Kira

~

It's almost impossible for my eyes to leave the smoking crater created by Nightmare's arrival. Bits of the once sparingly cracked gravel road are now strewn about and my only relief is that we're far enough from the inhabited parts of the city.

Uneasily, I force my attention back to the threat at hand, his outfit a strangely modern style of what would be more at home in the Victorian Era; all dark ruffles, silver trims and a long ragged black cape whipping out gently in the wind behind him. His Mask, only hiding the upper part of his face, leaves his vicious grin bare to the world as well well as two dark, probably tattooed lines running down his cheeks.

The flaming, bright blue slits of his eyes land on me and I can almost feel his gaze trying pierce through my Mask.

There's a harsh, violence to it that sets me further on edge but I hold my ground against its intensity alongside the oppressive thickness of his Aura radiating from where he stands watching for what I can only guess is our first move.

All too suddenly, he lifts his gloved hands in a slow clap, "Well, well, turns out Beel was right. I can't feel the Energy of my old friend...what was her name again? Oh yes..." he snaps his fingers, "Hikari-chan-"

"Keep her name out of your mouth!" I spit with equal venom to his taunt. Now more than ever, it's hard to feign being braver than I actually feel. What the hell is he doing here? Sweat trickles down my brow in cold rivulets but I'm more than well versed in the art of bluffing, "I don't know what your aim is showing up now of all times but don't think 'cuz I'm new I can't take you down!"

"She means 'we'" Kuro's voice is a low, trembling in anticipation with each word as he points at Nightmare, "I didn't think we'd meet so soon but I'm ready to payback the pain you caused my family ten time over, any day."

"Apologies my little urchin but I've torn apart a lot of families so you'll have to drop that Mask if you want me to at least recognize you before I crush your dreams of vengeance," Nightmare drawls while pushing back the fringes of his inky black hair, "As for why I'm here...for now let's say I came to see if you three are worth entertaining me for a bit, your replies to this might change my mind."

Dread and disgust twist my insides into a complicated knot, "People's lives aren't yours to toy with, someone's going to stop whatever you're planning eventually."

Nightmare chuckles, an amused but condescending sound, "Let them come but I won't let my vengeance against all of humanity be halted for anything, once this world is razed to its core, maybe humans will learn how it feels to trampled underfoot and forced to the brink of extinction for once, ah, it excites just thinking about it."

Energy flares up at my side, and I turn to see streaks of golden electricity flailing about Troy's form. His eyes are narrowed in disdain, "Sickening."

"Say what you will but I'm a generous master," Nightmare waves off the criticism blithely, "Let's skip these hopeless conflicts for something much greater instead. Swear your allegiance to me and I'm sure we can come to compromises on whatever you desire of our new world," He steps out of the crater, pointing to Troy, "Pretty ladies are especially welcome."

A very sarcastic, 'Good luck with that' is about leaving my lips when instead the sky explodes with a loud crash of lightning and wind. The pillar of light from our first meeting descends, striking Nightmare's spot in a flash, probably stronger than the first time I'd seen it from the blonds annoyance.

I raise my arm to block the debris from entering my eyes. I always keep in mind Troy touchy about the subject but I can't really blame Nightmare for trying.

Batting away the smoke and embers floating around my face, I turned to Troy with a deadpan look. How he can constantly use his trump card right out the gate doesn't fail to astound me, "Nice going, Archer."

All I get is a scoff in return.

"That actually hurt," We turned to the source of the voice, inching away as the dust slowly settles to reveal Nightmare staring at his scarred forearm, the only part of him to look remotely affected by the attack. The scorched, reddened wound warps and shifts, stitching itself together.

I can feel the moment more of the hairs on my skin stand further on edge, the panic I've been holding back for so long threatening to reach a boiling point.

'What's with this guy?!' I hiss at Lucifer.

'A near perfect Summoner.'

"If you insist on being a pest, very well," Troy's white and gold gloves glow before taking their more menacing gauntlet form. I can't help thinking he's taking this way too calmly.

