolting the door, leaving the Aoki's out in the hall.

"Let me out, Aoki..." Aoikage spoke coldly. "Let. Me. Out. Now."

"STAY IN THERE!" came Watari's shout.
There was a sudden change in the air's charge as Watari brought his ki into his hands.
"You know I suck at fighting, but I'm not letting you have her or Aoikage." Watari spoke, staring down the hall full of Aoki's.

~ ~ ~

Aoikage hissed, "Let me out!" he screamed, shoving Aoki against the closet door. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
Yuki would easily be able to hear him, after all.
The bindings on the daemon's back were beginning to twist, bending as his wings fought to be free.

~ ~ ~

"Kaguyo, Kazuhiko's going to..." but then the boy was gone and Ainsu was gasping in agony as the boy entered his mind.
"We... don't have time..." he ground out from clenched teeth.

Aoikage hissed darkly, his ki suddenly flaring.
"Cuffs... how..." Watari whispered, glancing over his shoulder to the door that was keeping Yuki locked away. "Aoki! What the hell are you doing?!"
The bands around Aoikage's chest exploded outward, flying at Watari and embedding themselves in the door frame just over his head.
And still the daemon's ki flared... completely burning the ki cuff away.
With a dark smirk, his wings pushed from his back. Enhanced in movement by his ki, the wings flung back many of the Aoki's in his way.
"You were supposed to help!" the daemon hissed angrily, glaring at the true Aoki. "YOU IMPEDE HIS WILL!"
'This is impossible...' Watari thought, backed up against the door, protecting it with his life is needed.

~ ~ ~

"I'm here." Ainsu winced, closing his eyes for a long moment. "We don't have time to wait." he replied, getting control of his own pain. "Konton's moving... we can't just..."
"Of course I'm moving." came a dark voice behind Kaguyo.
Clawed hands dug into the woman's shoulders, pinning her where she sat.
"I guess my message wasn't received as well as I'd hoped." Konton frowned. "Pity... where, dear Kaguyo... is Aled?"
In truth, the Tarnb-jin Ou was supposed to be there, getting Konton the Muse.

~ ~ ~

The Muse smirked, "You can't drive me out without killing him." he spoke before turning into vapor and simply reforming a few yards from where Kazuhiko had struck. "This is my domain, boy. You're going to be stuck here for a very long time. I wonder if your father will come for you?"