Kusanagi Shiyuu was not a violent man, but at this moment he could have cheerfully pummeled Yuuto Kigai's overly-handsome visage into a pulp. Instead, he stood up and looked down on him, his eyes hard.

Yuuto didn't seem to notice. He smiled up at the larger man and gave a sideways glance down at the girl. "Pretty little thing. Can't imagine why she's wasting her time with you, Kusanagi-san."

He wasn't in the mood to be toyed with. "Is there something you want, Kigai-san?"

Yuzuriha stiffened at the sound of the name. Inuki dug his paws in front of the girl and growled softly. She gave an almost desperate look to Kusanagi and then glared at the other man defiantly.

Yuuto laughed. "So defensive! You'd think I wasn't welcomed here. I'm hurt, really hurt." He pouted a little, but his eyes twinkled in malicious amusement. "You've nothing to fear from me, little girl."

"I know who you are," she spat back at him, "There are a lot of people here, and other things besides. I won't let you hurt them!"

"Hmph. If someone else around here was doing his job, I wouldn't have to be here, now, would I?" He turned his azure gaze to the larger man, "Eh, Kusanagi-san?"

"How did you know…"

Yuuto shrugged. "A soldier brings a young girl, not a relative mind you, into a military clinic, under a false name no less. People notice these things, Kusanagi-san. And there's the mail…and phone calls…so when I dialed the number back and asked for you, it wasn't hard to find out where you'd gone."

Kusanagi let his eyes grow hard, trying to quell the fear inside him. "So. What are you going to do about it?"

The blond man gave a shout of genuine laughter. "Me? I don't care what you do with her! It's what you're not doing that concerns me."

Damn. If she doesn't know now…Kusanagi spared a quick look at the girl. Her face was a reflection of dawning horror. He clenched his fists, willing himself not to throttle the other man. "I told you before. The war between Heaven and Earth does not concern me."

"Does it not, Kusanagi-san…" Yuuto whispered. He drew his hands together in a gesture and water began to gather around him.

Kusanagi pulled his palms together and concentrated. Kigai was a fool to challenge him here.

"Stop it!" came a ragged voice. A piercing wail keened from the heavens. Her hands drew together and revealed a oblong field, which grew to encompass the entire area. "I won't let you hurt this place!"

Yuuto gave her a smile that almost held pity, then gestured. A large wave of water knocked her off her feet, but Inuki pulled a field around her and kept her safe.

"Missy, let me deal with this." Kusanagi commanded, and with a shout, unleased a bolt of energy upon the other man. Yuuto countered with a wave of force that shook the foundation of the walls behind them. Kusanagi barely made it out of the way.

A snarling ball of fury descending on the blond man, who tried to block the inugami to no avail. The dog took ahold of his arm and began to savage it. Yuuto finally kicked away, only to be hit by another bolt of energy. He made a hard landing on the ground.

"I think he's out." Said Kusanagi. He breathed a sigh of relief. "You can take down your kekkai, Missy."

"I don't think so." Replied Yuzuriha, her voice shaky. Tears were running down her cheeks. "You're still here."

"Missy…"

"No, I should have known. Suburu-san said there'd be a geomancer, and that's what you do, isn't it? What were you planning, Shiyuu-san?"

"I wasn't planning anything, Missy. You need to believe that. I didn't even know what you were at first."

"Liar!" she impatiently brushed at her tears.

"It's true. Missy, I just thought you were talented. There are people around who are—not everyone is involved in this. When I saw the kekkai at Shinjuku, and saw it crumble as you fell, I knew then."

"You should have told me!"

"That's what I was trying to do today. Missy, I'm a Dragon of Earth, one of the Seven Angels. The Earth is angry, Missy…there's no balance now."

Yuzuriha was really angry, he noticed. She was almost shaking with rage.

"And what you told me? How it was wrong to kill any living thing?"

"I do believe that. But it is also wrong to let something die without fighting. The earth is dying…"

"And all those people, killed in the earthquakes? You can cause these earthquakes and not care!"

