Scattered Moons
Prolog
Sleep, my child, in silent moonshine.
Sleep, my child, embraced in love.
The stars are raising, twinkling, there,
above the halls of silence.

Sleep, my child, in silent moonshine.
Sleep, my child, guarded from fear.
The fate is watching, waiting, here,
along your path of future.

Sleep, my child, in silent moonshine.
Sleep, my child, without the wrath.
The world is fighting, dieing, where,
your light does not yet shine.

1.
“And I tell you, I AM ready for the trial!”
“And I already told you, you are NOT.” A sigh. “The trial isn’t just about your abilities, but...”
“... about your attitude as well.” the younger voice imitated the older one. “Ye, I know, but just because you don’t think I’m ready, it doesn’t mean you have to be right. Shouldn’t I know best when I’m ready for it?”
“See, that’s the problem; you’re to full of yourself! If I would let you attempt the trial, you would fail horribly, ashame yourself and as well me, your mentor.”
“Just WHAT do I need to accomplish until you give your go? I’ve mastered my weapon, trained my abilities, bested every other initiate, even those who already passed the trial.” He knew the answers he was going to receive. He knew that both of them would feel bad about the argument in the aftermath. And yet he couldn’t but complain again. When would the old geezer finally give in?!
“If you ask me like that, Eizo, I doubt you will ever reach the maturity it takes to complete the trial.” the old, white-haired man said, his noticeably long beard wavering with every syllable.
“Then why even bother?!” Eizo exclaimed, turning around. His fists clenched as he could feel his anger rising. And as well his regret. His disappoinment. Couldn’t Master Yi see just how much he worked for his goal? How could the senile man plainly ignore his efforts?! “Why bother with me at all, if you don’t think I’ll ever be ready?”
Eizo’s voice was filled with uncontained bitterness, to a degree where even the mentor’s heart couldn’t resist softening up. “I’m sorry, Eizo... I just meant...” It took Yi a few moments to find the appropriate words. “You are skilled, Eizo, gifted. You have talent that easily surpasses that of many others, I may even say it surpasses me. But you are inexperienced, young and too egocentric to utilize your own potential. I could send you to the trial. And you would may even pass it. But you would never discover the strength hidden beneath the surface you have just learned to scratch on.”
He knew his mentor was speaking the truth. Maybe just the truth Yi himself believed in, but it was a truth. “But why don’t you let me go and try to find my own way? You have taught me much and I don’t see a reason not to continue learning even after completing the trial.
You...” Eizo breathed in. “You’re not my father, nor a relative... but you’re the closest thing to a family I’ve ever had. And I know I’m more to you then just a student. But that mustn’t influence your decision, I AM ready for the trial, even if I still have to learn.”
Silence.
After what seemed like an eternity to Eizo, maybe just a few minutes, Yi answered:
“I understand the meaning and the emotion behind your words. Yes, you’re more then just a student for me, you’re a part of my life. Most of the young ones I taught managed to obtain a place in my heart. And even so... Maybe you’re right, and I’m not deciding as objectively as I should...” The old man groaned, getting up from the crate he has been sitting on. “Please give me some time to think about this.”
He stepped up to Eizo and planted his right hand on the young man’s shoulder, a gentle, yet firm and reassuring pressure. Eizo gave in. “In the end, it is your decision, master.” He didn’t expect Yi to change his opinion this quickly. His master had merely, once again, delayed the matter.
As the hand disappeared from his shoulder, and Yi’s steps started to fade away, a plan formed in Eizo’s mind: If Yi still needed proof of him, then he would deliver these proofs! He would find a way to earn the right to attempt the initiation trial! And he would do so with Yi’s approval!

