The conversations with their counterparts were each interesting in their own right.

Ryoko confirmed that she was indeed Hakubi and had been in this world for a full century. Most startling was that about thirty years after her arrival she had dreamed that one of the royal family would come to this world and do battle with her. The fight wasn't decided, but the stakes were her passage home. A mere two weeks ago the dream came back to her, in even more vivid detail and she heard a female voice state that Dalaraan needed it's strongest princess. To this end she could not be swayed from fighting Lily, but she did agree to a duel of skill, not to the death.

Valerie's talk with Asia didn't go so well. Asia said her wish was to avoid killing, but if her master commanded it then she would follow his directives. She had smiled at the young cyborg. "This is no place for children like you and many of your companions. This is only further proof that Arich is unfit to bear the Grail. I won't say you mustn't fight us, I won't insult you like that. But I will say this is a fight where the stakes are too high for half measures." Asia had left then.

Saito had no luck in finding Growler. When he reconvened with Kai he apologized and Kai nodded. "There's nothing more you could have done. Just be prepared for anything when the time comes. I'm counting on you Saito, just as Akina is."

Georgi's talks with Zaraki and Lancer yieled nothing of merit save that both eagerly looked forward to doing battle with Arich's champions, and squarely putting the bullseye for Lancer on his chest.

Kai's own discussion with Suzuka went phenomenally well. She told him much of the world's history in great detail, both of the Shards and of the Seven Stars, her home. She reiterated her lack of a desire to kill and he proposed they fight with Shinai, the practice bamboo swords. While a Bokken could be Lethal, the Shinai at best could leave severe bruises. She took thee suggestion well and agreed that that would be their contest of skill. He politely asked after Archer and was suprised to find that Suzuka directed her to him.

Archer also commented on his desire to avoid un-needed slaying. They couldn't come to a suitible comprimise, but in the end Archer conceded "I will fight you with all I have Kai, but if I can I will avoid your death or the death of any of your companions."

It was the next morning and Ibis had yet to report back in to anyone, furthermore no one had even seen her for the entire latter part of the day. A woman's scream jolted Kai from his sleep as he donned a robe and grabbed Senbonzakura.

For Saito, He awoke with a start with a burning sensation in his left side, along with a sharp stabbing pain in his right arm and leg. Somewhere deep inside him, his heart screamed something was wrong, then he heard a woman scream.

Kai ran towards the entrance, drawn by some invisible force and saw a teary-eyed catgirl he recognized as Akane staring at one of the posts of the gate of the Shrine. Ibis was standing there, her head lolled to one side. "I thought her dress was light tan..." Oh my God!" Realization flooded his mind.

"Wake the others have the come at once. Get a medical team here at once!" His voice had an authoritative tone that it never had before and Akane hurried inside. Kai rushed over to Ibis in the meantime and stood almost in shock. lance of some sort of metal pinned her to the post like fly on a pin, and herright arm and leg had aboout four arrows in each of them. Blood was everywhere, both flowing red and already congealing black. Her scalp was split and one of her eyes was swollen shut. Her hands were very swollen, looking like each finger had been broken.

"Ibis..." her one good eye snapped open and her body was wracked with a spasm of pain. "Saito...Make them pay...for.. what they took from me..what I saved for only you..." She lost consciousness again. and Kai stood numb, the front of his robe now covered in Ibis' blood. The medical team arrived and they carefully managed to remove her from the spear. The arrows the left in and they carted her inside.

Kai stood there numb to seemingly everything as the words she said echoed in his head, and the truth of her words dawned on him.

(((Each of the PC's recieves a knock on their door along with the notice that something has gone wrong and Lord Morisato requires your immediate presence. This is not verbatim what Kai said, but simply Akane's interpretation. Lawrence you are in your own room this time and recieve the call as well.))))

Lawrence sleepily awoke in his own bed upon hearing the disturbance at his door. He stumbled to the wooden divider and opened it slowly, peeking his head out. He was smiling, expecting it to be someone he know. Instead he was greeted by some vague news of a wrong doing. Lawrence decided that something must've happened but the wording made it sound as if it wasn't an emergency. He put on his normal pants, but today just threw on a plain black tee shirt. As he strolled the halls, he took a moment to stop by Asia's room only to find it abandoned. He inspected it for a few moments, realizing that the room looked like it had never been occupied.

