Fletcher Knight's Story

Fletcher aimed carefully, drawing back his bow. The target that stood fifty yards away, filled with holes from the myriad of projectiles that had already hit it, was an easy target for the young man.
Twang!
Yet another arrow directly in the center of the target. A twitch of a smile found its way on his lips as he set the modern crossbow down on its holder and walked back toward the target. The sun shone down on him through the protected windows, and he welcomed the soothing warmth on his back as he jerked each arrow out with a small grunt. Today was a very quiet day at Fletcher’s Archery- only about ten people had come, and they hadn’t stayed for very long. He looked around, straightening the bundle of arrows in his hand. It just seemed so… quiet. Even though there was quiet music playing in the background, there was a silence that Fletcher hated. If was lonely and foreboding, especially since he didn’t have a Guardian with him, that he knew of. Blowing a sigh through his lips, Fletcher made his way back to his bow, and put his arrows in the quiver. He glanced over at the next quiver over, which had been hanging there for quite a while.
Richard…
his former guardian had had many friendly competitions with him, seeing who could get more points on the target. Fletcher usually won, but the banter and competition was what really mattered to him. Now, though…
Sighing again, softer, Fletcher glanced at the clock. It was about closing time.
“Well, I guess that’s it for today.” Flipping off all the lights and locking the doors, Fletcher headed out to his compact car. He paused for a moment before driving, going through a mental checklist.
oh, yeah! I’ve gotta get a new book. I just finished The Horse and His Boy.
He pulled out, driving carefully over to his favorite local bookstore. Before getting out, he checked to make sure nothing looked out of the ordinary.
“Looks all clear…” He muttered. Climbing out and locking the door, he stared downward at his red shoes as he briskly walked to the store, letting his green cap shield his face. Nothing seemed strange once he walked in, except that the air conditioner was turned on too strong. There were a couple people over there, one girl standing in front of a guy by a chair. He couldn’t really see the expression on either of their faces, so he ignored them. Fletcher turned away to search for the C. S. Lewis books. He flipped through the shelves, glancing back over his shoulder every few seconds.
gah, this is so annoying. I can’t stop being paranoid.
There it was, more CS Lewis. Not concerned in reading any of the books in a particular order, He grabbed a random book. The Screwtape Letters.
“Looks interesting…” He walked over to a couch in the store and sat, half-watching the two over at that chair and half-paying attention to the book.

Ryu Hitara

"Ryu," the girls voice was soft, barely even audible. She looked dazed as she stood there staring up at him. Ryu blushed lightly realized that he'd probably just scared the poor girl into utter silence. He flashed his smile and gave a soft laugh while trying to fight back his blush and nerves. Rubbing his hand through his hair a couple of times he averted his gaze from her and glanced around them.

"Hey, look Adelaide, we probably shouldn't be standing around here for too much longer. You never know when someone strange or something like that is going to pop out and attack... Er, I mean, not that that would happen of course because I'm here! That's my job, I protect pagelings," he said dropping his voice so that he wasn't too loud in the library. Even though he talked a lot, Ryu was smart enough not to say certain things too loudly, "So don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you or anyone else," he grinned broadly and pointed his thumb back at himself in a huge show of bravery.

Ryu caught sight of someone taking at a seat not too far from them, though the young man didn't look all too interested in the book he was holding. Almost immediately Ryu was on edge, not so much because of the new comer, but a darker feeling that crept through his skin. He turned around and looked carefully around the bookstore. Taking Adelaide's hand gently, he moved her to sit down on the chair. Leaning down he spoke to her quickly and quietly.

"Stay here Adelaide, I'll be right back okay? Don't go anywhere and don't attract attention. You'll be just fine. I just don't like this feeling, it doesn't feel right," he backed away from her then, offering up his quirky smile before whirling around on the heels of his feet and bounding through the library, his sharp gaze quickly shot back and forth as he went through the aisles. With a frown Ryu made his way back to the center of the library. He was more than certain that he'd felt some evil presence or intent entering the area. Or maybe he had just been thinking too much.

As Ryu was coming back to the seats, the young man that had been sitting with his book had someone in front of him now. The intimidating evil presence returned and Ryu felt cold all over. The woman had long flowing white hair, a long white shirt and jeans and looked virtually harmless if it weren't for her sinister aura. Ryu reached behind his back and touched the hidden blade under his long shirt. Slowly he crept up behind her, eyebrows drawn down as he was uncertain for a few moments about her intentions. The closer her got, the more cold he felt and finally he could hear her voice clearly.

"Pageling, hu? Two of them," she hummed, her gaze flicking over to Adelaide. Ryu felt his chest constrict tightly and drew his blade without a second thought. Coming up behind her he pushed the blade up under her throat.

"Let's not make a scene here now, eh? Wouldn't want to have your blood spilled right in the middle of public would you?" He grinned behind her shoulder.

She turned and looked up at him, her strange hazel eyes were almost orange rather than the burnt gold. A wicked smile spread across her pale face as she stared at him. Reaching up she took hold of his weapon and pushed away, causing a crease of blood to form along the palm of her hand. Turning around completely, she faced him. Reaching up with one hand she touched his chest and Ryu felt as if the weight of the world had come crushing down on him. He choked on the air, trying to breath passed the pressure as he dropped slowly down to the ground.

"That's just a taste of who you've decided to pick a fight with boy," then she cocked her head off to the side and grinned at him. Her hand pulled back to her hip and she laughed. The pressure that had assaulted him a moment before released and he dragged in a deep breath. Harsh coughing followed after and he was reduced to his hands and knees.

"You're a guardian aren't you?" She sneered over him. Leaning down she grabbed his hair and brought his head up to face her. Her wicked smile filled his vision and Ryu glared back at her.

"What if I am?" He retorted back with a grin.

"Then I'll kill you," she snapped her fingers and two others came around from the bookshelves. One was a female the other male. Both looked very tired and beaten, they were scrawny as well and didn't look as if they'd eaten well in many days. Ryu's eyes widened as he realized that the two standing before him were pagelings. His heart raced and he felt horror rushing through his veins. The male pageling came at him from the side, wielding what looked like a paper sword. With the woman holding him up, all he could do was fend off the weapon with his dagger. He hoped to cut through the young man's weapon, but that wasn't the case. Instead he only managed to pushed the weapon off its course and feel the slight sting of a cut along his back.

Ryu pushed upwards to his feet, breaking free of her grip and swung at her. He'd never hit a woman before, and he really didn't want to start doing so, but this one was trying to kill him and the pagelings that were in the room. The female pageling that was under orders of the Fallen before him lifted her hands and conjured her paper. Books flipped open and the pages flipped wildly, tearing from their bindings and forming into little sharpened darts. However, her target wasn't Ryu, nor was it Adelaide. It was the one that the Fallen had approached to start with. Ryu didn't have time to think about why she would target him first, instead he lunged forward and shielded the young man.

The female pageling was obviously more exhausted than her male counterpart for many of her darts missed their target completely. Only three of them struck Ryu straight in his chest, but even so, they hadn't gone as deep as they could have if the woman were at her full strength. Still, he stumbled backwards and winced at the sharp attack. Turning to the young man he motioned for him to get up.

"Come on, we're getting out of here," he said quickly and dragged the young man to his feet, giving him a sharp push towards the door. He went straight for Adelaide next, covering her smaller form with his larger body as he pulled her gently to her feet. He leaned down and gave her a smile, "Ready? Stay close, I know exactly where to go. She'll help us."

