Alone... again. Solitude these days always sucked, bringing the people memories they wish to forget, but can’t. Though, sometimes, it’s good to still remember them. Just wish it would go away sometimes, though... they’re painful...

     Aikiura...

     Eh? Who...?

     Aikiura...

     Who is that? Wait... that voice... so familiar. The velvet tone, the deep, gentle sound... could it be? Is it... is it really him?

     Aikiura, my love... where are you?

     Those words... the faint accent... it must be. ‘Iaeruki?’

     Where... where are you? Where am I?

     ‘Right here... back in Oushae. That’s where I am.’

     I see... why am I not with you?

     A flinch was given at that question. It had been about eight hundred years since the last day anyone had seen him. For her, it still hurt very much. Torturously, one could say. Though no one had really recovered... healed since the disaster.

     She let out a quiet sigh, swallowing hard and lifting her head. ‘You... are in Murahogo, Iaeruki.’

     I am? What for?

     ‘You haven’t tried to leave yet, have you?’

     I have. I cannot, and know little why I am trapped here.

     Trapped. Yes, he certainly was trapped in Murahogo, or at least in the ruins of what once was Murahogo.

     ‘You can’t leave Murahogo because... because you’re gone.’

     What?

     ‘You’re no longer roaming amongst mortals. You... are dead.’

     S-since when?

     ‘Since the day you went to acquire the Diaroukai. Don’t you remember?’

     How long...?

     ‘It’s been almost eight hundred years.’

     Eight hundred...

     ‘It was during the trials, Iaeruki. Think. Can you remember?’

     The trials... Wait. I have not completed them yet.

     ‘You can’t now. He...’ Aikiura paused in her thoughts, shaking her head, and leaned back, staring up at the nearly full moon looming above her. She could feel her eyes begin to burn a little, almost unwilling to tell him what happened, yet somewhat knowing that she’d have to, as he seemed to remember little of that horrific day.

     “My dear Aikiura, do not worry yourself for my safety. We both know very well my strength, and that of my escorts. We shall be fine.” Iaeruki offered a reassuring smile at his words, resting a gloved hand on Aikiura’s shoulder, and slowly turned, trotting out to follow said escorts while tying his thigh length silver hair into a low ponytail.

     Aikiura watched him go in silence, her face a little less concerned than previous, and looked around at the others gathered around her. “I just hope what I saw was nothing but a dream...”

     “I’m sure it is. Don’t worry too much about it. I know my brother would never let anything bad happen to us.”

     Aikiura sighed at the additional reassurance, rubbing the back of her neck as a habit of nerves. “You’re right, Akaimoeru. I almost forgot.”

     The young red head grinned, turning to look around the area a bit. She was a very down to earth girl, not one that someone would expect to be of royal blood, for she certainly proved the snotty ideas to be just another stereotype. “Remember, you don’t have to call me by my full first name. Just call me Akai to save some breath.”

     Aikiura blinked over at her and nodded, looking up to the sky in the hopes of easing her mind further. She could feel the spirits of those inside of the labyrinth, and they were pretty normal, save for a few slight energy fluxes here and there. Most likely from small fights with ancient creatures roaming about. She sighed softly, thinking of the near future. After this, just a few more, much easier days and they would be bound together for the rest of eternity. She couldn’t wait for it to come, just like she couldn’t wait for the trials to end, but she would have to for both, and it made her somewhat fidgety.

     Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize she had drifted into a daze, having stared blankly up at the sky for a good hour or so, and she didn’t realize it until something broke her pattern of thought. Her ears twitched a couple times and she looked around.

     Her small family and Iaeruki’s had moved by that point, and it wasn’t for another few moments that she came to the realization that something was wrong. Her ears were suddenly flooded with horrified cries and infuriated roars; her eyes darting all over the place around scattering people as her pupils thinned and her senses went wild.

     A huge blur of shadow rushed passed her, invoking cries of fear and pain, the sound of death and smell of blood growing stronger each moment. It passed by her a second time, the same result following, and it soon blew passed a third time, seeming to ricochet against nothing and land heavily before her. The shadow engulfing it erupted into a burst of chaotic spirit, unveiling the form of a beast that stood thrice her own height.

     Aikiura felt herself take a step back, arms reflexively rising to about chest height. She could sense it’s... no, his thoughts, sense how chaotic his mind was. Her sense told her something was not quite right, like his mind had been altered; this she would have to contemplate upon later, as his intention upon her... was to kill.

