*Etsuo*

Sweat ran down my face as the boy's knife touched my core. I wanted to scream but I kept it in. Still, my breathing grew heavy.

"No you don't!" Roa screamed, already half transformed into his pegasus form. He dashed over so fast that it seemed as if he teleported. He kicked the young man with one of his hooves, sending him flying into the base of another nearby mountain. "Etsuo, stay here and recover. I'm going to kill that bastard for hurting you!"

"Roa..." I said. He was gone in a flash. I took a deep breath and collapsed to my knees. My body, it felt strange. Heavy, as if I had been injected with something. I put my hand over my core and felt a warm fluid drip over it. I gasped at the sight of black blood. My injury, it wasn't healing as fast as it should. It was just like when I had been shackled back in the palace... 

Did that knife he used have the same material as those shackles? But if so, why didn't Hideo and the other knights have weapons with that kind of ability? Or maybe... it was never truly the shackles which had slowed my healing, but rather Naoru's weapon.

I put my hand under my chest and covered it with a white aura to speed up my recovery. Still, my White Lotus technique wasn't enough... My wounds were healing too slowly...

BOOM. I looked up. A pillar of darkness surrounded by blue sparks ascend into the sky over the mountain where Roa had knocked the boy into. I tried to stand up, but the pain proved unbearable. At the current rate of blood loss, I wouldn't last much longer.

Roa, be careful... that guy is dangerous...

I laid my head against the ground and closed my eyes. I... I didn't wish it to end like this, not after Roa, Dine, and I had finally reunited after so long. I let out a muffled cry as the oil-like blood wouldn't stop flowing into the ground. I'm sorry, everyone... it seems that I might soon be joining my grandma and Dan on the other side.

*Setsuko*

[Some Moments Prior to the explosion]

I gripped the rail of the stairs. Serrano and Ximena hadn't noticed me watching and overhearing them from afar.

How come he can open up to her, but not me?

"Sis, you okay?" Rosa asked as she made her way to me. She looked somber with her droopy eyes. "You broke the rail."

I stared at the bent piece of wood in my hand and dropped it. I snickered, nervously. "I'm fine. Though, what about you? Didn't you leave to fetch Tetsu?"

Rosa looked away at the mention of his name. "I did, but..." She lowered her head and sighed. "I don't wish to talk about it."

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? Did he hurt you? If so then I'll go right into that kitchen and..."

"No!" she blurted out. She turned away. "I-it's not his fault... I mean, if I were him, I would prefer someone who believed me more than the one who didn't."

I tilted my head. "Wait, are you saying that he likes someone else? Who?"

She shook her head. "I'm not too sure..." She sighed and pouted. "I really don't want to talk about it."

So it's not only Serrano... even my own sister doesn't want my help...

"I... understand," I said, turning away.

"W-what about you? You seem annoyed."

"It's the other stupid cousin's fault," I mumbled.

Rosa snickered. "Serra?" she whispered. She glanced at Serrano and Ximena. "So... those two are the same..." She hugged me all of a sudden. "Don't worry Setty. We don't need those jerks!"

The same? So Tetsu just pulled a Serrano on her? Those two really are two peas in a pod if so... rotten peas that play around with girls' feelings!

"Hey," Hideo called out from below the stairs. "Have either of you seen Kiara?."

"Kiara? I saw her go upstairs," Rosalba said.

"She must be in her room, I'll go and check. I want to ask her..." 

*Boom*. We all froze in place. 

"W-what was that?" Hideo asked.

"I'm not sure, but it sounded as if it came from a distance," I said, running downstairs.

"Wait, this power... it's Roa's," Rosa mumbled. She rubbed her shoulders. "Such incredible power... It's stronger than the aura I felt from him back in the palace."

"Roa... Seems I'm finally going to get my revenge on that abyssmal trash today," Hideo said before running off on his own.

"Hey, wait!" I called out. Why was that kid so rash?

"What was that?" Tetsu asked as Yuko, Nori, and he ran into the living room.

"What happened?" Serrano asked.