"Where do you think you're running off to?" The Fallen called as she eyed him carefully. Ryu turned around and for a mere moment had a horrible feeling in his chest. For a moment he thought that the strange woman would send her trick at him once again, but she didn't instead she grinned at him. Then tapped her lip with a slender finger. "No matter, letting you run will entertain me. Lets see how far you can get, Guardian," she hissed at him, then snapped her fingers again. Both of her pagelings turned for him and readied their weapons for another attack. Ryu didn't spare them another look as he shot for the door with his two pagelings.

"Run for the park! Quickly!" He told them both.

Fletcher sighed a tiny bit as he read. The guy seemed way too loud and overpowering for the girl, who looked like a small breeze might topple over. Although he didn’t show it, he caught half of when he dropped his voice, I pro… gelings. That made him very curious, especially when he ran off into the library, but something new caught his attention.

A woman stood in front of him, with long white hair that flowed past her shoulders, and wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. Fletcher was awestruck by the beauty in the woman’s face, pale but gorgeous, with fiery eyes. She seemed so attractive to Fletcher all he could do was stare wide-eyed up at her in silence as she whispered, “Pageling, hu? Two of them. Next he became frozen as that other guy came up behind him with a sword. His eyes wide and face a little pale, he tried to stay calm as the woman turned and put the guy down with just a touch.

“You’re a guardian, aren’t you?” She questioned in a mean, cold voice. Suddenly two other people appeared from the bookshelves, which looked more like zombies than real people. They started attacking the guy, and the only thing that went through his mind was, Why in the world are those zombies and the hot woman attacking the Guardian?

Before he knew it, the Guardian was standing in front of him, shielding him from a million paper darts that were flying at them. Most of them completely flew over or around them, but he still cowered with a tiny whimper. They were Pagelings! Why were they attacking him? It made no sense! Unless that hot lady was…. Fallen?

Run to the park! Quickly! The Guardian yelled at him. That seemed to spur him into action. He leaped up and sprinted for the door, carrying his book, not checked out, with him. When they got outside, he yelled, “Hey! Get in my car!” He quickly unlocked all the doors and jumped in, waiting for the other two to do so as well as he jammed the key in the ignition and started the car with as much haste as possible.

Takashi Inevera

"Woah, calm down Red. It's not like I assaulted you," the boy started then chuckled at her as he continued without giving pause enough for her to respond. She felt her annoyance levels rising as she stood there staring up at him. Although, she had to admit, the boy was pleasing to look at and his grinning was almost getting the best of her... almost.

"Now? I think I had your attention long before just now. I don't know. A lot of things. I want to go to Europe, climb a volcano.." His voice trailed off and he looked back at Takashi with his arms still crossed over his chest.

"Oh, you meant what do I want from you? I already have it. Your attention. And, maybe an adventure. I know this great trail in the forest. It's a straight shot to- Well, you're just going to have to see now won't you?" He said and backed up. Takashi's eyebrow rose as she watched him, her face still like stone. She didn't make a move to go after him as he slowly backed away from her.

"Well come on Red! We don't have all day. Although.. it is very beautiful and romantic at night time. Do you like secrets? I will tell you a secret if you come with me. I'm Kai by the way," he said giving her a devious grin. The mention of the place being beautiful and romantic caused her heart to lurch forward and an unwilling blush to creep up in her cheeks. Takashi glowered at him even more, determined to keep her stony features and 'uninterested' poker face intact. Though his little 'secret' was most likely his papercraft, it still sparked an interest with her. She hadn't gotten too much information on the boy, only that he was a good papercrafter, especially for one who had no training in the power.

Putting one hand on her hip she looked off to the side and sighed heavily. Flipping one hand through her long pigtail, tossing the red hair back over her shoulder she shrugged. Looking back to him, her green eyes were steady as she spoke, "Fine. I'll go with you if it means that you'll stop bothering me," she said, though the last part was a bit harder to get out. Damn... this is harder than I thought, she cursed herself. Maybe it was too soon for her to have another ward. Though it had been a year since she lost her last one to the Fallen. He had been just about everything to her, and she regretted everything about what happened.

"And my name's not 'red' it's Takashi," she said as she started towards him.

Ryu Hitara

“Hey! Get in my car!”

Ryu skidded to a halt and gently turned Adelaide back around to face the car, "Come on," he whispered to her, keeping his voice as clear of fear as possible. Never would he have thought to take on a Fallen so soon, and one so freaking powerful too. She had scared him to his very core. That woman was the very word evil. He threw open the back door and helped his ward inside the car just as the other pagelings came out of the shop. The one with the sword charged him and Ryu turned just in time to block the attack. The paper sword crushed against the side of his blade as he raised his weapon to fend off the blow. Even if the man was tired, he was still strong. Ryu hit the door of the car as the pageling crashed into him.

"What... is wrong... with you?" Ryu managed to say as he pushed back against the man. There was a look in his eyes that startled Ryu. It was like the pageling had already died. There was no life in the dark orbs that stared at him. Ryu didn't get an answer, so he ground his teeth together and summoned as much strength as he could and shoved off the vehicle. Tossing the pageling away, the man stumbled and crumpled to the ground, obviously at his limit with his papercraft. The sound of paper missiles hitting the car caught his attention and he ducked as he made his way to the passenger side.

Ryu batted aside the sharpened paper missiles with his knife, slashing at them as they pelted the car and tried to injure him further. Finally, he made it into the car and slammed the door shut. Looking to the guy who he had protected moments ago he nodded, "To the park. My friend is a Guardian there, she'll be able to help with this problem," he said as he leaned heavily into the seat with short heaves of air. Looking down he grimaced at the three paper darts stuck in his chest. They weren't deep, but they hadn't been very pleasant either. Grabbing them, he pulled them out and tossed them aside without a second thought.

"Damn... that was totally unexpected," Ryu muttered. After a moment he laughed and ran his hand through his hair. Looking to the two pagelings he smiled brightly at them, "Well that's what I get for thinking too much about if I were going to get in a fight or not. I asked Takashi if it was going to happen on my first day, she told me 'no'. Now I get to tell her that I've finally proved her wrong," he laughed then sighed as he turned to look out the windshield, "Ah man... she's not gonna be very happy about this..."

"...don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you or anyone else."
Such assurances she had not heard since the death of her caretaker. It may be early, but Adelaide felt that she might be able to put her trust in this person. A bit of her anxiety seemed to drift away.

But it was short lived. Something seemed to have caught Ryu's attention and she was instructed to stay in the seat where she was. Adelaide watched curiously as he headed into the dense maze of bookshelves. She soon lost sight of him.
However, the creeping feeling that had caught Ryu's attention was starting to get to her. Adelaide shivered. Looking around, she could only see one other customer in the seating area. He wasn't that far so she tilted her head and saw that he was reading a C.S. Lewis book. There were copies of those where she had lived before, but most of what she could recount of his writing were princes, ships, and a large lion.

A lady with unusual white hair came close to the sitting person. Adelaide couldn't hear what she was saying, but her eyes soon flicked towards her. She tensed at the seemingly malicious look. When she spotted Ryu behind the lady, she was almost relieved to see him again. But their next interactions only served to escalate the situation.

Though it seemed Ryu had the upper hand at first, she subdued him easily and called upon two strange people. They sprang out from the bookshelves and began a vicious barrage upon the guardian. Adelaide wanted to help him, but all she had was the pair of scissors that she had brought with her. However, the two attackers soon tired and Ryu came for the young man in the other seat, and then to her. She stood with his help, his gentleness surprising in the chaotic situation.