     Identified as Nikumu, the large beast snarled viciously in her face, coiling back with a flick of his bladed tail, and pressed his talons into the earth beneath him, eerie gold eyes flickering as his massive jaws lashed out to snap at her.

     During the very time, her spirit had gathered at her palms, forming a thick, slowly gathering and condensing mist. She formed it as quickly as she could, thrusting her hands out at the same time Nikumu snapped, and released a powerful burst of water into his face. From what she could tell, she had put enough pressure into it to push him back, but she didn’t know how long she would have to, or could keep it up.

     At the same moment, an ancient blade sliced through the air, carefully aimed, and lodged itself into the side of Nikumu’s neck, permitting a rather notable spray of blood amongst the crystal blue current of Aikiura’s water column.

     Nikumu reared back onto his hind legs just as the flow of water stopped, standing very easily on his hindquarters, and stared down upon Aikiura, whipping his tail furiously to the side before his brief moment of contemplation ended. He hunched forward; torn wings flying open, and moved back a little bit, launching himself forward in a full-bodied lunge. The full action was executed in only a moment, showing that his size did absolutely nothing to his speed, and it would have gone unhindered, if not for the flicker of silver that retrieved the blade from his neck.

     The blade removal had caused a midair flinch, a movement that made Nikumu veer off to the side and miss his original target. Such was all Iaeruki needed for the time, as it kept Nikumu from harming Aikiura.

     Landing lightly on his feet just a few yards away, Iaeruki sent a spiritual pulse from his body as an attempt to draw Nikumu’s attention towards him. It seemed to work, as the beast’s form slowly turned to face him as it rumbled with a deep, lionesque and lupine growl. He returned the growl with his own draconic one, sliding his right leg back and extending his left hand while the other held the Diaroukai to his right at chest level.

     Nikumu let out a low snarl, coiling again, and abruptly lunged for Iaeruki, landing heavily on the ground after his target moved and snapping his head around with jaws wide opened. He managed to take hold of Iaeruki’s torso, lifting the man within the grasp of his fangs, and whipped his head to the other side, jerking Iaeruki around while clamping harder on him.

     Iaeruki cried out in pain, feeling the sharp ends of the creature’s teeth pierce his flesh, and gripped tightly to the fur below Nikumu’s lip, trying to hold himself a bit more still against the force of his violent movements. “Aikiura, get out of here, now!”

     Aikiura had begun preparing her spirit for another water column, about to release it against Nikumu again, but a hand taking hold of her wrist caused her to stop, head turning to stare at an auburn haired young man who had begun to pull her away from the actual area. “Ashihito, what are--?”

     “I must get you to safety. Yours and his highness’ families both asked me to come get you. Let his highness handle this matter; that creature is of the same element he is.” Ashihito glanced back as he spoke, pulling her along at a quick trot away, and turned back to his path, just as reluctant to leave as she, ears perked and twitching on occasion to listen in on what’s going on.

     Watching them go, Iaeruki twisted his upper half to the right, pulling his sword back, and turned his attention back to Nikumu as he thrust it forward, impaling the full length of his blade into the corrupted creature’s eye.

     This extracted a tortured, demonic wail, which allowed Iaeruki to be freed. Nikumu shook his head violently, staggering back a couple steps, and lifted onto his feet, reaching to take hold of the sword’s hilt and yanking the weapon from his eye. With the solid object removed, deep scarlet fluid poured from the open wound, running down the side of his muzzled face, where it dripped off his jaw onto the grass below him.

     Iaeruki did his best to stand through his physical exhaustion, trying to ignore the several deep puncture wounds in his midsection, and found himself fighting to lift his arm impossibly fast. He saw his own sword thrown at him, managing to send a pulse of spirit just barely in time to stop the blade. A small bead of sweat ran passed his narrowing eye, pupils thinning at the distance between his fingers and the blade, or lack thereof. His fingers eventually took the very tip between them, his opposite hand taking hold of the dragon hilt, and he slowly lowered back into a readied stance.

     A somewhat amused snort was offered in response, Nikumu’s bipedal form rather suddenly smaller than it had been previously, and he shifted only subtly on his talons, torn wings closing slightly before he pushed off into an insane burst of speed.

     The word insane had been chosen for the fact that Iaeruki had very little time to react. Too little, as the very moment he had begun to move, a set of four deep gashes formed in his chest and erupted in an abrupt spray of blood, which died into a steady flow down his front. He let out naught but a pained grunt, shifting his feet, and slowly stepped around in order to better face the ancient guardian standing to his left.