He contemplated this as he made his way to the main entrance of the entire complex. Where had she gone? Did she abandon him? He didn't catch a glimpse of the rest of the team either, giving him a bad feeling. He was nearly choking on his feelings before he reached the Shrine and saw the scene at hand. He was the first to arrive, Lawrence realized. Kai was there. Kai, a body, and a lot of blood. People were taking the bloodied and beaten body away and Lawrence's terrible gut feeling got even worse. "Kai?"

Kai's eyes focused in on Lawrence the moment he exited the building. Kai seemed to vanish and suddenly Lawrence felt himself lifted from his feet and hoisted up into the air by the Kimono he wore.

"You DARE show your face after what happened? I trusted you. If you wouldn't fight with us, then you wouldn't fight with them. And so you stood by as your teammates assaulted one of mine, and took someithing that no price can be laid upon from her? Give me one reason Lawrence, One Reason, why I don't take you apart here and now."

Behind Kai, three figures walked through the gate. Gilgamesh, Zaraki, and Lancer Each entered the courtyard with their weapons drawn.

Lily awakens to the knock on her door, and dresses in a hurry. Something about the tone of the message...there was a sense of urgency. It seemed odd that Kai would send a message instead of coming himself too. Unless it was something so important he couldn't leave.

She takes to flying about halfway there, whizzing through the Inn until she whisks out into the courtyard in time to see Kai holding Lawrence up. Arrayed behind him...and in front of her, three of the other champions. The three most lethally dangerous.

What was going on?

"Kai!" Lily calls. "Look out! Behind you!"

She focuses her energy, creating a protective bubble of transparent blue force around herself.

Lawrence felt like he was being choked, not only by the way Kai was holding him but from the situation he was in. Something fucked must have happened, that much was obvious, but Lawrence failed to see how this was his fault exactly. He wasn't just annoyed with Kai at this point. It was beyond that. He was blaming Lawrence for something that was so entirely beyond his control that the sheer thought of being around him any longer was its own shade of hell. Where were these feelings coming from? He still had no idea what actually happened. Did someone die? All these questions arose, but he couldn't keep his mind off of Kai's actions. His eyes gazed to Gilgamesh, Zaraki, and Lancer. They were his other team mates. And they had Asia too. He heard Lily's voice behind him, but it was to far to look. "If it will make you feel better, do it." His voice was cold. It was blatantly obvious he didn't care if he was torn to shreds. Kai didn't know his weakness. "But know that no matter what happens here, we go different ways." He said it loud enough, knowing that Lily would hear it too.

Kai's eyes focus, and Lawrence can see that for a moent he almost ended up with a sword through him. Then he's flying through the air and lands in the courtyard near the others. Zaraki reaches down and hoists him to his feet. "There now Young Lawrence. You're among your real friends now."

Kai's sword was out in an instant, held before him, the prelude the the unleashing of its Shinkai.

Gigamesh gave him a smug smile. "We have what we came for, Give my regards to the young lady pilot, tell her we'll be back for her after our buisness is concluded." He and Lancer both chuckle and Zaraki grins his maniacal smile.

A single word escakes Kai's lips as the start to vanish. "Scatter." The sword disappears and the area where the four champions stood was a swirling of light reflecting blades that flowed back to the hilt of the sword. Kai's grip on senbonzakura was white-knuckle tight and he sank to his knees. "They're going to pay, I swear to God I'll make them pay."

Never before had Kai noticeably seemed to Ignore Lily, leading a certain degree of credit to the thought that something truly horrible happened, and Kai at least saw the results.

Now quite upset, chilled to the bone really, Lily shoots forward to land beside the shaken warrior. Carefully she reaches out to touch his shoulder.

"Kai...what happened? Why did you do that to Lawrence? He came to help!"

"They beat and tortured Ibis, and raped her, Lily. Then they pinned her to the damn post with a lance and a half a dozen arrows and left her to die. That is simply unforgiveable."

Kai's whole body is trembling, not with fear, but with Rage. This was a far cry from the gentle soul Lily had come to know, and Ratheros even picked up on Kai's immense distress and seemed to cower in the folds of Lily's Kimono. Kai is clearly upset, and a question rises from the depths of her mind. If he's this worked up over Ibis, how would he respond if it were Valerie, if it were me?