Then there was running. Adelaide did her best to stay close to her guardian as they dashed out the door. She was rushed into a car just as one of the attackers caught up to them and struggled with Ryu. It was close, but they all made it inside the vehicle and started off.
It was all a bit fast for her. The doctor's death, leaving home, meeting Ryu, the attack, and then running. She felt that running was going to be happening a lot in her future. As for the reason why... Why did her caretaker pass away so soon ? Why was she kicked out ? Why did she need a guardian to protect her from those people that they had just encountered ?
Like always, her defect got the better of her and she was not able to say anything, let alone ask for an explanation.

Fletcher panicked when the two zombie pagelings started to attack the car, but the other Guardian fought them off. As soon as he and the other girl were in the back seat, Fletcher slammed on the accelorator, going as fast as the speed limit would allow.

“The park, the park, where’s the park?” He muttered. “Oh, yeah…” He turned a couple times before pulling into the park. Slowing and pulling into a parking spot, He let out a huge breath. What in the world was going on? Was that lady Fallen? Was she controlling those Pagelings? Were the Pagelings even alive? What would have happened had that Guardian not been there? Would he have died? He didn’t want to think about that. There were too many things to think about. He rubbed his face with his hands and let out a huge sigh.

“Two things,” He began, mainly directing his speech toward the Guardian. “What are your guy’s names? I’m Fletcher. Two, where is your Guardian friend?” Fletcher climbed out of the car and went to the trunk, grabbing his crossbow he used for emergencies as he waited for an answer.

Ryu Hitara

"I'm Ryu, nice to meet you Fletcher," the young Guardian flashed his ever present smile and addressed the second part of the question, "And Takashi will be around here somewhere... She's guarding another Pageling," again Ryu dropped his voice at the word 'pageling'. There weren't many people around, but he didn't want to be careless. Especially since he had a Fallen right on his tail. With Takashi, he was more than prepared to take on the crazed woman from the book shop.

"Come on," he beckoned to the others as he made his way towards the park. Children ran around the playground set, young adults walked along the path and right off to the side of the park was the beginnings of a small forest. At least, it looked small to Ryu from the outside. He wasn't sure how far it went back. Either way, he ignored it and rushed into the park and looked around. Takashi wasn't hard to miss, with her dark red hair and sharp green eyes, she was ridiculously easy to pick out in a crowd. Ryu had often teased her about her hair color and suggested she dye it black to better blend in with the crowd. She'd nailed him in the chest more than a few times for that.

His chest was growing tighter as he searched around the park where she would have been sitting. Still no Takashi. He twisted around a full circle and felt his heart sink as he realized she wasn't anywhere near there. Putting his palm against his forehead he sighed heavily, "Damn..." He went back to the parking lot and took a look down the street where they'd come from. They'd gotten quite a lead on the Fallen, but he was sure that with her strength it wouldn't be much longer before she caught up with them.

"We don't have a lot of time..." Ryu turned back around and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think on what to do. His gaze landed on the lush green trees. With a wry grin he turned to his two wards, "Alright. Lets go on a hiking trip shall we? Whats the worst that could happen? They find us in the trees and I have to whip out some serious skills, hu?" Ryu chuckled at his own joke, not really caring if the other two found it funny or not. Then he started towards the trees and entered the forest.

Takashi Inevera

She followed Kai closely, matching his pace easily. He seemed to be looking out for her rather than just bounding right on ahead like it seemed he really wanted to do. Takashi was interested in what he wanted to show her, unable to keep down her curiosity though she kept it from her face and appeared bored on the outside. She shook her head as he continued to chatter on to her even though she hadn't said a single word. He reminded her very much like Ryu, the young Guardian who always was talking no matter what. Rarely had she ever seen Ryu silent, that was mostly when he was sparring or actually concentrating on something.

Without realizing it, Takashi had followed Kai right up to the bottom of a rocky hill and he'd snatched her hand while she hadn't been paying attention. Pulling her up steadily, she was moved faster than they'd been going before hand. Probably because he was super excited now, judging by his tone and the look on his face as they ascended. They topped the hill and Takashi thought that her heart had stopped, or that air was being restricted from her lungs. Her eyes widened without permission and her mouth dropped open in a small 'o' of awe and surprise. It was beautiful, the pool of water with a waterfall dropping right into it. The trees surrounding the area had a kind of aura to them that made the place even more peaceful.

Takashi had been too distracted with the gorgeous scenery that she hadn't noticed Kai going down the hill to the other side. Nor had she heard his question and so didn't answer him. After a moment she brought herself out of her revere and looked around before she spotted him bobbing and weaving through the underbrush and rocks. With a soft sigh and an irritated mental note to herself about keeping an eye on him at all times, Takashi started down the hill after him, going quickly. She nimbly made her way through the dense vegetation, bouncing from rock to rock and almost enjoying the downward climb until she was right next to him. Forgetting herself, she looked over to him, grinned and shot forward, using her nimble body to jump from rock to rock.

Takashi rushed down the hill, jumping over fallen logs, using the rocks as her personal stepping stones and launching pads as well as some trees to get over larger obstacle. Looking behind her she waited to see if Kai had taken up on her challenge for racing him down the hill before continuing onward.

I’m Ryu, nice to meet you Fletcher... And Takashi will be around here somewhere... She's guarding another Pageling,” Fletcher nodded once. “Good to meet you too… ‘specially since you Probly just saved my skin.” He folded his emergency crossbow in half (it was, of course, made to do so,) and tucked it by his side as Ryu made his way toward the park.

His mind wandered a little bit as they walked through the park, now that most of the danger had passed. Watching some of the little children play on a playground he passed, he smiled softly. Fletcher always had had a soft spot in his heart for kids- they were so innocent, unknowing of everything evil in the world. How could they know, how could they understand that he was a Pageling, on the run from a Fallen? He laughed softly at their fun, yelling shouting at each other as they jumped about on the play set. It was always a joy when they came to his archery range. They- Suddenly he realized he had fallen behind a bit, and shook his head, coming back to reality and jogged to catch back up.

As they continued walking, Fletcher noticed Ryu becoming more stressed. Obviously they weren’t finding ‘Takashi’ where he thought she would be. He glanced around. Since he didn’t even know what she looked like, he couldn’t really be of much help, but it didn’t hurt to look.

"Alright. Lets go on a hiking trip shall we? What’s the worst that could happen? They find us in the trees and I have to whip out some serious skills, hu?" Fletcher, not exactly thinking it funny, nodded once, although he did grin. “Yeah, alright. Hey, I’m not exactly helpless either.” With a couple swift movements, he unfolded his bow, creating a paper arrow that looked quite deadly. Making sure that there were no people in the vicinity that he was going to shoot at, he aimed at a tree and let go within the span of a couple seconds.

Zip! Thud!

The arrow embedded itself in the tree, a leaf stuck on the arrow, perfectly cut through the center. Fletcher grinned and folded his bow again, retrieving the arrow and grinning a bit more. “I been practicing for a long time now. Well, what are we waiting for?”

Ryu Hitara

His eyes widened as he watched Fletcher unleash a bolt from his crossbow. The paper flew straight and right into a tree, making a thudding sound and sticking soundly. Turning to the pageling, Ryu gave him his usual grin and winked, "Looks good there, Fletcher. Glad I could have you along for the ride. Apologies before hand if things go sour. Don't worry, I won't let any harm come to either of you. It doesn't matter if that woman could turn this world inside out, I wouldn't let it happen," he tapped his lip with a finger, "Though if she could turn the world inside out that would be pretty damned scary... Anyway! She's bad enough, but that doesn't matter. We have to find Takashi. She's an amazing Guardian and I know for sure that we'll have the upper hand once we find her," Ryu rambled as he started towards the trees and entered the forest. As he walked, he talked, and as he talked he thought about possible hiding places for his two wards.

