Chapter 15 – Aftermath

Maria slammed her hands onto the desk, shaking it and making a loud rumble erupt from her body and desk. "HE DID WHAT!?" Her voice was filled with rage and sadness at the same time. Her almond eyes held clear concern for what had just happened.

Ayane, Takashi, and Akihiko stood there with their heads down. Ayane spoke first, "He suffered a hit to his shoulder and…" the young kunoichi trembled and trailed off, slightly afraid of the Mugen Shadow's rage. It didn't take a genius to figure out when a person doesn't anger easily, they can bring the end of the world when they do.

Akihiko spoke up a little bit, "Kasumi looked like she'd infected him with something… a surge of pink energy was absorbed by his body. Then she flung him into the gates… and he'd knocked her out."

Maria huffed and eased into her seat and returned to her usual face, "Good job on the report Akihiko. Apparently, Zell called it right when he said to send you along as well."

Akihiko sighed, "He knew this was coming?" He dropped his head and put his palms on his forehead.

Takashi nodded, "Yep. We talked about it right before he went to the fight with that guy, Natsu. I sensed something in Kasumi snap, in fact, we both planned it… but He was supposed to fight Kasumi, not me."

Maria closed her eyes, a hefty silence hung over the teens and a long breath was drawn and released from Maria as the silence loomed. No one spoke for a moment. Maria opened her eyes and pulled her ponytail band out of her hair.

Maria's hair was long enough to drop to just beneath her shoulders. Her hair in the front stayed the same, it was parted on one side and a barrette helped to hold the hair in place. She twirled the ponytail holder on her index finger and tossed it to Ayane.

Ayane caught the tiny band and gave a confused look, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Maria gave Ayane a look that said 'Are you stupid?' and replied, "Go down to the infirmary and put the band across his right wrist. He made that thing as a means of doing something for him… kinda like the gloves he wears now."

Ayane nodded and left the room. Maria turned to the two boys before her, "Akihiko, you've done your part; I'll contact you with your next assignment at a later time. You have leave for the day."

Akihiko nodded and left as well. This just left Takashi with Maria and he was a bit intimidated by her appearance, and a bit nervous as his first meeting with her began with her flaring in rage.

"Takashi, you're brother is stable. That's the good news, however, he won't be back in action for a while… that's another story that Zell's got more details on."

Takashi nodded and noticed Maria's gesture to sit down, which he promptly took and looked at her in silence.

"So, Takashi… Tell me what you saw happen with Kasumi and Zell, there might be something that I'm missing here…"

Meanwhile, Ayane opened the door to Zell's room in the infirmary, the room was large enough to hold four people and still comfortably keep the two beds separated. There was a pale blue curtain that was pulled in between the two beds. There was a shelf on one side of the bed and on the other side was a wooden oak chair with a cushion in it. Zell was in one bed and the curtain was pulled, only revealing a silhouette on the other side, judging by the way the chest was, Ayane deduced that the other form was female, possibly Kasumi.

Zell's body was crackling with red and black electricity, but Ayane sensed his energy was still deathly low. She couldn't help but give a hefty sigh as she took the seat beside his bed. His eyes were closed and he looked to be sleeping soundly, his shirt was gone and there was a bandage where Kasumi had pierced his shoulder. Ayane couldn't help but trace the lines of his firm, yet slim, eight-pack before she finished scanning his form.

She slowly and gently pressed the boy's chest then placed her head down and managed to hear a very faint heartbeat. She released a sigh of relief, but said nothing. She sat back normally and pulled Zell's wrist to her and slid the ponytail holder around his wrist like she was directed to do.

After a moment, the holder glowed with a blue light which faded quickly, then the electricity the jolting in Zell's body had subsided and he'd released a breath. Ayane nodded at what seemed to be a good omen and left the room. Just as the door had shut, Zell's wolf ears and tail had shown themselves once again.

Ayane made her way back to Maria's Office and tapped door several times.

"Come in." Maria's calm voice had returned, as did her demeanor.

Ayane entered the room and noticed that Takashi's head was hung and he gave a heavy, very disappointed sigh.

Ayane took a seat next to Takashi, "What's wrong with you? You look like someone just died."

Takashi brought his head up and opened his mouth, but Maria silenced him, "Leave it Takashi. Go on and head home. If anything changes with Kasumi or your brother, I'll be sure to give you a call. But for now, just get some rest and take in all that's happened today."

Takashi looked to Maria then to Ayane and huffed as he left the room.

