She stood on the edge of the spire, the dark spine jutting out horizontally above the vast black dome below. It was distant, but even from here she could tell the surface was not even the glossy elegant black of obsidian, nor the blackness of her own clothing. No, the dome hundreds and hundreds of feet beneath Black Storm Barrage was a deep, unnatural darkness. It was not always like this. But that… That was what she was here to fix.

Grim determination displayed on her features, Black Storm Barrage tipped forward… and fell. She fell facing downwards, the wind whipping past her and catching her ponytail as she tore towards the darkness beneath her. The black dome swelled larger and larger as she approached. She could see them, swarming over it. The shadowy shapes, the blank lack of features, they creatures that swarmed in situations like this. The featureless faces of the bulky forms below gaze upwards towards her as she fell. Seconds before impact, she swung her feet forward for a perfect landing, her boots impacting on the black glass.

The creatures turned towards her.

Black Storm Barrage’s hair and cape fluttered in the wind behind her, as she swiftly swung one pale arm off. Almost immediately there was a green crackle as, in a blur, Alternate Cannon assembled itself on her arm piece-by-piece. The last pieces, the wedges surrounding the very end of the barrel, clicked into place and the weapon started to glow within. One of the dark shapes raised a long, thick, tendril-like arm…

And a blue blast erupted from Alternate Cannon, bursting forward to take off its faceless head. The corpse toppled backward, shedding darkness until nothing was left. But that wasn’t the only one of the creatures. More were closing in on her by the second. Black Storm Barrage turned, swinging her weapon about and firing as she did. One of the monsters went down with a hole blown cleanly through its chest, another with its head destroyed. Each time the blast of Alternate Cannon firing rang out, and it released a blue burst of raging energy, another monster fell and faded.

But there were so many. This was the most that Black Storm Barrage had ever seen, but she’d cleared a spot. Swinging Alternate Cannon downwards, she fired.

The blast hit the black glass and immediately ricocheted off, hurtling into the sky. There wasn’t even a scratch on the surface beneath her. Eyes narrowing, she fired again. But nothing happened! The black glass didn’t so much as crack. No! This wasn’t… she had to get through, though! Black Storm Barrage had to break through the glass… she was in there…

A stabbing pain erupted in the girl’s stomach. Her eyes widened and she coughed, spitting blood and looking down. The dark, razor-sharp tip of a tendril from one of the creatures protruded from her stomach, blood flowing freely around it.

Black Storm Barrage was momentarily stunned… then anger took her. She raised Alternate Cannon and spun, crying out in pain and rage.

“Grrr… raaaagh!”

The barrel of her weapon was pointed, point-blank, at her attacker’s head. Black Storm Barrage fired. The creature’s head was immediately destroyed and it toppled back, fading away. But at the same time, Black Storm Barrage rocked back and began to fall, rolling down the side of the black glass. In a few moments, she hit the ground below. She continued to roll, leaving a trail of blood on the white sands, before lying still.

But this wasn’t nothing near what it would take to stop her. Black Storm Barrage got one leg under herself, and pushed up. She forced herself to her feet, and with her free hand she touched her stomach. The torn flesh was already healing, green light playing about the edges of the wound as it sealed itself. Soon, there was not so much as a scar remaining. But the monsters, the faceless creatures were swarming towards her. One lept, trying to catch her before she could react.

Black Storm Barrage swung Alternate Cannon up as it closed in, the immense cannon’s barrel slamming into the monster’s side and sending it careening through the air. She spun and fired, putting a hole through its stomach before the fading corpse even hit the ground. But this left her unprepared. A second attacker slammed into her side, and she found herself stumbling back.

As the disturbed sand cleared, she realized there was the edge of a cliff here.

Black Storm Barrage fell.

When she awakened, thousands of feet below, Black Storm Barrage staggered to her feet, looking up. The black dome… it was so far above…
The girl bowed her head. She had failed. She’d tried to save her… but she simply failed utterly.

She took a deep breath. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t try again. Her hands tightened into fists. No, she’d try again. Black Storm Barrage would keep trying until the one inside the black dome was free.

She turned away from the cliff, for the moment. Her surroundings… they were quite different from the pale wastes above. It was a forest of rusted metal jutting from the ground, but with the greens of vines and other plants growing amongst them. There was even a small river.

Black Storm Barrage would have to find a way to get back up.

---

Mio walked alone. She felt heavy. She’d seen her… Kazuko was just laying there, still… She was alive, but she was comatose. The doctors had no idea what had happened to her, and… and there was nothing that Mio could do. All she could do was… watch, really… and… and she felt so sad, and frustrated! Kazuko was her friend, but… there was no way for her to help her.

Mio paused, stopping and staring down at the sidewalk for a few moments. She couldn’t do anything at all…

… No, no that wasn’t true.

Mio’s head snapped back up. Even as she felt so heavy… determination swelled in her heart. She could visit every day to see how Kazuko was doing. There was no way that she wouldn’t get better and wake up!

Holding onto this belief, Mio continued to walk home.

Mio was accosted immediately upon entering the door. Well, not 'accosted'--such would be too strong a term for what actually happened, which was her sister calling from the lounge: "You should have been back ages ago, Mio."

The girl herself, however, did not rise from her position on the couch; she was too busy lying on it and reading, with her legs hanging over the end and being the first thing the younger sister would actually see of her normally-respectable sibling. The book appeared to have had a blank paper jacket carefully placed over the cover, so it was completely unclear what had her so spellbound... and all the more suspicious for it.

At least she wasn't too absorbed to miss her sister's arrival.

Crisis Sonata was decidedly not a nature person, but interesting types of people wandered into places like that, so whatever; might as well give it a shot.

At present, the Alter Ego sat low in the branches of an unremarkable tree in a whole forest of them, fiddling a mournful tune on her violin for no particular reason other than it would probably prove mysterious and intriguing to anyone in the vicinity. It would probably attract attention, and then all the ugly-sounding calmness of the woods could give way to something a little more exciting. Hopefully not any other sort of...creature, though. Other creatures didn't react to conversation, and that was incredibly boring. Crisis Sonata had no idea what kind of people would be wandering around a weird place like this, but that's what she was there for, right? Oh, she could always leave if no one showed up. But someone would have to show up. The "mysterious music wafting faintly from somewhere faraway" tactic always worked, right?