"You know, now that I think of it, I was only supposed to have one ward," he turned his eyes to Fletcher, "I wonder what the order's gonna say about this one. Well, it doesn't matter anyways, I'll still take you as my ward if anything, especially if no one else is available. Or maybe Takashi would like to take you under her wing... Who knows. Either way, you'll definitely be protected."

Ryu made his way through the thick brush quickly, jumping up onto a huge fallen log, he looked around, trying to see if there were any signs of Takashi. However, with the dense foliage and trees, it was near impossible to tell if anyone other than deer and local animals had been through there. Turning he sighed heavily.

"Man, what I would give to have a papercraft that found people," he muttered, then reached down to help Adelaide up onto the log.

Fletcher listened to Ryu's first part of the ramble with a small smile on his face. This guy talked way to much in his opinion, but that was okay. He didn't plan on staying around him much longer after that Fallen woman gave up chasing him. He shook his head with a grin and followed Ryu into the forest, glancing at Adelaide as he did. She hadn't exactly spoken throughout the whole course of this thing. Then again, she didn't look like one for talking, either. Well, I guess she has her reasons...

Fletcher's interest in his ramble picked up when Ryu said, "I wonder what the order's gonna say about this one. Well, it doesn't matter anyways, I'll still take you as my ward if anything, especially if no one else is available. Or maybe Takashi would like to take you under her wing... Who knows. Either way, you'll definitely be protected."

His brow furrowed. "How did you even know I didn't have a Guardian? Ohh..." He smacked his forehead with his palm. "I guess it was kinda obvious when no one came to help when the Fallen tried to attack me.... You? My guardian?" Fletcher shuddered, a chill running up and down his spine. "No, no thanks. No offense to you or anything, but... my last guardian..." He shook his head once, glancing down. "I'm not gonna talk about that." Even though Ryu was actually younger than him by a couple years, it reminded him too much of Richard. I'm definitely not ready to have a male Guardian again yet.

"But," he continued, "It has been a long time since my last Guardian... you know. I need another one really soon." Fletcher shrugeed a bit, fiddling with his crossbow. "I guess we'll see, won't we."

"Man, what I would give to have a papercraft that found people,"

Fletcher kneeled and examined the ground for a moment. "Have you tried... nah. Nevermind." He was going to suggest trying to track them, but this was a park. Anyone could have left any tracks that were found, so it was rather pointless to try. He stood and bounded up onto the log, searching around for any signs of life.

Both Ryu and Fletcher were such amazing people. Adelaide was quite shocked that they had not left her behind already.

The forest was dense with trees and brush. She tried to stick close to her two companions and follow in their steps as they helped part the foliage. With Ryu's prowess in fighting and Fletcher's amazing crossbow demonstration, Adelaide felt rather useless. Even the sticks protruding from the ground scratched at her ankles as if to say that she was even weaker than them.

"Man, what I would give to have a papercraft that found people."

Adelaide looked up as Ryu extended a hand down towards her. "Uhm," she whispered tentatively, "I can..."
Her voice faded away yet again. She became frustrated that even her voice was enough to defeat her today. Instead of continuing, she drew from her back pocket the pair of yellow scissors she had taken.

Adelaide closed her eyes, trying to remember how it felt that time when she summoned the paper. She opened the scissors and felt resistance in the air. Then she began cutting and slowly the form of a simple paper sparrow emerged. Looking at the hovering piece of paper in the air, it seemed to be filled with a twitchy energy. Adelaide plucked it from its spot, rubbing it between her fingers and realizing that it was actually two. "Takashi." She said, as if to explain what she was trying to do.

Then the two sparrows were released. They flitted amongst the trees in two opposite directions, navigating through thick leaves. Adelaide stood very still as if listening intently.

A gentle tugging at the edge of her consciousness brought her attention to one of the sparrows. She could not see or hear exactly what the sparrow was seeing; it was more like how one thinks when they are skimming over a passage in a book. Some general details were formed in her mind. "Er, West, I think." Her voice went really hoarse again, and she coughed into her hand and clutched her knees. Her concentration was broken, but she could remember a bit of what she had discovered. "Water. Height, and then water."

It was a minuscule amount of information, but it was about as much as she could do. They had gained a direction, but she was completely drained from making just two of her papercraft. Adelaide leaned against a tree to keep from dizzily stumbling over her own feet.

Ryu Hitara

"How did you even know I didn't have a Guardian? Ohh... I guess it was kinda obvious when no one came to help when the Fallen tried to attack me.... You? My guardian? No, no thanks. No offense to you or anything, but... my last guardian... I'm not gonna talk about that."

Ryu looked over to Fletcher and felt a frown crease on his usually smiling face. Fletcher didn't want him as a Guardian? That was a first for Ryu. He wasn't quite sure how to take it and it stumbled his usually jolly self. It was like a cold knife right to his chest. After muttering about wishing for a paper craft that could find people, Adelaide opened her mouth as she looked up at him and her words just barely reached his ears.

"Uhm, I can..."

His reach stopped as she pulled out a pair of scissors and began cutting at what looked like thin air to Ryu. After a few moments, two bird like pieces of paper appeared and fluttered about Adelaide's hands. She spoke again, this time saying Takashi's name, and the birds took off like little rockets. Ryu turned swiftly and followed their course through the trees. He was astonished and in awe at her power and could only stare off into the trees as they sought out his Guardian companion. Turning back to Adelaide, his smile had returned. He pushed aside the rejection feeling and watched her carefully.

"Er, West, I think. Water. Height, and then water," Adelaide said and then she fell forward slightly, leaning against the tree in exhaustion. Ryu immediately jumped down and took hold of her shoulders. He gave her a huge smile.

"You. Are. Amazing," he said, putting emphasis on each word. Ryu looked around then, so far the Fallen hadn't found them, but he was sure that wouldn't last long. He leaned down to Adelaide and pulled her up against him, "Excuse me for a moment. I'll carry you alright? At least until we get to Takashi, or she finds us. She's been a Guardian longer than me, I'm sure she'll notice the papercraft in no time. In the meantime, we just need to put as much distance between us and that Fallen!" Ryu bent down, putting his arm under her knees and lifted her up into his arms.

It was a bit of a stretch, but he managed to get her up on the large tree trunk that had fallen. He followed after her and once he was over the other side, he reached for her again. Ryu was hopeful that Takashi would find them before the Fallen did.

Takashi Inevera

"Amazing isn't it? How does it feel to be one of the only people to have seen the most beautiful place in the world?" Kai asked her as he stood up from rolling in the sand. Takashi watched as he discarded his shirt and found that her gaze had a mind of its own, which annoyed her. Her smile slowly faded, as she tried to back on a stony look. She was irritated about her reaction to this pageling. It was too soon to be feeling any attraction at all, but she had to admit he was rather attractive and his personality was likeable as well. He reminded her a lot of her old ward. Maybe that was why she was so irritated.

Takashi crossed her arms and shrugged at him. Turning sideways from him, she looked about the area and took in the nice fresh air around them, "It's alright," she lied smoothly. Her fingers tightened on her arms as she stood there. Then she remembered his promise to show her his 'secret'. Turning her solid green eyes at him, she looked him up and down and ran a hand through her hair again.