Lily banishes the thought and focuses on the reality. Kai's words put a cold, sick feeling deep in her gut.

"How is that even possible?" she asks. "The inn's supposed to be neutral ground. There's supposed to be protection!"

"What would make them DO something like that?"

"She may have followed them last night in her efforts to learn about Gilgamesh, and may have left the compound and been ambushed." It's a logical coclusion, startling considering Kai's mental state. "It doesn't matter now, getting her healed and then paying these bastards back does. It's as simple as that."

There's a far away look in his eyes she's never seen. "We were suposed to be safe for two more days, This really just doesn't make any sense, even if she did follow them. Archer guaranteed it. Clearly no one in this world's word means a damn. We need to find Old Man Roshi and ask just what the hell is going on."

"Hey."

Lily pats Kai's cheeks, now really worried.

"Look at me."

She tries to get in front of him, to force his eyes to meet hers.

"We'll do whatever it takes to make this right. As right as we can. We'll find out what happened, and justice will be done. Just..."

A little diffidently, Lily reaches out to smooth Kai's hair back over his eyes.

"Don't let anger poison you. Okay? Make this about justice, not revenge."

Slowly Kai stops shaking. In an Instant Senbonzakura vanishes without a trace, and Kai is meeting Lily's gaze. Despite the agitation radiating from him, Lily feels the same warmth suffuse her as before he'd touched her bare skin briefly, feeling a sudden flood of power seeming to flow into her from Kai. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before.

"Thank you Lily. There are just some things that even i cannot tolerate." Without breaking contact, he starts to rise, and faintly smiles as he realizes Lily still has ahold of him. "I'm ok enough now, I won't do anything stupid like go off on my own after them, I promise."

He was pack to his normal self, though she could see the anger and sorrow still warring in his eyes, mixing with a third emotion, fear. What happened next was all very sudden. Kai's arms closed around her and be pulled her to him in a strong yet gentle embrace. "I don't know what I'd have done...." He leaves the rest unsaid as they stand there.

Valerie woke up early, with a horrible gut feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong today. When the catgirl came to her room and she heard Lily rush off she decided to follow.

"What happened Kai? Why did you call us so suddenly?" was what was running through her mind, she almost flew and by the time she had arrived Kai was on his knees, uttering words that literally shattered something inside of Valerie.

Something boiled over inside of her, seething within her and it felt like battery acid had seeped into her bloodstream. She could smell the blood on the air, and could swear she had heard the champions of Xellos mere moments ago.

Immediately unsealing the SdZ, Valerie walked over to Kai. "Where did they go after leaving this place Kai?" Valerie talked in a dead, cold voice, something one would expect from a medicated person or from an AI. The question held no emotions on it but revealing a stone cold killing intent behind the stoicism of it. "Well?"

At first Lily is surprised by Kai's embrace, but his words fill her with relief. She relaxes against him, burying her face in his shoulder. With the crisis past, she can risk letting her own grief and anger out...

...but then Valerie appears.

She doesn't quite let go of Kai, but twists around to try to get a look at Val.

"Valerie, please just listen. What they did was...beyond terrible. There will be justice, but we can't just lose our tempers. That's exactly what they want us to do, fight them on their terms, to make us weak."

"Lily's right Valerie. If we leave right now they'll have a drastic numerical advantage, not to mention they could be goading us into a trap."

He's alot calmer now, but it's pllain to see he's still mad as he steps away from Embracing Lily. "Ibis is alot of things, but a friend is chief among them. I won't let them get away with this, I swear it. We need to get with the others and form up some sort of plan. Then we go out there and show them why nobody messes with a member of the Jindai Student Council."

It was all said with the same smile he'd always worn when when trying to comfort and console someone. He had reached out and laid a hand on Valerie's shoulder, and once again she felt the curious sensation of warmth and power flooding through her. "I promise we'll make the responsible parties pay."

Saito comes barraling into the room with his gun drawn at his side.

"I got here as quickly as I could, although I could not find any sign of trouble"

Saito looks around at the solemn looks on the faces of his companions

"What is going on here?"