"It's none of your business!" Rosa yelled at him before rushing off in a hurry.

"What did you do to her?" I asked, giving him a judgmental look.

Tetsu raised his flour covered hands. "I didn't do nothing! Plus, she yelled at Serrano too. What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything either. Or at least I don't think so," Serrano said, confused said as he ran toward the door.

"Tetsu, I'm sure she yelled at you, not Serrano," I said, sighing as I followed after Serrano. "Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. We need to check out the situation outside." I turned to look at the empty living room. Hyosetsu and Eiichi were nowhere to be seen, nor was Silas.

"Sounds good! We can talk about this later," Tetsu said, running ahead of me.

Once outside, we saw flashes of darkness and blue lightning danced around in the sky. With each clash came another shockwave. It was as if the thunder were overhead even though it was several miles away in the mountains.

"I'm sure about it, one of the ones fighting is Roa," Rosa said as she stood by the entrance. 

"Looks like it," Hideo said as he stood on top of the roof of his house. He sat on his belly and adjusted the angle of Donato. "Tsk. He's moving too fast. I can't shoot him down like this. Maybe if I calculate his movements, I might be able to predict where he'll go."

"Does Donato even have that kind of range?" I asked, flying over to him.

"It's scope can reach that far, so I think so."

"Can you tell who Roa is fighting?" Serrano asked as Tetsu, Yuko, Rosa, Ximena, Nori, and he joined us on the roof.

"I can't see tell as he has his back to me."

"I think I know who it is," Eita said as he jumped down from the sky.

"As do I," Serrano said. He was shaking. "Though, when last I saw him, he wasn't this strong."

"Who is it?" I asked again.

"Naoru," Eita and Serrano said at once.

Hideo's jaw dropped. "No way."

I gasped and closed my eyes to verify their words. I gasped as I caught traces of Naoru's mana in the direction of the battle. It was indeed my foster brother's aura. But there was also something else mixed into it, enhancing it beyond what I had once known. That must explained why I didn't pick up on it earlier.

"Tsk. I told Roa and the others to flee, what were they doing all this time?" Eita asked, gritting his teeth.

"Wait, you talked with the enemy?" Eiichi asked as he and the others landed on the roof. The two must've been looking at it from higher up as they had come straight down.

Hyosetsu reached for his sword. "Tell me the context of such a meeting. Depending on what it is you might just get to live."

"I, uh..." Eita said, backing away.

Ximena jumped in front of Eita. "Don't be so quick to point your weapon at another!" she snapped at him.

"Step aside, you are a civilian. You have no say in these matters," Hyosetsu said, glaring at her.

"Watch your tone, Hyosetsu," Serrano said, stepping forward. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulders. "I won't allow you to speak to Ximena in such a way, nor to mount such dire threats against Eita."

Hyosetsu snickered. "So, the cowardly lion awakens."

"What was that?" Tetsuya snapped as he inched toward him.

"Hey, don't get involved in this," Serrano said, holding a hand out in front of his cousin. "I am perfectly capable of defending myself."

Hyosetsu scoffed and glanced at the sky. The black lightning continued to crackle over the Kuroki mountains. "So, it's Naoru who is fighting up there. To be honest, I wonder why he decided to side with you, princess."

"I'm not sure either," I said. "Though, if I had to guess it's to observe his future leader closely. Or maybe because he knows me the best. He is my foster brother after all."

"You have a foster brother?" Tetsu asked, mouth wide.

"Yeah, though we aren't close."

Hyosetsu snickered. "He must have been disappointed when he got to know you better."

I transformed my right ankle bracelet into its meteor hammer form. "You keep rubbing me the wrong way, cousin. But I know that now isn't the time to argue among ourselves."

"So, are we going to go back up Naoru or not?" Tetsuya asked.

"Listen up, everyone! We're going to let Naoru handle this, it does seem like he's doing a good job thus far. Plus, that lightning around the mountains could prove hazardous."

Eiichi scoffed. "I can draw it in while the rest of you back up Naoru."