"So, what's this secret of yours? You promised to show me something should I come with you. I hope you're a man of his word," she said to him, carefully keeping a flat, monotonous note to her voice.

Her eyes returned to the forest above them and that's when she caught sight of two little paper birds fluttering about weakly before they crumpled and fell to the earth. Her arms uncrossed and her eyes narrowed at what she'd seen. Obviously there was a pageling somewhere nearby, and from the position of the birds, they'd come from the east. Almost the same direction that her and Kai had come from.

"Kai, I want you to listen very carefully," her demeanor had changed completely, "Stay here. I have a feeling things are about to get... strange," she told him. Takashi figured she would tell him about the Fallen later, if her suspicions were right that was.

"I'll tell you more about it later, alright? For now, just trust me and stay here. You'll be safe, I promise," She turned and looked at him steadily before leaving the little area and climbing back up the hill that they'd come down.

Ivy Thomas

Her boots crunched on the pebbles of the playground. She knew that her prey had fled somewhere in that area. Her smile widened as she motioned for her two pagelings to start searching. It wasn't long before she realized that they weren't in the playground, but were in the forest area. Ivy ordered both of her minions to enter the forest and she followed after. She could fell that use of papercraft in the air, a strange tingle in the atmosphere. Ivy had gotten used to that ripple in the earths gravitation only because of her arcane power that dealt with gravity. She was acutely aware of strange phenomena.

With her senses prickling, she followed the use of papercraft from the tree that had a tiny hole in it, to the next area where she felt a large use of papercraft. She came upon a huge fallen tree trunk and hopped up easily on top of it. Ivy surveyed the area, one hand on her hip, the other stretched out loosely at her side. Behind her, both pagelings under her command looked around wearily. The Fallen knew she was coming up on her prey, the young boy and the two pagelings he was protecting.

"They're close," she said and hopped off the log onto the other side. Slowly, she drew her blade and started into the trees. It wouldn't be long before she came upon the three who were running from her.

The young man noticed Ryu frown after him saying that he didn’t want Ryu as his guardian. He felt bad about hurting Ryu’s feelings, but it was true. Trying to take his mind off the subject… and Richard… he turned his gaze to Adelaide, the girl who had barely spoken a word through the whole thing.

Fletcher’s eyes widened as he watched Adelaide. She started cutting paper out of thin air, and it turned into a sparrow. Fletcher was shocked! This tiny woman knew animate papercraft? That was amazing! Adelaide just spoke a word to the sparrows and they flew off, hopefully in search of Takashi. Adelaide stood still as a statue, and Fletcher watched her carefully as she slowly whispered, ]b] “Er, West, I think. Water. Height, and then water,"[/b] Then fell toward the tree, probably exhausted.

“H-hey! Are you okay?” He moved forward, concerned, but Ryu beat her, speaking to her and picking her up in his arms. He didn’t seem to have much trouble, not to Fletcher’s surprise. She seemed as light as one of the sparrows she created. Doing his best to help them onto the large tree trunk, he climbed on and supported Adelaide on top of the ginormous hunk of dead wood as Ryu climbed over. Once he had taken her again, Fletcher glanced back at the woods.

“Where… are they?” He mumbled to himself. The Fallen couldn’t be that slow. She and the two zombie pagelings had to be close by now. Although he probably wouldn’t admit it to either one of them, a wave of fear spread over him. That Fallen was so strong! Ryu didn’t even stand a chance against her. What if she caught up before they found Takashi? Fletcher certainly didn’t want to die. He stayed on the log, watching the forest nervously for a moment.

Ryu Hitara

"You've got to be kidding me!" he cursed as he gently set Adelaide down onto the ground. Already he could hear the sounds of the Fallen coming through the brush. He hid the girl as best he could behind a tree, tucked right next to the roots and out of the way for the most part. He leaned down, smiled at her and patted her head gently. "Don't worry alright? Stay here. I'll be right back."

Ryu turned to Fletcher then and motioned for him to take cover behind a tree, "Stay hidden as much as possible. If you see an opening go ahead and take it, but don't draw attention to yourself alright? Let me handle her. I'm sure Takashi's on her way so we just have to hold out until then," Ryu turned to the forest and the sounds of the approaching threat. His heart tightened in his chest as he put himself out into the open and drew his knife.

From the green underbrush the woman with white hair stepped forward and addressed him. Her lips pulled into a bright smile and her burnt orange eyes stared at him with a dead cold that just about froze his blood. His own lips upturned into a cocky smile as he pulled his knife back and closed his free hand into a loose fist. The woman flicked her white hair back over her shoulder and turned her gaze from one side of the forest to the other.

"Send them ahead of you? Or just have them hiding?"

"Neither," he answered back, still smiling.

"Smart. I have you figured for one that hides his wards nearby. Easier to keep an eye on them. That's smart too."

"Does it matter?"

"It does. Lets say you sent them ahead of you. What's stopping my own pagelings from going after them?"

"Why do you want pagelings so bad? Oh wait, you're a Fallen, I don't even have to ask. I know the answer to that already. You're greedy, selfish and lack friends. So sad."

The woman's smile twitched, turning into a slight sneer for a mere moment before she composed herself, "Well, aren't you full of yourself. Let's see how that fares for you."

The Fallen flicked her hand forward and both of the pagelings under her command came at Ryu. The one summoned her paper from thin air and shot them at him again. Ryu was prepared for it, and from the looks she was reaching her limits. He felt terrible for the girl because he'd heard all about what happens to a pageling once they've reached their limit. He didn't want to see it for real, it was bad enough reading about it in his books during his training. The rain of paper darts didn't hurt him as much as it had before. They barely scratched him as they shot at him through the trees. Just as before, her aim was completely off and only a few of them managed to scratch his face.

"Looks like your pagelings are getting tired, there Fallen. Maybe you should do the fighting yourself!" Ryu called as he lunged forward to attack the pageling with the sword. Their blades clashed together, the paper sword not making a sound as Ryu deflected the attack with his short dagger. He really hated having to hurt the pageling but he couldn't let them have their way either. Ryu tried his best to just knock the boy unconscious, but he really didn't like the sound he heard as his fist connected with the pagelings jaw.

However, he didn't have time to wonder if he'd really done some damage to the pageling that was now on the ground as the fallen had taken him up on his offer and came at him from the fallen log overhead. She jumped down at him, wielding two long knives much like Takashi would. His eyebrow rose at the sight of her fighting style that reminded him so much of his red headed friend. All the same, he swiped aside one blade and took a shot at her exposed side with his fist. He connected with her ribcage and she stumbled backwards only slightly. Her dagger came forward at him and Ryu twisted sideways to avoid the dangerous weapon. In return he slashed at her midriff that was exposed, his knife just barely cutting her clothing as she pulled away.

Twisting around, her leg kicked up and knocked him backwards as well as taking the air from his lungs. Ryu went quite a ways before hitting a tree and slumping forward slightly. He ducked immediately as she came at him with both knives. Wood splintered as her weapons cut deep into the tree leaving long gashes. Ryu barreled into her and tossed her down to the ground, rolling away from her as he went. Twisting around, he stood and met her head on. His blade connected with hers and his hand caught her other weapon as it came down at him. His grin widened as he stood there, pushing against her.

"You're not very good at this are you?" He asked her tauntingly. The Fallen's gaze narrowed at him and he was suddenly lifted off his feet and tossed away from her. It was like his body weight had gone from a solid 175 pounds of muscle to nothing at all. Ryu crashed into a tree, his body arching off of it the moment he hit. His eyes were wide with surprise as he collided and then bounced off. Blood involuntarily spit from his mouth and flecked his face as he slowly fell to the ground. He landed with his back against the tree, his chin down on his chest and leaned off to the side.