He closed his eyes. "I haven't caused any earthquakes. That's why Kigai-san sought me out." Kusanagi came closer to her. Inuki bared his teeth.

"But it IS my duty to see that the earth is reborn."

"But…it'll destroy the city! Then Japan! Then…the world…"

He felt a jolt of surprise. "Is that what they told you? That's just silly. Why would I want to save the earth, if it's going to be destroyed anyway?"

"But…"

He came even closer. "Listen to me. The city will fall, that is true. Mankind will be forced to look at Tokyo and see why it can't continue to overbuild and destroy and pollute. Missy, it's a chance to start over, can't you see that?"

"I…" Tears were freely falling down her face. "I…don't know…I…"

"You don't have to know, Missy. I don't know myself. We don't know everything in life." He pulled her to him, suddenly. "This isn't a trick. I won't hurt you. Or Inuki, either."

She threw her arms about his neck and buried her head on his chest. "Kusanagi-san…"

"Sssh. It's all right, it's all right." He held her close and stroked her hair, gently. "It'll be okay."

Yuuto was still unconscious when she took down the Kekkai. The garden and the buildings around it were unharmed, although some of the other patrons complained of a slight earthquake. Kusanagi found a security guard to help with Kigai.

"Too much to drink," he shook his head sadly while explaining to the guard, "just can't handle his liquor."

"It's a shame," the guard agreed. "Some of these salarymen just have no sense of duty."

Yuzuriha was quiet as they headed back to the school. Even Inuki was a little subdued. He walked beside her, keeping the silence.

"I have to tell the others," she said, suddenly. She turned her concerned eyes up towards him. "You know that."

He nodded. "I understand. What will you tell them?"

"That I found the hidden Dragon of Earth. They'll want to know why I raised the kekkai." She held out her hands and considered them. "They can tell, you see, that it was me. And what about you? Are you…in danger, now?"

He thought for a moment. "Probably. It depends how distracted KAMUI is. But I think I'm safe." He stopped and took her hands in his. "I have no wish to die, Missy. And there's the secret about KAMUI—he'll know your wishes and try to act upon them. As for the others, well, everyone is pretty much acting on their own."

She smiled a little at that. "That's what we thought, too."

"It's pretty sad, actually."

Yuzuriha gave him a puzzled glance. "Why's that?"

"There's a lot of power among us, but no organization. Well, except KAMUI, but you can never tell what he's thinking. I guess, being in the JSDF, I was expecting something else."

"We…" she stopped suddenly and reddened.

He laughed at her. "You don't have to tell me, Missy. It's better if I don't know…and safer for you that way, too."

"Yes, I can see that. But! What about my friends? You won't…"

He shook his head. "Not unless they attack me first. I think I've done a pretty good job of staying out of their way so far, haven't I?"

"Yes, you have."

"And you, Missy." He hesitated, "I won't ask you not to fight, but will you promise me to be careful?"

She held out her pinky to him. "It's a promise."

He sealed the exchange. "I'll be careful, too."

Her eyes were pensive. "And if we have to fight one another?"

He stayed silent for a long time. They had arrived back close to the campus, near the wounded maple that Yuzuriha had pledged to save that morning. She looked so fragile, he thought. You'd never know there was such strength in her. "I won't lie to you, Missy. If it came to that, I would have to fight for what I believe is right. I would try not to kill you. However, I don't think it'll come to that."

"No?" she whispered.

"We're just two parts of a larger whole. The victory will be decided by Kamui, not by us. And besides, we obviously were fated to meet, weren't we?"

She blushed. "I guess so."

"I don't believe that fate is as cruel as that. Fate makes our circumstances, but our actions are what shape the future."

"Kusanagi-san…"

"Speaking of the future…can I call you again?" The question came out before he could stop it. "Can we start over?"

She was quiet for a long moment. Then she raised her hand to his face and touched it softly. Her eyes twinkled as she gave him an impish grin.

"Yes!" she said, "Now that I've found the hidden dragon, I have to keep an eye on you after all!"

He laughed, relieved. "Same here, Missy. Same here."

The end.