+++

Aiko sat daintily on the fence along the sidewalk, feet swinging and dangling freely. Her earbuds spouted bubbly pop music, and she casually hummed to it as her eyes scanned the buzzing metropolis around her. People scuttered around the area without so much as a glance at her, the young and pretty high school girl perched on the fence. Well that wouldn't quite do, would it? It was so easy to be ignored in a big city like this. Scoffing at the annoyance slowly growing in her gut, Aiko leaned forward and scanned the crowds in front of her for someone to strike up a conversation with. She wouldn't be able to stand it if her day remained this boring.

As she looked around for any familiar face (or an unfamiliar but intriguing face), Aiko's mind wandered to the events of the day. Had anything interesting happened? Oh, there was that Kazuko girl who passed out in class. Uninteresting; an unconscious girl was an untalkative one, and hospital visits to such people were a complete drag. Aside from that, she and Aiko had never been friends in particular. Recently all the talk in school had been about Kazuko's comatose state, so at least there was that one line of conversation that was easy to bring up with anyone. The affair was very curious, after all. The doctors, Aiko had heard, had no idea what had caused the sudden failure of her health, and speculation of a cause was the sort of topic that could keep going for hours among talkative people.

Ah, it didn't matter. Aiko had no say in the matter, really; at present her goal was to find someone to pass the time with, and she ought to occupy herself with happier thoughts in the meantime.

Black hair, strewn over the cold, hard, fake wood desk...eyes half-open and glazed over, mouth ajar and leaking saliva...all of it hung as freshly in Gregor's head as if he was still seeing it. It was an image, painted in his mind's eye and maintained their by his concern. He couldn't fathom why a girl would just go limp and slip into unbreakable unconsciousness out of the blue. Sure, she'd been a little off-kilter as of late, but what high school student wasn't on edge at this time of the year? Greg had convinced himself that it was simply some heart condition, probably genetic in origin. Now to think of it, he'd read a dozen articles on some website or another detailing the very same phenomenon, probably. To some degree Greg knew he was trying to reassure himself that all was well, but he was also aware that in traumatic time a level head is a must. No use obsessing after all--if he couldn't do anything, why worry? Still, Greg couldn't forget the haunting image of his friend suddenly and inexplicably silenced.

As the bus ran over a bump in the road, Greg's reverie vaporized and he was simply another kid on the way home from school. He shifted in his seat, trying to forget his mental discomfort by seeking more physical discomfort. Naturally, no amount of fidgeting could rid him of the number-one issue plaguing him: the cold. Ever since he came to Japan the generally cooler weather perturbed him, especially since he loved the heat. Back in Australia as a little kid he would be outside playing on days that any reasonable human being would panting in front of an air conditioner. And so, despite his fleecy jacket, Greg King was chilly. Another fifteen minutes remained on the bus ride (more due to traffic than distance) and so he'd have a while to shiver. Since his seat was empty but for him, he had the rare opportunity to stretch out. "Aah," he sighed, finally settling in.

-=-=-

They were watching, but the warrior wasn't afraid. He walked alone through a forested path, spattered with dappled sunlight leaking through the foliage. To either side of the faintly cobbled autumn road, however, the sunbeams did not penetrate, and it was there that the monsters lurked. Ironclad took his time, moving with deep, measured strides, almost mechanically. Only his tail belied that he was no automaton; it twitched back and forth, sweeping across the bright, fallen leaves and gritty cobblestones. Every now and then the little scythe blade on the lash's tip would drag across one of the stones and gouge it, making a slight grinding noise and scattering sparks. Though the alter ego's orange eyes, glowing like metal heated to melting point in a forge, eternally pointed forward, he was well aware of the creatures, For all of the response he gave, however, he could have easily been oblivious.

Ironclad paid the shadowy entities no mind because he knew they wouldn't attack. The unknown, creepy shapes were fierce, but he was fiercer. Their dark teeth and tendrils could crush, tear, and puncture; his blades had yet to encounter flesh they couldn't sever. They were monsters, feared by many and hated by all. Unless he showed weakness or provoked them, they would keep their distance. Yes, they were monsters...but so was he.

Heavy, rhythmic footfalls continued to break the forest's silence. Once in a while the song of a bird would resound through the dense woods, breaking the beat. Ironclad's tail ceased its catlike whipping and simply trailed behind him. In ten minutes he would be out of this place. leaving the watchful eyes behind.

A gunshot rang out as Fantasy Sky Breaker lowered the smoking barrel that was pointed at one of the dark creatures, he watched as it dissipated into nothingness before turning and continuing on his way. He had drifted until he found himself near a flowing river and for once he was actually in a good mood, it was completely silent for the most part, no loud noises, no other alter ego's fighting or even talking, that creature was the only thing that was bothersome and now that he was dead he could enjoy this silence again. Breaker started to dismiss his gun but stopped and glanced over his shoulder as he picked up another noise approaching quickly. With a sigh he ducked as something swiped at his skull and spun his body right, the creature turned to him as Breaker raised his foot slamming it across the creatures face sending it tumbling along the ground.

Breaker walked over to the creature really missing when he could go for a simple walk without getting interrupted, well not as much as usual since others were here his silence wouldn't last long, thus he tended to enjoy it when it was there.
Breaker raised his foot and slammed it on the creature's head as it tried to get up, he turned its face slightly as it let out a growl before pointing his gun at its skull and squeezing the trigger silencing it.
"Annoying," he muttered shooting it in the skull again.
It wasn't necessary to double tap the creature but after messing with his peaceful walk he was tempted to empty an entire clip into it, unfortunately that required effort and he decided against the idea as the creature vanished.
Breaker dismissed his gun and made his way over to the river, he knelt down removing the glove on his right hand before dipping his hand in and cupping the water. He kept his ears open as he took a drink and continued on his way putting his glove back on adjusting it with the hope he could enjoy his walk for a bit longer.