Takashi Inevera

She turned to give him a sour look as he came with her even though she'd said to stay behind. He was going to be a pain in the ass, just like someone else she used to know. A lump grew in her throat and she bit back the memories that always led to the dreaded night she lost everything.

"I know I'll be safe, I can hold my own. Whatever's going on, I want to know now," he told her as he put his papercraft into use. She knew all about his craft and when he produced it she wasn't in the least phased by it. If anything she was impressed that he wielded it very easily. She liked his style too, two knives just like her own. Now all that was left was to see how well he wielded them. With a sigh she shook her head and continued on up the path back the way they'd come. Maybe it was better that he come with her. The last time she'd left her ward out of her sight, things had gone... terrible.

"By the way Red, don't tell me what to do," he said to her, his tone no longer joking as he looked at her sideways. To this Takashi ground her teeth.

"You've some nerve, boy," she replied in kind, "Fine, do as you like," she finished and continued through the forest. She reached beneath the back of her shirt and pulled out her two long knives as they moved through the trees. Soon enough she heard the sounds of a fight going on and she went from a fast walk to sprinting. Once again her nimble body moved easily through the trees and she was at the scene in no time. However, she was still late and as she came bursting through the brush into the area where the sounds were coming from, she spotted Ryu being crushed against a tree. Blood flew from his mouth and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Her heart clenched tightly and she quickly moved to intercept who had attacked him knowing full well that Ryu had his ward somewhere near by.

"Takashi," the cool feminine voice froze her blood, "It's been so long. I was hoping to see you. Oh my, look at what you have with you as well. Is that your new ward? What a handsome looking young man. Reminds me of your last one. Of course you always did like the rough looking type. Blonde hair, a nice build and a bit of a rebel, no?"

Takashi turned her full attention on the woman who'd spoken and her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed to dangerous slits of pure rage, "Ivy."

"Is that all you have to say to me? We've known each other for how long now? Your best friend comes to say hello to you and all can do is utter my name in that kind of voice? Shameful," the woman put a hand on her hip and pretended to pout as if she were hurt.

"Quit your game, Ivy. I know why you're here. I won't let you have what you want, not this time," Takashi hissed and her blades tightened in her hand. She rushed forward, then used a small log to get a jump start. She launched off the log at the tree where Ryu had hit and from there she propelled herself down at Ivy, both blades pulled back. Ivy's grin widened as Takashi fell down towards her, murderous intent in her green eyes. Steel screamed together as both women collided. Sparks showered slightly from the pressure of each attack. Takashi twisted, her blades coming around for another attack. She was deflected again, but she didn't stop, her momentum building with each twist, turn and hit. Soon she was moving so quickly that the sound of steel hitting was almost one continuous noise.

There was the occasional break in the sound, but that was only when one woman managed to make a hit with the other. Takashi pushed Ivy back into the forest, her intent to drive the Fallen as far from the pagelings and Ryu as possible. From there, she would figure things out.

Fletcher heard the Fallen. He thought he grabbed a glance of her, too. Without hesitation at the sight of her, he hopped off the log and listened to Ryu. "Stay hidden as much as possible. If you see an opening go ahead and take it, but don't draw attention to yourself alright? Let me handle her. I'm sure Takashi's on her way so we just have to hold out until then,"

Nodding, Fletcher took cover a couple feet from Adelaide, keeping an eye on her as Ryu went and had an argument with the Fallen. Another wave of fear came over him as he heard them mentioning that the Fallen wanted him, and he braced himself against the tree, forcing himself to calm down. He would be fine. He would be…

The sounds of fighting reached his ears, and his teeth ground together, his feet bracing himself tighter against the trunk. He couldn’t dare to stand up to even aim his bow, in his current state he wouldn’t be able to aim the right way. No sense in adding extra danger. More fighting, and then a loud Thud!

“Oh, no….” he mumbled to himself. That did not sound good.

The next thing he saw was a flash of red hair somewhere off to the side. Takashi… His thoughts were confirmed by the Fallen speaking Takashi’s name again. There was more talking, more fighting. Fletcher glanced at Adelaide, all his limbs locked to keep them from shaking. He tried to focus on her, to make himself calm. “H-hey, are you doing okay?”

Her heart hiccuped when Ryu picked her up in his arms, but she had no energy to resist. It was pleasant that someone was there to take care of her again but it was still all too fast and she felt herself sway dizzily as he carried her through the brush.
Adelaide was not sure whether she was relieved or a bit reluctant, but she was set down soon after noises through the trees disrupted the trio's journey. It was the scary lady again. From what she understood, the lady wanted to have her to use. But it was still so confusing and vague.

Ryu kindly hid her amidst a tangle of roots. The warmth of his hand on her head was reassuring, so she obediently tucker her legs close to her and pushed her back up against the tree to make herself as small as possible. As for making any noise, there was no worry of that since Adelaide usually had to try her hardest to make even the slightest of sounds.

The sounds of fighting erupted behind her, but from her hiding spot Adelaide could not see any of it. Fletcher was nearby, looking as if at war with himself. Adelaide felt like she understood, wanting to help but not being able to. She knew that she was useless when it came time to be able to protect anything. She could not even protect her previous home from some fat cat businessmen. Adelaide curled up tighter.

She almost sprang out from her hiding place when she heard Ryu colliding hard with something. Not that Adelaide would be of much use in shielding her guardian, but it would be worth it if she could somehow stop this.

Then she heard the name Takashi. The one they had been searching for had come, and in Adelaide's mind she felt that Takashi must be an amazing person, akin to a superhero. She was relieved and she relaxed a bit from her tensed, cramped position. Fletcher seemed to be getting a grip on his nerves as well as he asked after Adelaide's well-being. She nodded solemnly in answer.

The sounds of fighting were becoming distant. It was almost silent when Adelaide cautiously poked her head out. There was Ryu in the distance slumped against a tree. A young man came into sight and approached the wounded Ryu. The newcomer had his back to where Adelaide was viewing but she could see him lifting up Ryu's head. Blood dripped from his face.

Alarmed, Adelaide whipped back to Fletcher. "Someone." she said, trying to grab his attention. Her eyes widened as she silently conveyed the situation. She pointed in their direction and finally managed to squeak out, "Ryu!"

Ryu Hitara

There was a dull drum in his ear as he slowly regained consciousness. His breathing filled his hearing as did his heart beat. For a moment, Ryu forgot what had happened to him and he wondered why his head hurt so much. Then he realized that the reason for his tremendous headache was the fact that he'd been literally launched into a tree. Another fact came to him and his eyes snapped opened.

"Are you okay?" A boy asked him, having wiped away the blood all over his face. Ryu ignored him for a moment and came forward frantically. Of course he didn't get very far because his head thrummed harder and his entire body felt like it was on fire. He fell back against the tree with a groan.

"Well, I'm alive," Ryu answered sarcastically, wincing as he sat there.

"Ryu!" The soft voice was just loud enough for him to hear and his heart leapt into a race. His ward! For a few seconds he thought that the Fallen had gotten to Adelaide and once more his eyes snapped open and he moved too quickly for his injured body. Even so, he leaned off to the side, trying to ignore the pain racing through him. He searched for the girl and the other young boy whom he'd been trying to protect.

"Adelaide! Are you alright?" He called. He spotted her soon after and sighed in relief. At least she was still there. Once he'd gotten his answer from the girl he turned to the boy who was tending to him.