2.
A white circle on black ground. Simplistic and yet amazing in it’s own, mystic way. Though the distant sparkling of stars interrupted the black blanket, the white moon disc was resting on. But maybe the stars belonged to the moon as the sunshine belonged to the sun? It sure seemed fitting to her.
“Staring at the moon, all alone again?” a voice, well-known to her,  asked.
“Not alone, anymore.” she answered with a slight smile.
She felt his strong arms laying around her waist, his head against hers and she closed her eyes to enjoy the simple gesture of a hug. “Don’t worry, I don’t feel lonely out here. I have the moon to keep me company.”
Slowly, he released her from the hug and sat down next to her, letting his legs dangle down from the building’s roof. “You really don’t enjoy company, do you? Always the first to disappear, always sitting below the dark sky, all by yourself.”
“It’s the way I am. I’m not that great with people and outright can’t stand most of them. Well, except for you, Garro.” She tilted her head towards him, giving him one of the rare smiles of hers.
Garro couldn’t but smile back. “You should smile more often, Toka, seeing you like that cheers up anyone nearby.”
She snickered, raising her head to the moon again. “Thanks, brother. But I will smile only when I have reason to do so.”
Garro pouted and asked, in an obviously dramatic tone: “Why, is my presence not enough to make my lil’ sis smile? You don’t want me to summon the ticklebug, do you?”
“Don’t... you... dare...” she tried to threaten, but it was hard not to notice the bright grin on her face.
Satisfied with a second smile on the same evening, Garro apparently decided against the ticklebug and instead looked up at the nightly sky, as well. “Great night. Full moon, a clear sky... Are you sure you don’t want to accompany me and the others tonight?”
“You know my answer.”
“Still not confident enough?” he asked, cautiously.
“It’s not a matter of confidence, I’m just not interested in doing anything with the other peps around. I told you, I can’t stand most of them. And I really don’t want a drunken retard on my heels.”
Garro blew a raspberry. “Pffff... As if I would ever let one of them lay hand on my sister! Not as long as I’m still around.” He grinned over to Toka, expecting another smile, or at least a thankful grin of hers. But she was still staring up at the moon. His face turning more serious, he asked “There is something else, isn’t it?”
“It’s just...” Though her voice was audibly focused on not changing it’s tone, he easily noticed that trace of sadness hidden below. “I don’t feel like I’m a part of this. Not at all. And not just because I’m an orphan... though you pretty much adopted me as your sister. It just... I don’t know... doesn’t feel all that right.”
Garro’s hand brushed across her head, in a caring way. “I’m not sure whether I can imagine myself in your situation, Toka, but I’m sure I would feel similar. It’s not nice to be without parents, without somebody caring for you, guarding you... but keep in mind, I’ll always be there for you, regardless of what may happen. That’s a promise!”
“Thanks, Garro...” she turned her head to him, a weak smile running across her mouth. She seemed to hesitate, but he simply nodded, reassuring her in whatever question she may had ready. “Would you... maybe... show me around tonight... but without the others? Just us two.
I think I can feel comfortable in your presence.”
His face lightened up like a crate of fireworks in a burning house. “Of course, no problem! I’m sure no one will mind me missing out for once. And for your sake, I would pretty much take on every complaint either way. Let’s not waste too much time, night’s not forever!”
3.
“And of course, the most important thing is not to...”
Toka mourned audibly. “Will you shut up, I’m no child you’ve got to tell everything again and again. If I knew this would end in an endless chain of pointless advice, I shouldn’t have asked you in first place.”
With an embarrassed expression, Garro started to scratch across the back of his head. “My bad... Maybe I’m just too nervous. You know, I talk a lot if I’m nervous. After all my sister is taking important steps forward to becoming a full adult!”
She gave him a blatant, piercing stare. “With 19 years I would pretty much consider myself adult in first place, thank you.”
“Aw, come on, you know what I meant! After all this isn’t something trivial, it’s your first time!”
“First time out in the open, on my own, that is.” she corrected him. Though she wasn’t able to entirely hide her insecurity. As if her body wasn’t hinting enough, her arms closely wrapped around herself, her head constantly darting here and there, scanning the nightly, empty streets. Well, empty except for the large mass of teenagers trying to get into the club on the other side of the road.
“Not on your own, sis, not on your own.” He gave her shoulder a friendly back slap. “But we should be going before it gets too full.” Garro was already half across the street when he realized Toka wasn’t moving. A worried and questioning look ran across his face.
“Just... gimme a moment... Gah, just the thought of being in the midst of that many people...” she answered, shaking slightly.
“You... are not agoraphobic or something like that? You know, afraid of large crowds and...”
“Duh, no! I’m just... not very comfortable with it...” she answered quickly. Maybe somewhat to quick, compared to her usual behavior. Step by step, she caught up to Garro, still eying the club’s entrance with a mix of worry, uncertainity and disgust. She reached for her brother’s hand. “Do we really need to go in there? Can’t we just... wait outside or something?”
“No we can’t, dummy... Keep in mind....” he, ever so slightly, lowered his voice. “You never know whether they’re around. And it would be to suspicious for us to linger around, randomly addressing strangers. If we want to find someone, we need to be inside, hidden amongst the crowd.”
It was more then obvious just how much she disliked that answer, but accepting her fate, Toka stepped forward. “Then... let’s hurry up and get this over with as soon as possible...”
Garro quickly followed her and when she was about to add herself to the long line of people in wait, he tugged her along on a hand, heading for a smaller, reserved section of the entrance. Before he could even draw his pass, the bouncer had already recognized him, waving him through. When Toka attempted to follow him, there was a sharp harrumphing, however.
“It’s fine Bruno, she belongs to me.” Garro stated, in a pacifying tone.
“Je, but I need to check her age first, rules are rules.” The bouncer returned, holding out his hand to Toka. After a few seconds of nervous fumbling, she indeed manage to pull her passport from a pocket, handing it to the bulky man in front of her. “No issue here, please excuse the wait.” The bouncer said, hinting her to enter.
With a sigh of relief, Toka quickly dashed over to her brother, following him inside. The second he opened the second door, just a few steps past the initial entrance, she made a jump when loud, thump-heavy music suddenly filled her ears. “Oh heck... what did I get myself into...”
“It’s called ‘nightlife’ and ‘enjoying yourself in company’, dear sister.” Garro joked, taking her wrist and pulling her forward into the club’s crowds.