Nightmare sighs, his lips pursed in a pout that almost makes me assume he's younger than we're giving him credit for, "How unfortunate and I was really hoping we'd be able to work something out," he jabs his forefinger into the fang at the side of his mouth before reaching into a pouch attached to the side of his belt to pull out two round marble-like orbs with wisps of smoke and flecks dark spots dancing within them.

"Do you three know what these are?" I notice Kuro tense at my side but save for that neither of us grace his question with a reply. He doesn't care, "With these soul orbs, a Summoner is able to Summon spirits from the Planes beyond without all the fanfare and mess that comes with pesky human summonings. Observe the power of who you oppose before making your final choice." The orbs shoot into the air mixing with blood from his fingertips as they spinning and crackle around each other.

"Demons, Deiphobos and Acan, I call you to my side!"

Two hulking beings burst from the green light, masses of mist and bits of rock with vaguely humanoid shape and menacing red eye slits that survey the world with a deep leering hunger before falling upon the three if us.

"Kill the dark one and capture the blond and I might consider getting you human vessels," Nightmare orders while keeping his gaze on me, "I'll take the Keeper."

From the Aura of the Demons alone I get the the feeling we've all been greatly underestimating this guy. I've seen Kuro and Troy do some amazing things in our short time together but unless we're running, something tells me there's little hope of us making it out of a battle alive.

I open my mouth, about to call for a retreat but several of Kuro's sleek black feathers swarm in front of me like a shield.

"Demona, run and find somewhere to hide," he yells, pulling out a thin blood red garrote with a small glinting spearhead at one end. I'd never seen him draw a weapon before and seeing it now confirms my suspicions that things are about to get serious.

He throws it, the thin thread-like cord wrapping itself around the demon that lunged for him, holding the monster down only for it to chuckle and dissolve into a puddle.

Kuro curses and as much as I don't want to be a distraction I can't keep quiet about being told to run.

"You can't expect me to just leave?!" I scream back at him, the words are barely out of my mouth when the air shifts with something dark, I dodge to the the side, Nightmare's punch breaking the shield apart as he comes between me and Kuro.

He lifts his fist wrapped in the ominous burning blue Energy of his Magic, and aims it at Kuro, "I've already assigned you a dance partner so you'd do well to accompany them~"

I don't get to see the blast, my vision filled with white and gold as Troy grabs me by the collar before tossing me out of the line of fire from his Demon attacker's energy sphere. He deflects it to side with his gauntlet, the sphere blowing up the wall of an old factory building instead as he forms his bow again.

"You can't fight Nightmare, run and give us time to stop these things then we'll save you."

I want to believe they're looking out for me, and maybe they are but it's clear that there'd be little we can do even if it were three of us against Nightmare alone. Neither of us are ready.

'True, they'll be able to buy you sometime to hide properly at most but their lives are forfeit,' Lucifer hisses in my mind, I can tell he's frustrated, 'Run you foolish child, the best thing you can do for them and this world is to not get caught!'

A dreadful emptiness spreads through my chest at his words, I've definitely thought as much but it's much harder when the reality tells me all of what he's saying is reasonable. There's no path where we all make it out alive...

In front of me I can see Kuro and Troy struggling to block Nightmare's path to me while avoiding the Demons, the world around their battle blurring into a flash of bright flaring blasts and crackling earth as blows are traded and evaded.

It warns me away and calls to me simultaneously.

I really should just run.

My foot inches backward, halting as I witness Kuro violently thrown through a building. Troy creates a wall of lightning, closing off the Villains opening to me while firing shots at the two Demons.

"Demona! Run you moron!"

I want to, more than anything in the world, I want to run because I want to live. But honestly it's never gotten me anywhere. Never done anything but delay the inevitable.

If ran now, I'd live to fight another day, but how much longer until I'm found without their guidance. They might never admit it, knowing both of them they'd never say so but we've all been in over our heads, at our levels, there's no way way we're a match for this bastard in strength.