---

Kenji opened his eyes slightly to be treated to the blue sky and the clouds floating lazily by above, a small smile formed on his face feeling surprisingly good after his nap. He sat up and rolled up his sleeve slightly before looking at his watch, school was over which meant that he probably slept through his last class. He looked around seeing he was on the rooftop of the school, he rubbed the side of his head not sure when he came up here, he might have made an excuse and left in the middle of class. In the end he decided not to think too hard about it and stood up. Kenji made his way out of the school making an effort to avoid any of his teachers, he hoped one he knew wasn't at the gate saying goodbye or he'd have to run away again.
Kenji let out a small yawn as he started the long walk home, he meant to wake up in time to catch a bus back but he supposed walking was the only option now. His home wasn't too far that he couldn't walk but he just felt like being lazy today, that and after what he saw today he didn't really want too much time to think.
That girl Nakajima Kazuko had just passed out in class which he considered not fair since whenever he went to sleep in class the teacher yelled at him. A small sigh escaped from Kenji as he realized that wasn't exactly fair to think about, Kazuko's situation was different after all no one could wake her up afterwards and as pleasant as that sounded something may have happened to her. Kenji wasn't friends with her and personally he felt no connection or anything of sort with her but she was in his 'let me see their notes' book so he considered that a bit of loss.
"That's not fair," he mumbled. "I may not know her but I shouldn't think like that."
At the end of everything there wasn't much he could do and since he didn't personally know her he didn't see why there was an need to really think about her, he did hope she would come back soon though, exams would be here before he knew it and he would definitely need someone's notes in a situation like that.
While walking through the city he put both his hands behind his head wanting to get home soon, he was already in the mood to relax again.

Mio paused for a moment after taking off her shoes and entering her home. It was before she even got to say she was home, her sister must have heard her coming in the door. Not wanting to simply shout to the other room, she quickly headed towards the lounge. And... there was her sister, slouched on the couch with a book. Mio was finding it hard to just sit and read at the moment, really... not with what happened to Kazuko.

"I'm sorry, onee-san," she began, calmly, "But I was going to visit Kazuko-san in the hospital, so I had to walk home."

The walk from the hospital to home wasn't exactly a short one, really. But Mio was certain this would be fine. Kazuko was her friend, and Mio planned to visit her until... well, until she got better. Every day until she got better. She knew her way home and she knew how to stay safe, so it wasn't as if there were any real problems with this, right? The uncommon desire for defiance(at least in Mio) was faintly present. If her sister didn't like it, well... she couldn't just leave Kazuko alone in the hospital every day...

Kano was sitting on the bench of the bus stop, his mind wandering far away. Well, more than sitting he was lying there as if he were in his bed, the only thing impeding him from completely lying down was the backrest of the bench. He really wasn't thinking of anything of major importance, but the news of someone suddenly fainting were indeed preoccupying. He didn't know the girl well, more like just some hall small talk when he had nothing better to do. Kazuko is her name, right? He wondered if he should visit her in the hospital sometime. Maybe it would be rude to just appear when a moment ago he couldn't remember her name really well. Still, that kind of things were what Kano often tried to steer away from, so he shrugged and dismissed it.

Ah, the bus finally arrived. He stood up, hands inside his pockets and boarded the bus. He let out a sigh. He was a bit disappointed because the day was not only boring, but also somewhat devoid of life. Many people were still dumbfounded with what had happened with Kazuko. "But that ain't my problem." He whispered while he gave the driver some money to pay for his bus fare and the driver turned around, thinking Kano was talking to him. "Oh no, it is nothing, ojisan." He motions with his hand not to worry about it and searches for an empty seat in the bus, and a tease worthy seat mate.

He found someone who looked rather interesting sitting alone and stretching out. Perfect. He walks directly to that seat and sits beside the blonde guy without even asking for his permission, a big cat smile on his face. He was sure to have seen the guy before in school, but this was the first time he'd get to actually talk to him, something he had intended to do some day, just to tease him a bit. "Hey there! I am Kano. I believe we both go to the same school." He extends his hand. "Well, I just wanted to ask ya, is your hair natural or do you dye it? Cause if you do dye it, then we are comrades!" He points at his head, since he also has blonde hair, just that his is dyed. He wanted to get the conversation up and going so he could start teasing the guy, and if he was a foreigner, then all the better, he could get every stereotype he had on this guy's nationality to entertain himself. Kano just hoped that the guy wasn't temperamental.

---

Scarlet thorn was lying down on the floor of a little forest, beneath the shadow of a tree. He was so completely relaxed that he would beat the crap out of someone who dared interfere with his relaxation time and the sound of someone walking in the distance, who as well seemed to want to make his presence known in the whole forest, wasn't exactly a soothing sound. The harder he tried to relax, the louder he'd heard the footsteps, even if the sounds weren't as loud, for him it seemed that way. Steadily increasing, this was getting on Scarlet Thorn's nerves.

Along with the stressful footsteps, the birds were also chirping and, even if it was more relaxing than those armoured footsteps, it was also being annoying alongside the other sound. Well, since his relaxation time had already been interrupted by the sound of footsteps from someone who seemed to be armed to the teeth and his paranoia, he might as well see who was the cause of the ruckus. He stood up with a swift break-dance motion and walked to where he thought the footsteps were coming from. When he finally encountered someone, he let out a sigh. "A guy huh? Well, what was I expecting? A hot armoured girl? Oh, whatevs." Now at least he had someone to tease, which would be a good way to kill time. So, Scarlet firstly sneaked up behind and then put himself to the armoured guy's side, took his arm and put it around him. "Whatcha doing, boy? Looking for someone?" The androgynous Alter Ego said in his high-pitched voice, so knowing what his gender was would be rather hard with just his voice. "If so, why don't we have some fun...? He said, taking the armoured guy's arm and embracing himself with it. It'd be really funny after he discovered Scarlet was just a guy messing with him. The though of it made Scarlet giggle.

It wasn't exactly a rare sight for Shion to look gloomy. After all, it was part of the reason she was generally avoided. And while the source of said gloominess was usually her self-imposed solitude, today there was a new cause, and the cheerleader couldn't seem to shake it from her mind.

Hands in the pockets of her jacket, her eyes were busy boring holes into the ground at her feet, standing outside a manga store. She wanted to ignore it, divulge herself in some random, romantic manga and dive into a world filled with love and cheer. Instead, Kazuko kept floating back to the forefront of her thoughts.
Shion's frown was slowly shifting to a scowl. Goddamnit, it had nothing to do with her! She had no reason to fret over it!
Still, the timing was pretty horrible. Her gaze shifted to the plastic bag lying beside her. She'd bought those chocolates for Kazuko, as a way to make up for yelling at her the day before.