Valerie shakes off Kai's hand. "It's not enough Kai. I promised Ibis I would protect her after her old Guardian was..." Valerie senses Saito coming from inside the building and shuts up.

"Just tell me where they went Kai, living two days more it's too much of a luxury for those scumbags, I'm going to make sure they don't get that much."

I don't know Valerie. They teleported out just as my attack struck." There's no hiding the irritation in his voice.

"If you go off half-cocked right now Valerie the same thing could happen to you. I don't want to even think about that. What we need to go is go to the medical wing and see if Shizuru has an update on her condition. If you want to go on ahead, Lily and I will stay and fill Saito in, as well as wait for Growler and Georgi to arrive. We'll all follow once everyone's together." He looks to Lily and his eyes seem to plead with her to stay here for a moment, in case Saito didn't take this well.

Kai looks to Saito and for once, his ever-present smile fails. He motions to Lily and Saito. "Come with me." He walks out to the post where he'd found Ibis Impaled and lays a hand to it. He pulls his hand back, and it is slicked with blood. There's a great whole where the lance had been and several smaller ones where the arrows had gone straight through Ibis's arms and legs.

"Saito, I'm going to ask this, and I know it is difficult, but what are your feelings toward Lieutenant Douglass?"

Still worried about Valerie, Lily did accompany Kai. She remembered how Circinus officers placed great store in honor, and realized Saito's reaction could be even worse than Valerie's. Especially if, she realized, Kai was right in suspecting there might be a bond between he and Ibis.

She went to stand behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder that she hoped he'd take as comforting. She meant it to be comforting. She also meant to physically hold him in place should he freak out.

Saito looks back at Lily and then towards Kai.

"Ibis? Well, to be honest, I am just now starting to remember her very well but what I do know is that she is one of my oldest friends. Although, I do not know much, I do know that she would come to my aid without question if I ever required it."

Saito looked around at his companions one more time.

"Is there something that you are not telling me?"

Kai listens and decides to hold some back. "Saito, Ibis was attacked and seriously Injured by a group of opposing champions while trying to learn more about them. We do not know who did it thought we suspect Zaraki, Lancer, Gilgamesh and possibly Archer and even Lawrence may have been involved."

The last was conjecture, but at this point he needed Saito to understand she was attacked by their enemies.

Saito was a caught off-guard by Kai's comments.

"But that cannot be. I was under the impression that an agreement had been made between our two groups and that we would be safe from conflict for another day or so. In addition, is this Inn not a safe ground from the war?"

Saito paused for a moment to think.

"Also, I do not think that Ibis would have started a fight with any of those individuals, she knows that her power lies in the Asterion and if she had tried to attack them without it then it would have been suicide."

"I don't think she was attacked here on the grounds and it would seem Archer may not be the real power in this group."

His face darkens. "I highly doubt she instigated this. She was too seriously injured, Tell me are there any signs she used her Mecha against them, I was under the impression they both still needed time until the repairs were done."

Saito looks around and checks for any damage to the area.

"No, she didnt use the Asterion here, if she had there would have been alot more damage to this place. Although, it is in working order and she could have called it if she needed it."

"Interesting. It must have happened very fast then if she couldn't summon the Asterion. What about your Mecha, the Meteor. Is it fully repaired yet?"

Kai looks over to Lily to see if she has any other questions for Saito sincecollectively they have his attention.

The nightmares were the worst he had ever experienced. The usual pain and dismemberment of his night terrors were magnified with a disembodied scream. Tonight, the nightmares seemed to go on forever.

He was awoken by several people pulling and shaking his body. It was odd that it took more than a gentle shake to wake him from his nightmares. The light coming into the room, told him that he had overslept. He never overslept. Something was very wrong.

The urgency behind the servant's words told Georgi that the situation was extreme. He quickly donned his pants and strapped his MP-90 to his leg. Using his heightened speed, he quickly closed the distance between his chambers and where the other were waiting.

When he saw the other's faces, he knew that something very bad had occurred. "What happened?"

Kai looks to the newly arrived Georgi and then back to the gatepost where he'd found Ibis. "Ibis was attacked last night after we all dispersed to gather intel on the other team. She was seriously injured and She was taken to the emergency medical ward. Valerie went off with her."