"So, did you do as I instructed?" Maria asked, she peered into Ayane's eyes and Ayane returned the gesture as she nodded, both kunoichi noticed the concern for the boy in the other's eyes.

"Now tell me what you saw happen… Maybe I can deduce the situation a bit more and break it down to see what's going on…"

Ayane complied with the Superior's directions with a nod, "Well, after my battle, Akihiko wagered a bet against Kokoro." Ayane paused and Maria's face changed to one of surprise but went back to its usual immediately.

"Go on?"

"They fought for a bit. After that, Kokoro quit and Zell went against a guy named Natsu, and they fought to a draw. Kasumi and Takashi were doing their battle. Takashi slammed Kasumi in a wrestling move then... something happened. She lay limp on the ground for a second, and then pink petals began to emanate from around her. Zell was out cold at that time, and he'd suddenly forced himself into consciousness long enough to put Kasumi's rage away, after which, he'd collapsed again."

Maria closed her eyes and stood, her entire figure hugged and accented by the suit that she wore, the skirt of which had a rather large slit in it and revealed a large amount of her thigh and the top of her brown stockings. Ayane's eyes scanned the outfit briefly and couldn't help but say, "Where can I get one?"

Maria smirked and replied, "I'll have one tailored for you. You seem to be similar in size anyway. I'll have it by tomorrow." The two skilled kunoichi sensed a spike in energy and Maria looked at Ayane with seriousness.

"…You ready to do another Co-op?"

Ayane nodded slowly, "Yeah." The two females left the room and started toward the infirmary, only to find a semi-transformed Zell sitting up in the medical bed.

Ayane held her hand out behind her, ready to materialize her Aura Blade at a moment's notice; Maria had her arms folded and a strange expression on her face. Both females' faces were etched with concern nonetheless.

They waited for him to attack, but he did nothing but turn his head to them, "…She knows…"

Ayane looked confused and Maria cursed, "Damn! …So what are you suggesting?"

Zell stepped out of the bed and pulled a pink orb from his injured shoulder, his ears and tail disappeared, "I'll hold onto it until I think she's ready for it… that means that she'll have to take out an Alpha by herself… that might do the trick." He replaced the pink orb back into his shoulder and his ears and tail reappeared.

Ayane caught full view of the orb, it was as large as a basketball, and had pink flames within, the outer aura had tiny sakura petals falling like snow.

Maria asked the question before Ayane could open her mouth, "Are you sure that holding onto that energy won't upset your own?"

Zell shook his head, "I'm not too sure, but we can't let it stay out in the open and Kasumi is too fragile right now."

Maria huffed, "…Then we'll need to get one early…"

Ayane asked, "But how are we going to get an Alpha before the tournament?"

Ayane looked at Zell, she studied him a bit more intensely, and she'd noticed that his eyes were like a cold fire now. He was still the same, save for the fact that his hair had two furry spikes that resembled ears if one looked carefully. His hair and wolf fur was the same shade which made the disguise that much more interesting as it was hidden in plain sight.

Zell removed his right hand's glove and stared at the burnt flesh on it. "I wonder when this happened..."

Ayane impulsively took his hand and said, "I'll wrap it for you… Maria, I'm sure you don't mind?"

Maria smirked at the Lavender girl's enthusiasm, "Go ahead. I'm gonna get an Alpha… the latest one that bastard has cooked up. Make sure Kasumi is at 200 percent within the next 3 hours."

Zell gave a half smirk, "Understood."

Maria retreated to her room, not her office, her room which was an elegant combination of black and grey which gave the room a medieval feel. Her bed was designed like that of a princess's, four thin pillars held a thin silver veil into the air and draped it over the rather unnecessary queen-sized bed that was covered with black and grey sheets and a series of 10 pillows with varying black and grey individually as well as black and grey patterns in a pyramid shape. She went past the bed and went to her desk which was black oak with stainless steel legs. On the desk sat a flat screen computer with a slim CPU hard drive. She grabbed the rolling computer chair and sat down.

The Superior powered up her computer and clicked a few things, then began to type hastily, after a few silent moments of rushed typing she received a call on her wireless earpiece.

"Yes, what do you have to report Bronze Butterfly?"

The voice on the other end was female and responded, "I've gotten Donovan's latest shipment. I'll send it your way now."

Maria shook her head, "No, get a copy of it and send us the copy. I don't need that bastard trying to bomb my place to hell… It's too early for that. I might be gone so deliver it in person if you don't mind."

"Will do."

Maria pushed a tiny button on her earpiece and closed the transmission. She gave a heavy sigh. "So it seems that I'll need to get more back up for this… Donovan you sly dog…" a devious grin crept across her face.