Shion hadn't meant to yell, but of course, she always did. She... just didn't want to admit she was struggling with the class' subject, and Kazuko was only trying to help a little. So, feeling guilty, the chocolates were supposed to be her way of asking forgiveness. Well, not like it was going to matter now.
She sighed heavily, wishing she hadn't said those things. Insulting her for helping was bad enough, but for her to just... end up in hospital like that, not long afterwards... it was almost like...

---

There was a lot of them.

The silver, almost crystalline flower stem slammed into the ground, crushing the dark creature beneath it. Before it had even finished evaporating, it was raised and swung swiftly in a 180o arc, striking a similar creature that attacked from the wielder's back. A second, flower-like weapon was then thrust upwards, the pom-pom that lay atop it striking a third creature,

The long-haired figure was surrounded by the creatures. Not that there was a whole lot of them. Twelve, tops, and three were already down.

They shuffled from side to side, as if trying to decide which direction was the best to attack from. The blonde smiled, amused that they even bothered considering options when they were dead no matter what.
One of them rushed forward, swiftly defeated with a single swipe of her weapon. Riot Lily grinned coldly at the monsters. Oh, how she enjoyed destroying them...

For a split second Greg was silent, obviously aware of the person beside him but unsure how to react. He recognized this guy from school, but that wasn't to say the two were the best of friends. Doing his best to avoid any awkwardness, Greg slid his hand into Kanos and shook it limply, without sincerity. “Ah...yes, I think I know you,” he spoke carefully. What little Greg did know about Kano was limited to his some cursory knowledge and a lingering first impression: he was effeminate, joking, audacious, and had no small amount of disregard for personal space. He had also assumed he was gay, but naturally he had no proof. The reason they'd never spoken before was because Greg had avoided doing so. Despite his general hospitality and openness, in-your-face people with a flamboyant attitude rubbed him the wrong way--made him uncomfortable. Greg wasn't one to just give someone the cold shoulder, however. “Hate to disappoint but my hair's always been this blond.” He hoped that this Kano would take the subtle hint of dissociation. “Natural as the day is long.” Though his neutral tone masked it somewhat, Greg's Australian accent was pretty obvious in his speech.

-=-=-

Ironclad found his solemn trek suddenly interrupted by Scarlet Thorn. He knew this alter ego by reputation only, but that was more than enough for him. As he approached, the androgynous being's catlike, playful eyes and attempt at stealth were met with only an uncaring orange glare over his shoulder. Ironclad made no other acknowledgment of the other's presence than to follow it with his gaze. When Thorn spoke, Ironclad made no reply, though he stopped moving forward. It was the grabbing of his arm and the nauseating giggle that finally evoked a response. The blazing eyes narrowed, and for a second there was an almost inaudible grinding sound from within him.

A sharp, sudden scraping noise rang out into the trees as metal spikes and blades erupted from the grim alter ego's armor. At their touch, Scarlet Thorn was forced to recoil. Depending on how quickly Thorn moved out of Ironclad's cold embrace, he would suffer either minor piercings or full-on impalement. Immediately afterward, Ironclad took two steps back and planted his feet.

“I am, actually,” he intoned in a metallic drawl, warped by heavy accent, that resounded through the autumn woods. “A little freak that I can cut to little pieces.” The spikes all over his body slowly retracted back into their usual concealed positions, though the huge metal claws on his wrists swiveled forward into battle mode with a chuk-chik. “You want a fun time?” His tail cracked like a whip, and the scytheblade slammed into a cobblestone with a reverberating clang “Fine by me.” He crouched low to the ground, pantherlike, gathering himself, and leaped toward Scarlet Thorn with claws gleaming in the dappled sunlight. If Thorn didn't defend himself, Ironclad's strike could very well open him up from neck to navel.

Kenji lowered his arms as he found himself moving into a crowd, he remembered the other reason he didn't like walking. Once he got through much of the crowd with a bit of effort he looked around to try and see where he was. If he was near the store he could take a shortcut and get home a little faster, unfortunately he was nowhere near it which meant his walk was far from being over. A long sigh escaped from Kenji as he decided to take a break, he looked for a place to sit down when he noticed a figure that seemed familiar. It was a girl with black curly hair and she seemed to be sitting on a fence, Kenji ruffled his hair for a moment searching for a name, he was pretty sure he could think of it if he really searched for it. He was positive it started with an A....Aiko that was her name. Kiryuu Aiko she was in his 'note' book, he wasn't sure if she was one who said yes, no or ignored him though.
Kenji brought a hand to his chin not really sure where to go from here, he didn't feel like walking at the moment but just standing here wasn't much better, engaging in a conversation with his classmate was a normal thing to do right? They weren't in school right now so was he obligated to talk with her? Kenji was pretty sure he didn't have anything interesting to talk about, still pretending like he didn't see her was rude so at the very least he could initiate a casual conversation. Now that he thought about it she could be a good student, if that was the case not only would he be polite but there could be potential note sharing in the future.

"Well hello there Aika ah wait no it's Aiko isn't it," Kenji said walking over to her raising his hand as a greeting. "How's your day going? Well even if it's bad Kenji Yoshida is here to provide.....ah well actually I'm not sure what I'm providing."
Kenji crossed his arms as he remembered he didn't really think of anything to talk about as he was walking over, that put a damper on things but at least he gave a hearty greeting. He had to wait for a response so he couldn't walk away now, he had to think of a topic while she was answering the question. He considered asking what her favorite color was but realized that kind of question wouldn't assist with anything. He could ask her about a hobby but he might end up yawning if there was a story behind it which would ruin any possible friendliness in the future.