"Go ahead, though I have no idea what the darkness infused in the lightning will do to you."

Eiichi sighed. "I won't lose to Roa's darkness!"

Hideo grumbled. "I hate Roa, but Naoru isn't much better. That guy threatened to kill Koukyuu and me simply for having Kasai no Ki blood!"

Ximena gasped. "W-what?"

Nori moved closer to her. "Don't worry, Master Xime, Nori's here. Nori will protect you if that guy tries to hurt Xime," he said, grabbing a hold of her hand.

Ximena smiled at him. "Thank you, little kitty."

Nori blushed slightly.

Hmph, she should give the 'little kitty' or even Eita a chance rather than that no good two-timing fiancee of mine...

"Why are you glaring at my cousin?" Tetsu whispered. "You got into a fight or something?"

I scoffed. "Don't ask me about that. You're no better than him."

He tilted his head. "You princesses need to speak more clearly," he said. He put his hands behind his head and snickered. "Otherwise, you come off as weirdos. Though I'm used to Rosa being one, but not you."

Serrano chuckled. "Oh, Setty can be almost as weird as Rosa."

My sister and I grumbled. "Who asked you?" we said in unison, causing the boys to laugh in return.

Hideo's mother giggled as she jumped into the roof. Her eyes which were previously dull and clouded by tears were now lively. Even her face which had been sickly pale all day, was restored to its original color ever since we learned the news that Dan could possibly still be alive.

"I came out to see what all the ruckus was, but it seems to be nothing major from the sound of things," the duchess of Makkuroyama said. "At least if you guys are still here, chatting away."

"Uh..." Serrano and Tetsu said.

"We're going to stand and watch for now," I said. "But, if Naoru needs help, we'll fit it to him. I'm hoping that he at least tires out Roa. If we were to come in, there's a risk that Roa would slip away while Naoru's distracted by our arrival."

"You sound more like a vulture more than a lioness," Serrano said, snickering a little.

I scoffed. "Sometimes, we have to be like vultures. Those creatures are extremely patient."

Rene smiled at us. "Seeing you girls and boys argue like this reminds me of my big sister and my brother-in-law. Then again, considering that one of you is their son, I shouldn't be too surprised."

"Huh?" Hideo said, blinking.

She walked over to Tetsuya. "This one is your cousin. Isn't that right? Anis' boy."

Tetsuya gasped. "Wait, you're my aunt Rene?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Guess you don't remember me. Last time I saw you, you were a chubby little thing."

Rosa turned aside and giggled.

"Though, look at you now! You've grown up to be giant of a young man! So, tell me, how is my big sis? She's the only one I haven't seen in years. Has she been in hiding or something?" She furrowed her brow. "Or did something bad happen to her that I'm unaware of?"

Tetsu snickered. "No, she's just been hard at work. She doesn't like to take breaks, except for when her health necessitates it."

His aunt sighed. "I see. She's just like our mother..."

"Wait, hold up! Are you telling me that this rapist is my cousin?" Hideo snapped as he walked over to his mom.

Rene looked at Tetsu and frowned. "Hide, he doesn't give off that vibe. He seems like a good-natured boy, just like his dad."

Tetsu's smile faded. "Please... don't compare me to my dad..."

She looked at Serrano and then back at him. "Seems both of you have issues with your dads..."

Ugh, how can I be so stupid? It's no wonder that Serrano became upset after the funeral. It was because she earlier compared him to uncle Azami, his dad!

"I rather not talk about that guy," Serrano said, looking away.

"No... no way! First I learn that I'm the cousin of a terrorist and now a rapist? What is wrong with my family?" Hideo snapped.

Serrano patted the kid's shoulder and snickered. "Seems you and I have a lot more in common than I thought. While I did react similarly before, I will tell you that Tetsu is a good guy. I don't think he did it. Even Rosa no longer does."

"Yeah, he is a good guy. A jerk sure, but a good guy, nevertheless," Rosa said, smiling.

Tetsu grumbled. "Still at it, huh?" He walked over to her and poked her cheeks. "You're rude yourself too, princess!"