Ayane was quiet as she tightly wrapped the gauze around Zell's right hand. There was something on her mind but she couldn't exactly find the words to ask, and something told her that now was not the best time.

Zell looked to Ayane and asked, "There's something wrong?"

Ayane had just finished tending his hand before she replied, "I just can shake the feeling that something bad might happen after the tournament…"

Zell clenched his right fist several times before he replied, "Sometimes, things happen that can't be controlled. I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth."

Ayane nodded, "I know, but…"

"No buts… think of it like this… Would you rather have your sister, or some guy who might be able to make you happy?" He gave slight emphasis on the words 'might' and 'you' as he spoke.

Ayane looked at him, her eyes gave away a sense of powerlessness, "Well, my sister, of course…"

Zell smirked and replied, "Then it's settled. I'll take care of her…"

Ayane jumped up, "What about you? You aren't in any condition to do anything really…"

Zell looked to the shapely teen and eyed her form carefully; her outfit was a dark purple short sleeved dress, a pair of fingerless fishnet gloves that went to her elbows, and striped purple and black stockings and a pair of sneakers. "I'm probably the only one on our side that can do anything at all."

Ayane said nothing at first, "…Can I sit on your lap?"

Zell simply said, "Sure. I'm already healed anyway."

Ayane almost asked why but quickly remembered that he had Time on his side. He stated once more, "There might be something that happens that might not be able to be changed…" this time his voice was more of a mumble as though he was telling this to himself.

Ayane stepped toward the Semi-transformed boy and turned so that her back was facing him, then she sat down. The faint scent of lavender crept into Zell's nose as she sat down gently on his lap. She leaned on his chest and wrapped her arms around him as well. He slung one arm around her and rubbed her gently.

"…I don't want anyone to die…" Ayane stated quietly, her eyes were fixed on something on the ground, but whatever it was wasn't important at the moment.

Zell said nothing; there wasn't much he'd be able to say at this point. He'd been having strange dreams that were almost like telling the future, and in each of them, he lost the young kunoichi to DOATEC's military forces, or the Alpha experiments. He just let out a sigh and closed his eyes slowly.

Ayane pushed him gently, as if she wanted him to lie down, to which he complied. He made a hand motion and a faint glow came from the female form on the other side of the curtain.

"So it was Nii-chan…" Ayane mused before she looked to Zell again.

"I think I just need some sleep… I was told that Onee-sama might lead an attack on the headquarters of DOATEC… That means I'll be fighting too. I hope I'll get to be beside you." Ayane yawned and adjusted herself. She turned a bit more and held her right hand closer to her mouth and looked to be drifting off a bit.

She continued to talk, but now in more of a whisper, "I'm really sorry about how I acted earlier too…"

Zell replied in a cool yet very warm and soft tone, "It's not an issue anymore. So there's no need to apologize."

Zell noticed hints of a smile coming across her face, but he was only able to see her cheeks as he stared down at her. Ayane didn't respond, so Zell assumed she'd fell asleep on him, but what he didn't know was that it was her turn to have a nightmare.

The dream started with Ayane and Hayate in the base of the DoATEC Tri-tower. She was finishing the technique known as the Art of the Raging Mountain God, but was riddled with bullets to her torso from assault rifles in the process. She'd released the attack, but was very badly wounded in the process. She stumbled forward by one step and turned slowly to Hayate who was standing right next to her, there was blood trailing down her lips and she was visibly drained from both being shot and using such a powerful attack happening at the exact same time. All of the soldiers were taken out, save for one was gravely wounded.

Ayane looked to Hayate with a pained expression; she gasped first then spoke slowly, "Onee-sama… You have to… make sure… that he…" She dropped to her knees and gasped again, but blood gurgled from her mouth followed by a violent cough.

Hayate couldn't hide his concern for his baby sister, the one who had seen so much despair and pain, she looked to him again, and he to her, but his gaze was averted when a plasma grenade stuck itself a few inches from Ayane's dying body.

"…Go…" Ayane managed to say before she fell forward.

Hayate reached his hand out to try to stop her from hitting the cold metal platform, but the explosion from the grenade sent Ayane's weak form careening into the air, and catapulted Hayate out of the area and into another location. Ayane's body broke the glass and continued skyward. The dying soldier stated, "That's for my comrades you ninja bitch…" then he dropped to the ground and died.