---

Breaker came to a stop in the middle of a forest taking a look around before glancing behind him only to see more forest. He crossed his arms as he tried to asses the current situation he was in. He had gone out for a walk, gotten attacked by negatives, and killed them before continuing on his way. Shortly after that his mind started to wander and when he came back to reality he was standing in a forest. Taking another look around he was able to confirm that he was lost, sad as it was to admit it normally ended up like this when he went for a walk. Breaker looked at the tree branches and wondered if he could climb up the tree's and get a birds eyes view, it'd be easier to find the edge of the forest from a different perspective.
Breaker started to jump onto a branch but stopped as the sound of music reached his ears, he closed his eyes for a moment as the source of that music was probably an altar ego and if he encountered them he'd have to deal with them at the same time. Well that was unless the negative had gained enough intelligence to play music but he seriously doubted that. The effort aside he could get directions from them which would keep him from wandering in the forest.
Breaker ruffled his hair seriously considering his options for a moment, he lowered his hand and jumped onto the branch before taking a look around the forest. He still didn't see the edge which meant he would have to climb higher, Breaker looked up at the tree's stretching above him and he grimaced at the idea of climbing up there just to find the way out.
Jumping off the tree branch he decided to suck it up and ask for directions from the source of that music, it was better than wandering aimlessly and climbing trees.
Breaker followed the music until he finally found the source coming to a stop as he noticed the figure in the trees. The moment his eyes landed on Crisis Sonata a sense of dread filled him, honestly he forgot her name but something in him said to just walk away.
"You," Breaker said looking up at Sonata deciding to go for it. "Do you know where the edge of the forest is?"

Oh? Who was that? For a moment Aiko squinted; approaching her was one of her classmates. His name was...Ah, yes! Kenji. Aiko made it a point to remember names. Some people tended to become disinterested when their names were forgotten. As far as Aiko could remember, he was that sleepy kid with the note-copying habit. Yeah, this might turn out pretty interesting.

She smiled at him as he approached, returning, "Mm, yes, as a matter of fact, it is. And I have to list off this day as 'fairly neutral.' Maybe you can change that, though, Kenji-kun?" In her mind she added, Oh, sure, you'll be providing a lot of entertainment, I hope. Smile never faltering, she hopped off her perch and resigned to leaning back on the fence instead, watching him observantly from under her curly dark bangs. Seeing as he seemed to be stuck on what to talk about so suddenly, she chucked a topic into his face with a wave of a lithe hand. "Where've you been? It's been a couple since school ended, and I don't think I saw you towards the end of the day." Aiko had a strong suspicion he'd simply been off with some of his pseudo-delinquent habits, but she threw in the easily predicted alternative anyway. It wasn't any fun if she pissed him off right away. "So, have you gone and visited that poor girl Kazuko? Most people are deeply curious about stuff like that." Aiko couldn't say she was "deeply interested" in Kazuko personally, but more of in people's reactions to the incident. It was amazing how different people's opinions could be in times of crisis, after all, and this was the perfect opportunity to make some observations on that.

++

The corners of Crisis Sonata's mouth pulled up at the sound of rustling bushes; she sincerely hoped it was another Alter Ego and not some dangerous creature out to kill her; the latter could be easily dispelled by a spear between the eyes, but that was so much effort.

Thankfully, it was the former; a blank-faced guy named Fantasy Sky Breaker, if Crisis remembered correctly, which she most definitely did. She briefly wondered how far she could push that faceless face of his this time before turning back to her piece; it was far from over, but she improvised it in just the right way, so that he'd be forced to stand waiting for a few awkward moments but not so long that he'd decide to leave. She finished the song with a single, draggingly low C, and slowly placed the instrument down on her lap. Her smile stretched wider, and she said to herself as much as she said to Breaker, "Hm, I wonder? Can't the edge of anything be reached by basically walking in a straight line, hon?" She laughed in that annoying high-pitched tone of hers. "And I have a name, remember? Crisis Sonata. You're Fantasy Sky Breaker. I remember, much better than you do." She laughed again.

Kenji was pulled from his thoughts as Aiko spoke to him, he was still lost on a topic so he was relieved to see her create one. When she mentioned where he'd been he blinked and looked down as he technically was still wearing his uniform, he supposed her question made sense as he didn't really like walking around in it for the style. He rubbed the back of his head looking for the right words for the question, however he looked back at her when she asked about Kazuko. She was a hot topic on everyone's mind, he started to wonder if Aiko was a gossip, he kind of hoped not finding out sensitive information about others just complicated matters.
All of that aside he had to respond to her, he didn't think he'd be able to change her day but he believed he could hold some kind of conversation at the very least.

"Well I suppose I'll answer the first one first," Kenji said crossing his arms. "I took a nap near the end of the day, it was actually pretty nice there's all sorts of places around the school that are good for it. I mean on a day like this it's a shame not to sleep under a bit of shade, I'd recommended it if the opportunity presents itself Aiko-san."
Kenji brought a hand to his chin when it came to Kazuko, he wasn't close to her so he didn't have a sincere sensitive answer or anything, that and the way she said that was...strange.
"I'm afraid I haven't visited her, we aren't really close and I doubt she'd want to wake up to the face of a stranger much less a boy staring at her when she's sleeping," Kenji said before lowering his hand. "I believe she's in a coma right? I hear people who wake up from those feel well rested so that'll be a bonus. I'm afraid I'll be part of the generic crowd that just welcomes her when she comes back."
Kenji reached up and ruffled his hair at the thought for a moment before speaking again looking at the ground.
"Those close to her are probably feeling pretty bad though, were you close to her Aiko-san?"

---

Breaker started at Crisis Sonata in silence as she continued playing, he closed his eyes remembering why he wanted to just keep walking but he was already here so he may as well wait. He opened his eyes when she finished his eye lids narrowing slightly when she spoke to him, especially the 'hon' part which gave him another reason to walk away. When she spoke again mentioning her name he finally remembered what little he knew about her, of all the people to encounter why did it have to be Sonata? Well actually there was someone just as bad at least Sonata was easily definable physically, Scarlet was a whole other matter.
"Sorry I forgot your name Sonata," Breaker said looking up at her. "I find you a tad forgettable."
He crossed his arms and leaned against the tree letting out a small sigh, it seemed he was going to end up wandering around this forest for awhile.
"You should be careful playing your instrument in a place like this, those creatures aren't exactly shy about attacking anything that moves," Breaker said looking back at her. "Well except for that huge behemoth Ironclad, they tend to avoid him not that I can necessarily blame them."
Breaker leaned off the tree and glanced into the forest making sure he wasn't the only one that came here after hearing Sonata's music, his eyes narrowed for a moment before he turned and started looking around in different directions.
"Well in the end it doesn't matter, even if they come you can just kill them yourself," Breaker said glancing over at her. "I'm going to find a way out now, don't get yourself killed Sonata."
Breaker picked a direction and started walking away adjusting his gloves as he returned to his walk, he'd find the way out sooner or later.