He looks back to the post and waits as Georgi's gaze follows to the bloody holes left by arrowheads and a massive lance.

In the medical room Valeries watches as the all-female nurses scramble around procuring the needed implements. Shizuru arrives quickly and immediately annesthetizes Ibis. Then they begin paring away her clothing, what remains of it. Her whole body after the blood was cleaned away from it was a mass of purplish red bruises. Any human woman would have easily died under so much trauma, yet even now with a portion of the lance still in her, her heart continued its slow rhythmic beating.

Saito notices that Georgi has just entered the room and greets him solemnly.

"This attack was entirely lacking in Honor. Even animals know how to honor a truce between each other."

Saito then turns to Kai.

"Morisato, the Meteor is not ready to scramble at this moment but in another few hours I could have a few more of it's systems online.

Saito's fist was shaking at his side.

"Just say the word and I will fight."

"We will fight," Lily agrees. "But we'll fight on our terms, not theirs."

She takes a deep breath, to steady her voice through her own anger.

"I can only think of two reasons they would have done this. First, they knew how powerful Astarion was and how accomplished a pilot she is. They feared to face her again. Two, and just as important, they hoped to lure some of us away from the others so they could do this again and weaken us further."

Lily nods to herself.

"We need to save this anger, and grief and use it against them when we finally come for them as a team."

At that moment a slow clapping sound is heard. The little old man identified as Roshi is there, smiling as he claps slowly and deliberately. "It's good to see one of you using your brain. If you all go off now, Gilgamesh and his lackeys will certainly annihilate you. They have already removed Ibis, a powerful Knight, and Lawrence, one of your bishops, from the board. Though in his case they fully turned him, so now you are both two men down while they have gained an extra peice."

To hear it described in terms of chess was aggravating, but in a way it made sense. "You still have a couple of days to prepare yourselves for the coming battle, I think it would be best if you learned to actually use the power you have been given. You do actually want to survive this game of thrones yes?" The old man was immensely sure of himself, and chuckled as he said the last part.

Georgi leans back in his chair, his fingers rubbing the light stubble on his chin. They were in a tough situation, but by no means hopeless. Not only did they have a few days to prepare for the battle, but they also might have an opportunity to remove an opposing piece or two.

"If a piece defects to the opposing player, that piece must be immediately destroyed." Georgi said with little emotion. He looked around at the others. "I know the rest of you might not like the idea, but I think we should eliminate Lawrence at the first opportunity. We should do it before the game starts." He paused and waited for the other's reactions.

Regardless of what the other's say or think, Georgi continues. "I will sneak out of here and hunt down Lawrence. Once I find him, I will take him out and return. If all goes well, the opposing side will not be aware that he's been removed from play by the time I get back."

With remarkable speed, Roshi appears in front of Georgi and smacks him hard on the forehead. "NO!"

Aren't you listening son? if you go out alone or in small groups they will simply overwhelm you. That is what they WANT you to do. if you actually are foolhardy enough to do so then you will be killed, especially since you don't even know how to use the Mana within you."

"I can teach you the proper way, but if you're just going to be hotheaded and try it off the bat, then I wonder how you ever made it in your world as a sniper."

Kai looks to the two of them. "Lawrence will be dealt with when the time comes, All the guilty parties will." He looks to Lily and Saito and then to Roshi.

"So what do we do now?"

Roshi smiles. "We go check on your friend first, then I'll figure a way to give each of you a lesson in what really being a champion means."

"I am not being a hothead. I was planning on not being seen, either before or during the deed." Georgi understood Roshi's concerns, and they were valid. "But if you don't think that it is possible for me to undertake such a feat, than I will defer to your judgement."

"Let's go see how she's doing. Maybe my regenerative abilities can be passed temporarily through my blood. It is not something that I have attempted before, and it may not work."

Georgi stands up and looks at Roshi, a smile on his face. "The sooner we learn how to use our Mana, the better off we will be when battle comes." A wicked look crosses his face. "Besides, Lancer told me that I was going to be the focus of his attacks, and I would like to give him a surprise when he comes for me."

"Roshi's right," Lily says.

"We'd do a lot better to work on our teamwork and learn our abilities. We can't risk you, Georgi. We need you with us."

She gives S