"Stop that!" she said, trying not to laugh.

"Ticklish, huh?" he asked, chuckling.

Hyosetsu glared at them. "You two are beyond disgusting, I'm out," Hyosetsu said, jumping into the air. "Unlike a certain someone, I'm not one to just stand around and not do a thing." He flew on ahead.

"Hey, wait for me, brother!" Kohri yelled, flying off after him.

"What a colorful cast this turned out to be," Zafir said, grinning as he landed on the edge of the roof. "They will need to grow up though, sooner or later. If they wish to defeat the enemies at are likely to come."

"You can say that again," Hideaki said, smiling. "Though it's kind of nice to see that war hasn't robbed them of their smiles."

"Indeed," I said, walking over to them. "We do need to get more serious about this. Thankfully, Naoru is strong enough to deter Roa by himself."

"Roa isn't a bad guy, though," Eita said, scratching his face. "He was the one who actually brought Kiara here, along with Etsuo, Reno, and the others."

"Reno?" Hideaki asked. "My nephew is here?"

Eita nodded. "Yes, so is Suzuki."

He looked around. "Where is Zaki? I have to tell her this. Reno and Suzuki might be in danger."

I smiled. So, he's forgiven those two despite what they've done. I can see where Kiara and Dan got their good-natured hearts from. Though, Hideo sure fell far from both Rene and him.

"Mom! Dad!" Kiara's voice echoed in the air, her voice filled with fatigue as if she had been running. Flying close behind were her cousins and their father.

"Kiara, what are you doing with them?" Hideo snapped, pointing his gun at Reno. "We gave them a chance before and they betrayed us!"

"I need your help. We need to rescue Roa and Etsuo."

Hideo scoffed. "Well, it seems that Roa is perfectly fine."

Kiara looked up at the sky. She gasped. "But Etsuo... where is he? If he's not fighting, he should be heading here..."

"I don't sense him drawing nearer," Rosa said, perturbed. She held out her hand and summoned seven triangular devices.

"Wow, you did it!" Tetsu said, eyes glistening.

Rosa nodded. "Yeah, I managed to summon them again in the battle against dark Yuko..." She sighed. "though I guess that you were too focused on Yuko to have noticed..."

"Yeah, I guess I was," he said, snickering.

One of her triangles pointed at him as she glared at him. Before she could say something, she interrupted her own words and she quickly turned around in alarm. A slight tremble escaped her lips, "Etsuo...I can barely feel his mana. He's... dying."

Kiara stepped back. "No, it can't be! No... not Etsuo too." She fell to her knees. "First Dan and now..."

"Hey, Dan might still be alive!" Hideo said. "And why do you care so much about that monkey boy? He's the enemy."

"I already told you that Etsuo doesn't want to fight!" she yelled as tears streamed down her face. "He was dragged into this mess..."

"I'll go and save him," Rosa said as she began to charge power. "I still haven't gotten a chance to talk to Etsuo..."

Tetsu put a hand on her shoulder. "Well then, we better get going."

"Yeah," Serrano said as he took to the air. "The two of us have a cousin to save."

"Yeah!" Tetsu said.

Hideo sighed. "Wow, your family really might be messier than mine after all." He looked around at everyone. The only ones not around were Hyosetsu, Kohri, and Silas.

"This is bad, Hyosetsu went on ahead," Serrano said as the rest of us took to the air.

"He'll likely kill Etsuo if he sees him before we make it to where he is," I exclaimed. "Luckily Kohri went after him, so perhaps he can delay him..."

Serrano stared at his hand. "We don't have enough time to overtake him by air. I'll have to teleport us there. Eita, Kiara, tell me the spot where you last saw Etsuo, but make it quick!"

*Etsuo*

"I take it that you're Etsuo," a voice called out. I opened my eyes and saw a boy who resembled Dan looking down at me with vines dancing around him. "You're the one who took Dan..." The vines raised over me as they twisted into lances. "You should've kept your eyes closed, monkey boy."

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter :3. What are your thoughts on it? Predictions? Theories?**