"Where's Takashi? Did she come? Where'd that Fallen go? Who are you?" He had to bite his tongue to keep from bombarding the boy with more questions. Ryu had to conclude that the boy before him must have been with Takashi if he were there, or maybe he was just a passerby. Eitherway, Ryu was concerned about this ones safety as well as the other two, though he didn't say anything. If he wasn't a pageling, than he didn't need to know details. If he was than he was in even more danger than a normal person.

As he sat there, listening to the answers given to his questions he figured things out. However, their peace and quiet didn't last long. From the underbrush, the large bushes and fauna there was a loud cry and following it Takashi came hurtling into the area looking worse than Ryu felt. His heart jumped in his chest and he leaned against the tree to stand. As he stood, so did Takashi, her green eyes flamed with anger. She was missing one of her knives and her body was covered in long cuts and gashes.

From the bushes came the Fallen who almost mirrored Takashi in injuries. Though instead of her usual cruel smile, she was angrily glaring at the red haired Guardian. Ryu stumbled slightly but gripped his knife tightly and put a smile on his own lips.

"Ready for round two, Fallen? This time it'll be more than a match," he called. The woman's burnt amber gaze flicked to him and narrowed.

"You wish," she growled, then turned her attention back to Takashi, "I suppose luck is on your side, Takashi. Otherwise I'd crush you right here. Don't worry though, next time you won't get off so easily."

"Maybe you should have killed me when you had the chance back then."

The Fallen straightened and her cruel, cold smile returned to her pale face, "Perhaps. But this is much more fun," she finished, her eyes turning passed Ryu's shoulder. Ryu looked and caught sight of the boy who was the center of the Fallen's attention right then. He arched an eyebrow, unsure of what was going on exactly, but without hesitating he moved to put himself in front of the young man.

In doing so he received a very unpleasant look from the Fallen, to which he only replied with a smile and a half salute to her, mocking her in every way he could. The woman stepped back into the green brush and turned her back to them all. She was soon lost to them and Takashi looked as if she were going to pursue. Ryu moved as quickly as his battered body could allow. Grabbing her arm he pulled her back and then dropped down with her.

"Hey! Hey! Don't be getting any ideas here, Takashi! You can't possibly go after her after all that. I mean look at you, you're bleeding all over the place and you don't look like you could put up a good fight. Come on, let her go for now, ok? We'll get her next time-"

"Shut up, Ryu," she spat at him and he startled. It wasn't unusual for her to tell him that, but the tone of voice was way unusual for him. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to her.

"Takashi..."

She looked down, her red hair falling over her face and hiding her eyes from him, "Sorry," she muttered and then fell against him.

"Hey, hey!! You can't just pass out right here!" Ryu fumbled.

"I'm still awake you idiot," she shot back and Ryu felt his heart settle. A sigh of relief flooded him as she spoke again, "Don't get the wrong idea, though. I'm just tired."

"Yeah, I know. I'm tired too," he replied and patted the top of her head gently. Had it been any other time he was sure she would have broken his fingers for doing something like patting her head, but seeing as she was exhausted he figured he was safe enough.

"We gotta report this, you know. I think maybe it's time we find him," Ryu suggested carefully.

"Mmm," was the only reply he got from the red haired Guardian. Ryu opened and closed his mouth as he sat there. Then he turned to where he'd told the two pagelings to hide and called to them.

"It's alright now guys, you can come out of hiding now. We'll be leaving soon anyway," he said as he turned to Takashi. He knew she was thinking the same thing he was. It was time to go find Matthew.

As Kai looked worriedly at the boy, the other one reacted differently that expected. He jerked forward, only to drop back again, groaning in pain. He said he was alive, but was then distracted by a voice calling a name. Kai guessed it was his, because he responded. After a short conversing with the girl, Ryu turned his attention back to Kai. How many of them are there? Kai asked himself inwardly. "Where's Takashi? Did she come? Where'd that Fallen go? Who are you?" The boy asked frantically. Kai simply looked at him. He wasn't about to answer any of those questions without knowing what was going on.

"I don't know. Do you expect me to tell you? I don't even know what the hell a fallen is. And do you think I would tell you?" Kai said. His words were sharp, but he kept his voice low and calm. He stood up and took a few steps away from the boy. Just as he was about to begin asking his own questions, Takashi came flying through the trees, landing with a painful thud. She stood up, looking furious, bloody and somehow still gorgeous. Kai surprised a smile. The same girl from before came after her. The once white hair was streaked with blood and dirt, although once again it didn't diminish her exotic beauty. Ryu stood up and said something about another round, but the pageling was focused on Takashi. They all said some things, but Kai's mind was drifting. He didn't start paying attention until he Ryu stepped in front of him, protectively.

Kai literally had to fight to not roll his eyes. He did not need protecting. The cruel smile on the "Fallen's" face faded into a scowl. Why was she looking at him that way? She turned and disappeared into the woods, and Ryu started going on about how they would get her, but Takashi sharply cut him off. Kai listened to the exchange between the two of them, but he kept his eyes on the trees. When he brought his mind back to the people with him, he turned to see Takashi leaning on Ryu, and he was patting her head. He raised an eyebrow. Surely somewhere he had missed something. Ryu called the others out, and said it was okay not to hide anymore.

"Alright. I have been extremely patient while you fight some hot blonde chick," he pointed to Takashi, " and while you bombarded me with questions, talked to some hidden girl and then tried to protect me," he said his voice raising. "Now I want answers Takashi. What is going on? Who was that girl? What is a ward? And am I yours? What happened to your last one? Am I just a replacement until whatever the hell you do goes wrong?" He asked, hardly taking a breath between questions. "Why were you surprised when I did this?" He began making a sword, using long movements. Soon enough a sword appeared in Kai's hand as he took it out of an invisible sheath. This time he did it quickly, and threw it on the ground almost as soon as he'd made it. It took a few seconds to disappear, but it did. He began pacing back and forth. He was very impatient and as illogical as it is, he wanted all of his questions answered right then and there at the same time. Waiting was not on his list of things to do.

Suddenly, a hawk flew above the sky, cawing out. It wasn't a rare sight, but it was enough to distract Kai. "Hey Takashi look at that!" The childish glee was back to his voice, but it didn't last long. "No wait. Don't. Answer my questions."

---

Lydia

Lydia bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. She breathed in and out, shaking out her arms. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight knot at the back of her head. She took one last breath and began running across the mat. She flipped forward, placing her powered hands on the ground. Her movements were flawless, or so it seemed. She always found mistakes while watching her recorded practices. Although, this wasn't gym practice, it was agility and fighting practice. Her moves were a mix gymnastics, Hankido and Hapkido. The combination created a beautiful show, however if you were to come across her, it became deadly. Losing her balance, she slips and fell hard on her back. The wind was knocked out of her, but it wasn't anything she wasn't used to.

After showering and putting on her favorite outfit, coral colored shorts and a cream colored v-neck, she walked out of the gym seeking out her father. Today, she had her whip fashioned as a belt. It was hidden by her top, but if anyone were to see it, they'd take it as a fashion statement. After talking with her dad for a few minutes, she was given a piece of paper with the information of her ward on it. His name, age, and grade were written next to a picture of him. He father gave her the advice that he might hang out at the library or possibly the park considering it was nice out today. She thought she'd seen him around school some, but she'd just have to see now wouldn't she.