Zell was in the now crumbling tower and he felt the mini quake and trembling of the large tri-tower complex. His translucent green opponent had just dispersed and died, "That's one down… Six left." He hadn't broken a sweat but he let his guard down when another had tackled him into a pillar and shot a condensed burst of energy at point blank range, knocking him out of the facility. He was sent crashing through a window, but regained his body and released a burst of flames from his shoes and rocketed himself toward the second Alpha.

Zell tackled the Alpha and rolled with it. The two stopped and Zell was on top of it and gave it an explosive punch before it kicked him off. He landed easily on his feet and dodged the coming barrage of thrust styled attacks that were so obviously taken from Kasumi. The next wave of attacks was a flurry of kicks, which was dodged just as easily, but the last kick was caught by Zell and he countered with a kick of his own, except his was quick, powerful and augmented by his Zodiac powers. The kick gave an explosion and the Alpha fizzled into nothingness. Zell brushed his nose with his left arm and a figure caught his peripheral, and at the same time he spotted the lifeless body, his Superior called and four more Alphas burst from the floor below.

"Zell! Do you copy? Ayane was just injured, badly! You have to recover her body now! I don't want the bastard getting his hands on her! I just got word from Hayate, I can't get to her fast enough and you are right next to her." Maria's voice was almost drowned out by sounds of battle, gunfire, grunting and items breaking on her end.

Zell's eyes grew to the size of a full moon, and he turned to the Alphas who were just emerging. "Damn it… Ayane… no… You promised me…" Zell closed his eyes firmly and clenched his fist tight and yelled. The yell was combined with the sound of a howling wolf, then Zell's arms shot forward and two streams of black fire blazed to the four Alphas, but only hit one by grazing it. The Alphas dispersed and Zell replied, "Understood." His voice was even, and face was neutral but the tears were in his voice.

He turned 180 degrees and made a dash to the window where he'd saw her body. She was just hitting five floors away from his and he'd just jumped. He fired a flame from his hands to level his legs with the building and he made his dash. Ayane was no longer flipping, but was now facing the pursuing Zell. There were various explosions throughout the lower floors and Zell weaved effortlessly between them. He looked into Ayane's half open eyes, it looked like she was reaching for him, her blood was pouring and at the rate he was going, droplets from her chest and mouth were hitting his face, but he pressed on. He was steadily approaching her; he reached his hand out and kept telling himself, "Just a little more… I've got you… Please…"

Time seemed to slow for him, an explosion and a stream of fire brushed him, but he kept going, he was now only a foot and a half away from her body, then he was tackled off the building by an Alpha and held by his neck and he watched Ayane plummet from his grasp.

Zell cocked his fist back and a black flame surged, he released the punch and blasted the Alpha into the building and flipped twice then the black fire burst from his feet. It sounded like a bomb and he rocketed toward Ayane once more, this time almost breaking the sound barrier as he did.

There were three voices talking to Zell now, "Please recover my sister… please…" It was Kasumi.

The other, "My baby sister… I'm sorry…" Hayate, and lastly, "Zell you HAVE to get her!" The Superior, her voice was more frantic than demanding this time.

Zell's only reply was a grunt, "Hm." Then when he'd reached her, he grabbed her hand and flipped so that he was the one to hit the ground.

He landed with a cement crunching sound, and there was a small crater beneath him and the Tri-towers had been engulfed in flames. Zell looked at Ayane in his arms, her tears were red and her mouth was seeping blood on both corners. She was blinking, slowly but she was and it was very obvious she was in pain.

Zell pushed his Com, "Guys, I got her, but I don't think there's anything we can do for her… Regroup."

Ayane managed to move her left arm to turn his head to face her and he complied with what her eyes wanted from him; a kiss.

Zell felt her hand on his cheek and he leaned to her face and he kissed her gently. Just as he did, the remaining team members appeared, Hayate, Kasumi, and Maria. They all approached slowly and froze when they saw a tear streak down Zell's face.

Maria's eyes got wide, "No… That's never…"

Hayate kneeled slowly and looked on with teary eyes, mentally scolding himself and praying at the same time. Kasumi held her hands over each other on her breast and a very sad expression was on her face.

Ayane's hand finally went limp and dropped. Hayate punched the ground and Kasumi dropped her head with a tear falling from her cheek as she did.

When Ayane woke up from the nightmare, she was surprised to find Zell staring at her with concern on his face.

"Are you alright? What… happened?" Zell asked slowly, he was not sure of the severity of what happened, but Ayane could easily tell that her nightmare affected him too, seeing as her body seemed to react on its own while she was asleep.

"Nothing… Nothing…" was her response, She looked at his body and noticed that she'd gripped him tightly in her sleep, there were marks all over him.