"You should have called in advance," Reo flatly stated, closing the book and swinging her legs to the ground. Once stood up, the older sibling was also the larger of the pair, by some considerable margin, and more than a little intimidating with the way her glasses, adjusted by one finger, caught the light. Though initially dressed in the same basic uniform, she had much less of it on by this point: shirt and skirt. All the heavy or ruffled parts removed, and the top button of the shirt itself undone. Not, by any stretch of the imagination, the proper look for the student council president.

Though it was her job to be concerned about all the students in the school, Reo simply didn't have the inclination to visit Kazuko that had gripped her sister: there was nothing in her power to help, and she would rather leave it to the medical community to help the girl than blind faith. One visit, for the sake of appearances, and then Reo had gone back to her normal duties.

---

Books passed between the shelves overhead, and Radiant Blossoming Apparition stood in the enormous library, using her spear to take notes about... something. It was far from clear what; each and every symbol was a distinct sheet of paper and once written on, one loose strand of hair would flick them into a growing pile beside her. It was a normal enough thing for the Alter Ego to be doing... she liked making notes of things. Knowledge was good, it was why her favoured landscape was certainly this library. Even though it was such a lonely place, she still met a surprising amount of people.

Only being close to one of them was rather sad, though.

And guess who had wandered in?

"You look rather battered," the white-haired figure stated, expressionless as she walked closer, away from her stack, "Trouble?"

She was rather too close.

"... I should have," began Mio, still frowning, "And I'm not going to try and make excuses, but I was worried about Kazuko-san and I wanted to see how she was doing."

There might not have been any denying that calling would have been a good idea. However, Mio hadn't thought of it, and she had been in a hurry... and it was justified, wasn't it? Her friend was in the hospital, in a coma... so she'd been in a hurry to see her. And she had to go every day, after all. She'd decided to do so and there was no question one way or the other about it. It was important, she knew it was. Even if Kazuko had no idea she was there, it had to help, didn't it? Mio had yet to even change out of her uniform she had rushed to the hospital so quickly.

---

It had barely been a few steps before Black Storm Barrage encountered the library. She hadn't even seen it at first... but she recognized it, and proceeded inside. It was only seconds before the inhabitant was far, far too close. They had met before, of course. And battered... battered was an understatement. Even though she had healed, the blood was still sprayed all across the front of her body. Black Storm Barrage reservedly stepped back before answering Radiant Blossoming Apparition's question. "I tried breaking through glass flower. I have to try again."

It was a simple statement that covered the entire situation perfectly, delivered in an almost emotionless tone. Almost. The black-haired girl's voice wavered slightly as she spoke. But... no matter how many times it took, she would break into the flower and get her out. She'd kill as many of the creatures as she needed to in order to get into the glass flower.

String Master was in there. And she had to be saved.

In more ways than one, Greg seemed to be uncomfortable with Kano by his side. Well, Kano was well aware of the rumour of him being gay, but this guy seems to have taken it too much at heart. He seemed stiff and seemingly wanted to avoid talking with Kano as much as possible, so Kano received a very cold treatment. However, he laughed it up. With his hearty laugh, which he tried to make as loud as possible, he followed up with the conversation. "Oh~ I'm jealous! And, hey, hey, where is your accent from? It sounds, like, really cool." Kano took a strand of Greg's blonde hair and examined it thoroughly, while he was talking. "So, do you use any kind of special shampoo? My sisters help me take care of mine, since I dye it it has become kinda fragile." He runs a hand through his own hair after letting go of Greg's. Kano crosses his leg and looks at Greg dead in the eye, with his cat-like eyes glimmering. He honestly wasn't trying to look like a girl, but old habits die hard. "Well, never mind that, where ya headed to?"

---

Scarlet Thorn took a step back at the sudden grinding sound coming from Ironclad. This guy didn't seem to have the slightest intention of having a friendly chat. Thorn then left Ironclad's side with a ballerina like motion, his arms up as he spun away from danger, however, his seemingly ridiculous way of getting to safety took its toll on his clothes. "God dammit! That's why I don't like brutes like you!" He looked at his thorn clothes with a sad face, though he was obviously acting. "I'm gonna make you take responsibility for this!"

When the guy put himself in a position to spring and attack in any second, Kano also prepared for battle. His gauntlets and knee protectors appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and he started giving little jumps as a warming-up exercise and just before he sprung at him, he taunted him with his fingers telling him 'C'mon here'. After Ironclad sprung and slashed with his gigantic claws, Kano's first order of action was to dodge with a Matrix-esque movement. After bending more than half of his body to avoid the attack, he demonstrated his super speed falling to the ground with a swift motion and then picking himself up with a breakdance move and with it, he aimed to kick Ironclad's ribs. "Sorry sweetheart, if this is a battle of speed then I already have the upper hand." Even if the kick wouldn't be able to pierce through Ironclad's thick armour, if it hit it would at least hurt like hell.

Unfortunately, Kano didn't seem to be taking the hint. As he laughed too loudly, Greg realized a change of tactics was in order. Perhaps, by playing this game, he could make Kano lose interest—in elementary school, he had learned too late that the bully's torment was no fun if the victim didn't allow himself to be the victim. It would have to be subtle, though; overdoing it would likely only escalate Kano's enjoyment. “Ah, I'm from the land down under. Australia, that is. Shrimps, barbies, and all.” Greg let out a slight chuckle of his own. He didn't move except to quizzically raise one eyebrow when Kano picked at a strand of his short, curly hair, even though he very badly wanted to recoil. “Can't say I do, really. Never had much of a use for cosmetics.”

He kept a neutral expression, both eyebrows relaxed, while Kano crossed a leg and maintained full-on eye contact. Few other students could boast as much of a talent for expression as Greg; years of making funny faces with his friends and watching live-action movies endowed him an impressive range of facial movement. “I'm heading home, actually. Nothing on the agenda, though there's this book I'm into -one of those Jack Reacher novels- that's really got me hooked. What's up with you?” Greg turned his body slightly to face Kano and placed an elbow on the window-side armrest.