Lydia stuffed the noted in her pocket and began making her way towards the park. "Hi," she began speaking to herself. She kept her voice low though, so that no one could hear what she was saying. "My name is Lydia Vivire. No need to introduce yourself, I know who you are. No, no, no! That sounds so stalkerish," She sighed. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "Hello, I'm Lydia. It's really nice to meet you finally." Lydia clenched her fists and let out a frustrated sigh."Finally? That's even worse! Okay, alright Lydia. you got this. Hi, I'm Lydia. You're special, and I'm here to protect you." She slapped her forehead and gave up. Maybe the right words would come to her when the time came. She entered the park and began looking around. She pulled out the paper again and studied his picture.

Fletcher heard the noises of more fighting behind him. More fighting, more bloodshed, more violence. Why did it have to be this way? He watched Adelaide closely. Her eyes widened, and she was very concerned about something. She managed to squeak Ryu! but that was all he heard.

“Yeah, Ryu’s hurt! i…. I just don’t know what to do! Then he noticed that someone else, someone new was standing over Ryu. He looked like a good guy, but you never really could tell. He watched him nervously, wondering what he was saying to him. Suddenly Ryu sat up and shouted, Adelaide! Are you alright?

“Yeah, she’s fine!” Fletcher called back, glancing down at his own shaking limbs. He was certain Adelaide couldn’t be much more frightened than he was- he didn’t even have a real guardian to protect him! He watched Ryu and the other guy talk for a while, biting his lip and staying put. What should he do? Adelaide looked like she might cry, and he felt pretty much the same way. Just in a more manly sense, of course.

His course of action was decided for him as Takashi and the Fallen, Ivy, reappeared from the woods. Fletcher ducked down behind the log as a loud conversation ensued. Then silence for a while. Only the sounds of walking could be heard by the young man. Then, urgent chatter by Ryu and Takashi. He looked up again, to see that Ivy had left the scene. After glancing around nervously, Ryu came up to them and commanded them, It's alright now guys, you can come out of hiding now. We'll be leaving soon anyway,"

Fletcher nodded nervously, grasping his folded crossbow tightly. “Y-yeah… I need to get out of here. This is all too crazy.” Most dominant on his mind was the need most dominant in his life- the need for a Guardian. When would he get one? Who would it be? What was he, or most likely, she, like? Would they be a good guardian? Would he or she be able to protect him against Ivy should she come calling again? Ryu and Takashi were good guardians and all, but… Ryu reminded him of Richard, however vaguely, and Takashi seemed to be closely related to him. He didn’t want to make enemies or anything… He just didn’t want to be around them more than necessary.

Distracted by this, Fletcher epically failed at climbing over the log that he had used as his hiding place, tripping over the top and tumbling down, landing with a face full of leaves and dirt. He sat up with a splutter, letting out a groan of disgust. “Aaghhh…” He blew the leaves that had entered his mouth out, and stood before Ryu or anyone could really offer help. He glanced around. It didn’t seem like danger was near anymore. “Am… Can I go, now?”

Takashi Inevera

She rested against Ryu and didn't even have the strength enough to slap away his hand as he patted her gently on the head. How she hated it when he did things like that to her. Just because he was taller than her and much more lively didn't mean he could get away with anything he wanted. She scowled at the ground but didn't move as every limb in her body ached. That was until Kai came into her line of sight looking very irritated and started ranting at her.

"Alright. I have been extremely patient while you fight some hot blonde chick, and while you bombarded me with questions, talked to some hidden girl and then tried to protect me. Now I want answers Takashi. What is going on? Who was that girl? What is a ward? And am I yours? What happened to your last one? Am I just a replacement until whatever the hell you do goes wrong? Why were you surprised when I did this?"

Her heart slammed in her chest. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. The normally large green orbs were small and filled with a mixture of emotions. Sadness, hatred, rage and most of all, hurt. She was hurt by what he said last. Was he just a replacement? No! Of course not! How could he think like that? Until she did something wrong?! Where did that come from?

"Hey Takashi look at that! No wait. Don't. Answer my questions."

She was too absorbed with trying to calm her own reactions down to even really acknowledge his short lack of concentration on his current situation. He turned back to face her, demanding answers. Some of those answers she wasn't ready to give him. Takashi tried to calm herself, but it wasn't working very well and without knowing it tears had already begun to stream down her cheeks. Her face was flushed with anger, her heart beating rapidly and her throat tight. A wave of memories washing her over as she sat there.

Slowly she stood up from her kneeling position against Ryu. The younger Guardian stretched out his hands to try to stop her but Takashi was showing a side of herself that the boy hadn't ever seen and didn't quiet know how to deal with. It took some effort to stop the flow of tears once she realized that they'd started. Once she got them under control, it was purely a stony face that glared at Kai, locking up everything that had shown moments before.

"You're my ward," she replied softly, her voice emotionless, "You're what's called a pageling. That sword you created is your papercraft. I knew about it, that's why I wasn't surprised. I'm your guardian, I protect you from the Fallen. That's what Ivy is. She used to be a guardian, like me. But she abused her power and now she takes pagelings for her own personal use. She has no problems with killing pagelings, overusing them and their power, driving them to their limits until they simply. fall. apart," she stopped to take a breath, steadying herself and keeping the same stone features, "My last ward is..." she stumbled, losing her composure.

Her breathing quickened again and Takashi turned away from Kai. She walked away from him and Ryu, her movements less graceful than before thanks to the many injuries that ravaged her. Takashi leaned against a tree and slowly slid down to her knees where she whispered to herself, "I knew it was too early for this... I'm not... I can't," she reached up and pressed her fingers against her forehead hard. Squeezing her eyes shut she sat there trying to rid herself of her doubts and regain her confidence once more.

Ryu Hitara

The burst from the boy was startling and right after Takashi's crying face put Ryu in an awkward situation. He didn't know what to do and for once he was actually at a total loss of words. He didn't know what to say as Takashi stood up from his side and faced the boy that was her ward. He watched in sadness as she turned away and dropped down in the fauna literally curling in on herself. Ryu had heard about what had happened to her last ward, something that he probably hadn't over heard at the time but it wasn't something he could forget so easily.

She was probably tearing herself apart right then. No. That was wrong. She tore herself apart every day because of what happened. He couldn't even begin to try to understand how she felt. Turning his eyes landed on his two wards. Well, one was his ward, the other was just under his temporary protection. If he lost Adelaide because he hadn't been right there with her, he wouldn't know what to do at all after that. The fact that Takashi was moving one step at a time forward was a miracle in and of itself.

“Am… Can I go, now?”

Ryu had watched Fletcher climb over the log and totally biff it at the end. However he wasn't in his usual mood of teasing and continuous chatter (a rarity). So when Fletcher spoke, it seemed to shake Ryu from his daze and he nodded slightly to the boy.

"Yeah, just... wait for me. Adelaide and I will go with you. We gotta get you a Guardian and soon. Without one you're going to be in a lot of trouble. Especially with Ivy..." he stopped and glanced over his shoulder to the kneeling figure of Takashi, "Well, you know that already I'm sure. Come on, lets get going," he stood up and moved over to help Adelaide up to her feet. Once that was done he started walking towards the park area with Fletcher in tow as well. He stopped for a moment next to Takashi, looking down at her with a sense of sympathy. He bit his lip before speaking.

"We really need to go find Matthew, Takashi."

"Go," her voice was sharp, "I'll catch up later."

"You better. What would I do without you Takashi?" Ryu chirped at her, trying to make her feel better. She muttered something in response, but he couldn't hear it. When she didn't say anything else he frowned and readjusted Adelaide before continuing to the park area.