My fists clench at my sides, my body feels numb but my mind is working overtime as I block out Lucifer's harsh warnings to escape before its too late.

It's been too late since the very first day we all met.

'Don't tell me you're actually considering fighting to save them?'

I huff out a weak laugh, "Honestly it scares me, but what scares me more is him coming back for me another day when I'm alone."

I don't want to be alone, not like this.

Not from their deaths.

'There are ways for you to hide, we could-'

"I'm not running Lucifer! Now be an actual mentor and tell how to do this already."

There's a short tense silence before he's speaking tersely, more serious than I've ever known him, 'There are two ways you can get out of this, you can let me take over, with your body at this stage it probably won't turn to ash if I keep it up for more than five minutes or...the less fun option, act as bait so the red-eyed brat can come up with something, Nightmare's presence has twisted his mind from his role as part of this shoddy team of yours."

Only one those options sounds vaguely appealing despite its dangers, using it right out the gate though would probably be the dumbest thing I could do given what little control I had over him.

I stretch my limbs while forming my staff in the ground at my side. I grab it shaping it to a double edged scythe with longer and more rugged blades. I take a running stand, eyes fixed on Nightmare ruthlessly kicks through another of Troy's lightning walls, "Option b please."

The Summoner's eyes widen slightly on seeing me still present and it gives me a bit more courage. Seems about time I repay these two for all they've taught me, and maybe more of what they will if we manage to get through this.

I launch myself with the wind, twirling my staff for momentum as I bring it down, aiming Nightmare's head. He vanishes, taking me aback just enough to throw off my landing.

"You should have run," his whisper is ice cold along the skin at the back of my neck, I spin on my heels in time to block a strike from his palm with rod of my scythe, "Do you honestly think you can defeat me?!"

The force of our blows connecting sends me flying back, fighting to keep my balance as my boots skid against rock while he remains unmoved, "Not really but I'm really not in the mood to die tonight."

"Dying isn't the be all end all my dear Keeper. I can all ways numb you up and take you back with me to perform all sorts of fun experiments on that Seal," he informs, "Not that it's of much use to me anymore, It's all I'd ever wanted of you Keepers but you all have to be so damn stubborn about it." He vanishes again, appearing in front of me this time to land a kick so quick I have no time to react but be sent flying through a warehouse door into some construction machinery.

I slide to the ground, hissing at the pain. Man, I really hate this getting thrown around thing. Kuro's screaming in my head doesn't help the concussion I'll probably be more aware of later.

'Kira! Are you actually a moron?! I'm heading over there right now!'

I stand, wobbling a bit on unsteady feet before the world seems to stop moving. There's the taste blood in my mouth, thick and coppery. I spit it out, eyeing Nightmare's approach towards me.

"KURO!" I amplify my voice with my abilities, really wishing I'd gotten a hang of the mind communication thing before now but this'll have to do before now, "AS YOUR LEADER I'M ORDERING YOU TO STAY AWAY UNTIL YOU'VE GOTTEN A GRIP AND COME UP WITH A PLAN!'

His voice is a frustrated a hiss in my mind, 'We already had a plan!'

I grin to myself, infusing all the confidence I muster into my next words, "IF YOU THOUGHT I'D LEAVE YOU BOTH TO DIE, THINK AGAIN! NOW GET TO WORK THAT'S AN ORDER!'

I tune him out, not waiting to hear his response as Nightmare throws a tirade of energy spheres my way and I set my focus to deflecting and avoiding as many as I can.

"That all you got?" I smirk.

"Fortunately for you, no." He vanishes.

My enhanced senses alert me just in time to dodge to the left as the air at my side is viciously split by an unseen force.

I look from the strands of my hair floating to the ground to where Nightmare stands on a beam above me with obsidian talons about three feet long stretching out from the skin of his knuckles.

Another Demon Ability.

Great.

He licks his own blood off the pitch black blades, "Let's begin our dance in earnest Keeper-chan~"