-=-=-

Though Ironclad made a note of his opponent's jet-black gauntlets and greaves, his momentum carried him forward as an unstoppable force. He hadn't expected the smaller, nimbler Thorn to try and block the jump strike, in fact, he hadn't expected to land such a directional, telegraphed attack at all. Still, the speed and agility with which Scarlet Thorn fell flat to dodge the double slash before regaining his feet with a stylish flourish was impressive. A pity that ebony armor didn't cover more of Thorn's body, particularly after Ironclad's spikes had decimated his foe's clothes but totally failed to deal any real damage to him.

Like lightening came the kick. If Ironclad had been flesh and blood rather than steel and lead, the blow might have fractured half of his ribcage. Worst case scenario, the extremely sudden and violent movement of the bones might puncture vital organs, and he would have been in unspeakable agony, though death by internal bleeding would have soon relieved him of such an existence. As it was, however, the black boot made a minor dent in the thick armor there, and with noteworthy dexterity Ironclad moved his right arm to clamp around the leg and keep it there. In the span of seconds Scarlet Thorn had dealt a worthy blow but at the same time locked himself into close quarters with an Alter Ego specializing in blades—a dire prospect.

As his arm seized Thorn's leg like a serpent constricting its prey, Ironclad replied, “Seems more like a battle of strength to me.” At once, his tail and free arm moved to strike. The tail whipped forward in an attempt to coil around Scarlet Thorn's other leg, after which a quick yank would bring him to the ground. To distract his foe from this underhanded snare, Ironclad's free arm made a wide slash at Thorn's face, which had little chance of really connecting but definitely looked and sounded dangerous.

Ah, sleeping through class! Of course. Really, it was unsurprising. "Sleeping! Mm, naughty naughty," Aiko scolded with a sarcastic tone. Honestly, she couldn't care less what Kenji did with school hours, but poking at bad habits was her very own bad habit. Some people had the best of reactions to little pricks to the character like those. "It does sound like a good way to pass the time on a rather laggy day, though, so maybe I'll take you up on the offer sometime. Maybe." She winked at him, not caring how he'd interpret that.

"Oh, Kazuko-chan?" Aiko clicked her tongue, twirling a lock of hair between her long fingers. "Mm, no, not necessarily. I used to talk with her sometimes, but talking with everyone sometimes is a good practice to keep up." Aiko's grin stretched wider and her eyelids drooped; Kenji would be no exception to that mantra, and she was curious as to how fast he could catch on. This conversation could stretch out yet. "Of course, now the poor girl is the way she is and all. Can't blame anybody for worrying about it, hm?"

+++

Crisis Sonata let her lips pull down to a pouty frown, but she wouldn't let any of that get to her, would she? And another thing she wasn't letting happen: Breaker getting away.

"Oh? Then I suppose you've either been raised in a freak circus or are simply amnesiac. Poor kid." She daintily stashed her violin away and slung it over her shoulder, swinging her legs over the branch she was perched so she was facing him. She brushed her light hair out of her face and brought her sly smile back to her expression. "And why let a few monsters deter the sound of music? Someone in these forsaken woods must appreciate a good song once in a while. Are you worrying about me, sweet?" She laughed. "Yes, I can certainly take care of myself; thank you for worrying."

Seeing that Breaker was about to leave, Crisis hopped off quickly onto the ground diagonally in front of Breaker, so she wasn't directly in his way but could prove an eyesore if anything. Oh, no, she wouldn't let the fun end there, however much of a killjoy the other party was being. For now a boring source of entertainment was better than none, after all. "Oh, but it's so lonely out here in this forest," she told him, voice heavy with sarcasm. "A little bit of company wouldn't hurt, hm? Just until you get out. Wouldn't want you tripping and scraping your knee, right? Tragic."

Kenji rubbed the back of his head and grinned a little embarrassed to have it put so bluntly but she wasn't exactly wrong. He tilted his head not sure how to take what she just said about his offer but brought a hand to his chin giving a firm nod.
"Anytime the mood hits you just let me know, I'll show you good spot," Kenji said with a thumbs up. "If there's one thing I'm proud of it's my slacking off...though I suppose I shouldn't be proud of something like that."
There were plenty of spots around the school if one knew where to look, the teachers rarely checked certain areas depending on the time of day so it just made it all the better, he intended on keeping his favorite spots to himself though, it took forever to plan a schedule around them. Granted that only worked with teachers, the student council was a whole other matter their routine was a bit...harder to predict.
When she mentioned her relationship with Kazuko he nodded as a response, so she wasn't too close to her either the same as him, at the mention of talking with everyone Kenji rubbed the side of his head only to lower his arm as she spoke of Kazuko again.
"Hmmm speaking to everyone, you have a more patience then I do the whole thing seems tiresome really," Kenji said feeling tired just thinking about it. "I suppose anybody would worry but in the end all ya can do is just go with the flow."
Kenji put his hand to his stomach as he felt it growl, a nervous laugh escaped from him before he pointed to his right.
"I'm going to go get something to eat, I'll see you later Aiko-san," Kenji said before turning and walking away. He raised his hand goodbye to her before walking towards one of the small cafe's.
In another situation he may have invited her along but that wasn't going to happen, the context of the request was too open to interpretation that he decided to just leave it be. In a complicated way he basically didn't want it to seem like he was asking her somewhere, the last thing he wanted were more complications that and he was pretty sure it'd be a no. She might have laughed at him too it was a fifty-fifty chance.

Along the way he noticed the manga shop, if not for his hunger he'd seriously consider going inside however as he noticed the figure standing in front of it he felt his heart sink. That name he definitely remembered, Shion the cheerleader there was no way he was getting involved in whatever was going on there. Kenji dug in his backpack looking for something to disguise his face with, the cafe was just a block away crossing the street to avoid her just meant extra effort. He found one of his notebooks and brought it up to his face, he forgot his name was plastered on the front of it but proceeded anyway to get past her and get some well deserved food in his stomach.
He walked forward to get past Shion, get his food and go home where'd he probably go to sleep especially after the meal he was planning on getting.
Kenji kept his attention on the ground but accidentally bumped into Shion causing him to internally sigh, he took a step back and cleared his throat before speaking in a low voice.
"Excuse me Sh- uh miss, just a fellow student getting some food. Yep just doing stuff that's not important...yep..."
"Nailed it Kenji," he thought with a nod.
He calmly stepped around her and continued on his way really needing to get some kind of nourishment.

---

Breaker just kept walking if he ignored her maybe she'd go somewhere else, he knew there were plenty of Altar ego's she could speak with but he had no idea where any of them were. Normally he'd be more than happy about something like that but was he really doomed to listen to Sonata during his once peaceful walk, seeing her land on the ground near him he realized that just might be the case.
"Do what you want," Breaker said looking over at her before walking again. " Also I wasn't worried about you, if you summon those things I have to deal with them I just don't want the inconvenience,"
That wasn't completely the truth though part of it was, he didn't want to watch someone die in front of him that was one of many things that ruined a day, and aside from the creatures and Sonata his day was actually going pretty well.
"Keep some distance from me that dress makes you stand out here, not even sure why you're wearing such a thing in the forest but to each their own."
Breaker ran a hand through his hair looking around for any sign of life, he didn't seem to be having any luck and he was still lost.
"There's got to be someone else for you to bother Sonata," Breaker said looking around. "Don't you play music or something, why not go write a new song...over there far away from me and what peace still remains."

Greg had a rather sudden change on the way he spoke. He seemed somewhat livelier, it seemed Kano wasn't being rejected any more. Or at least it seemed like it. Kano stroke his chin when Greg said his accent is from Australia. A devilish grin made itself present on Kano's face. "How lovely! I've always wanted to visit Australia! If there weren't so many deadly thingies crawlin' around, that is." He claps and smiles at him, his devilish intentions clear on his face. "Sooo.... How does it feel like to ride a kangaroo? Did you have one back at home?" Kano asks, with an almost childish innocence. If he hadn't made a fame for himself of being a tease back in school, someone would really believe he is just so oblivious about other countries and their inhabitants. "I bet that now living in Japan is kinda refreshing, cause, well, ya know, since in Australia it doesn't rain." Kano tried to spout out every stereotype he knew about Australia.

Realising he went far off track from his initial question and left Greg hanging with his response, he puts his left hand behind his head. "Oh my, I'm sorry, I got a little excited. It is my first time meeting someone from Australia and curiosity just took over me." He let out another hearty laugh, just that this time it was rather quieter than the last one. Putting a finger on his cheek, he wondered about it for a while. He was actually going to the arcade or some other place where he could kill his boredom, or, at the very least, kill some time until he felt like returning to his home, He then answered. "I guess I'm heading to the arcade, though I'm all alone." He let out a sigh and stretched his arms. "My, everyone is so boring... Nobody wants to hang out with this whole thing of Kazuko-san." He thought he sounded kinda cruel when he said that, but he just spouted it out.

---

Scarlet Thorn was grabbed by his leg and held up. Well, it seemed the guy was a bit more agile than Scarlet first thought, and also he seemed to have not only brawn, but also some brain. "Rowdy guy, huh? Well, tha—" He was stopped mid-sentence when he avoided Ironclad's incoming attack to his face. "What is wro—?!" Again, he was stopped mid-sentence, but this time by Ironclad's tail which slammed Scarlet against the ground, face first. Scarlet let out a pained groan as he tried to pick himself up.

"Seems I need to be at least half serious with ya." He says, rolls around to face the sky and then gets up with a kip-up. "Hope you are ready for what's to come, junkhead." His greaves produce spikes, with a reddish pink glow. He then tries to show off a bit by kicking the air repeatedly and with great speed, then, he settles down and takes a deep breath. His next move is so fast it would be hard for Ironclad to follow with just his eyes. Scarlet runs directly at Ironclad, and then tries to kick him one more time after spinning in front of him to gain more momentum, this time aiming to the stomach with the ball of his foot. Whether he landed that attack or not, or even if Ironclad anticipated it and grabbed Scarlet's foot, he had already thought of his next step. With the same momentum he had for that kick, he would impulse himself up and jump over Ironclad, aiming for a kick directly on his face with his shin full of spikes.

The bus door squealed to admit a new passenger and let two more depart. Just one stop remained until Greg was due to get off, but Kano seemed intent on milking the time left for all it was worth. The rather twisted smile that appeared on the other boy's face only deepened this notion. “Never done that, though it's been on my bucket list for quite some time.” He took a quick look out the window at a bright, flashy advertisement. “The rain here's nice, really is.” Following that brief exchange, the effeminate guy paused for a moment, most likely searching for more material. At Kano's declaration of destination, Greg's own eyes went wide. “There's an arcade around here!? I'll have to pay it a visit sometime. Not today though. No loose change.” He hoped that Kano wouldn't get any companionable ideas, but such a suggestion seemed right up his ally. “The whole deal with Kazuko's such a mess,” he said, rerouting the subject, “A tragedy, even. Don't know where to begin...though I hope she's alright.”

-=-=-

There was some satisfaction in watching Scarlet Thorn hurting, but Ironclad didn't pause to enjoy it. All his life he'd been fighting Alter Egos, so he knew all too well that no single well-placed blow would have any great effect. And just like that, Thorn was back on his feet, only this time instead of breakdancing he extended nasty-looking spikes from his armor, accompanied by an amaranth glow. Was this clown finally getting serious? In response, Ironclad prepared to project his own spikes as a defensive measure while Thorn showed off his ability to kick by striking the air between them. The display, he assumed, was some sort of taunt to throw him off guard. Something was about to happen.

As Ironclad predicted, Scarlet Thorn followed up his kicking demonstration with an attack at blistering speed, so quickly that Ironclad's prediction didn't allow him any more of a counterattack than to slide the spikes out of his armor. The side-kick connected to his gut, and while the armor kept it from crushing his innards, the kinetic force of the blow still almost pushed him over. To maintain balance, Ironclad moved a foot farther behind them to create a solid forebalance stance. As he was making the correction, however, a pointed knee slammed into his face. He uttered a metallic grunt and took another two steps backward, molten fluid dripping from his pierced left eye onto the forest floor. His claws retracted into standard position and a hand clapped over the wound. Where his 'blood' fell, it sizzled and burned.

“Impressive, for a short round! Perhaps your skill in battle might come to define you more than your queer mannerisms.” In a single, fluid motion he drew the two sabers from their sheaths on his back. They hummed in the air, vibrating slightly with potential energy. “Then again, maybe not.” Ironclad darted forward, low to the ground, and rose with a flurry of slashes and slices. He made sure to keep moving at all times, presenting both a perilous offense and defense to Scarlet Thorn, and strove to maintain the precision in each blow rather than thrashing around.