4.
Nibbling on the straw in her alcohol-light strawberry-flavored something-in-a-glass, Toka tried her best not to look like the lost, insecure being she was right now. Loud music, voices, yells, singing, dancing, movement, action, the crowd was literally everywhere. She was sitting on the farmost seat of the bar, in a corner of the large room, as distant from the center of the mass as somehow possible.
She knew Garro was watching over her. Heck, he had just blinked at her, from a nearby couch, sitting in between two girls of, at best, her own age. Even though she was not technically alone and her brother was in reach in case anything were to happen, Toka couldn’t but stick to being the reserved bystander.
Even when finally someone approached her, she outright turned him down, quickly finding an excuse in dashing to the ladies’ room, glad to find the guy gone by the time she came back. The second person addressing her was someone with a heavy accent who asked her whether she would know about sights worth to see in the local area, something she quickly denied.
After she had as well gotten rid of the third male, though that one admittedly was somewhat old, she could see how Garro was about to come over to her, most likely to take the matter in his own hands. And she couldn’t stand the thought of her brother being forced to help her out again. She should quickly find someone and...
“Hey there, is that seat already taken?” a male voice behind her asked. Turning around, she saw a blond man, maybe around her age, pointing at the seat next to her. After she shook her head, he quickly jumped onto it, placing down his own glass next to hers. He chuckled in light amusement. “Soft Bloody Mary at Dawn?”
It took Toka a second to realize his drink had the same color as hers. “Uh... yeah. I think... not sure what I’m drinking, actually.” She mustered her own glass thoroughly. “You could be right, though, pretty much looks alike.”
“Seems like we both have a good taste, don’t we?” He smiled warmly, raising his glass and holding it to her. “To everyone else’s beauty, you for sure don’t need even more of that.”
Surprised and caught off guard by the flattery, Toka nearly managed to hit her glass across the bar, barely catching it again before it would have emptied it’s content  him. She clinked glasses with him and took another few sips on her straw, whilst he took a few major gulps from the glass itself.
Putting the drink down again, he continued: “My name is Emanuel. You can call me Ez though. Would you mind telling me your name?” Seeing her hesitant and probably shy as she was, he quickly added. “Just your name, nothing else. I will even pay the next drink for just that.”
“I... I’m Toka. Uhm... nice to meet you...” She couldn’t but turn her head slightly, looking over to the couch. Garro was still sitting there and though he was apparently having conversation with his female neighbors, he still gave his sister a quick wink, hinting her to proceed.
“Waiting for someone?” Ez asked, a slight curiosity in his voice.
“N-No. Just... Nevermind... Nothing.” She tried her best to hide the nervous tone in her voice, quickly taking another few sips on her drink.
“Well... you do seem sort of nervous... If you don’t feel well or want me to leave you alone, just say so, it’s no”
“No. I mean, yes. Uhm... I don’t mind if you stay here.” She quickly responded, trying to smile weakly.
“Wow, that’s a heck of an adorable smile you have there. Just seeing it would turn everyday into something special.” Ez said with a bright smile of his own.
“Uhm, yeah... I get that a lot.”
Ez lifted an eyebrow. “Hmm? You don’t look like someone who’s around in clubs often.”
“Well... I meant, my brother does often say things like that to me. You know, he often does...”

5.
If he were to rate it all technical and objective, the day was a failure. However, even when considering his lack of success in his original goal, the girl he had just met made it all the more worthwhile. Though he really couldn’t figure her out. At first she had seemed suspiciously reserved to him, pretty much came out as a shy outsider during her conversation, but then asked him to accompany her back home... That really didn’t fit together at all.
But who would he be to turn down a girl like that. Probably she had been there with a friend or someone and had been left alone, explaining just how nervous she was? In any case, there really wasn’t an issue with accompanying her home, was there? After all the streets were dangerous for a girl alone... even more so with them around.
Which again lead Eizo back to his original thought: No success for tonight. But it wasn’t like he could blame himself, he wasn’t the one who could pick what to happen when and where. Nonetheless there was that voice inside asking ‘but what if you just missed something’...
“...like this and... Uhm... Ez?” A poke into his side reminded Ezio of his company.
“Oh, sorry, I zoned out there. I was just trying to figure out what is of more pure black, the night sky or your hair.” And, all flattery aside, it clearly was a tough decision. Her hair was of a sort of black he had never seen or noticed before. And the way it contrasted with her bright, blue eyes, pretty much like his own ones...
A low snicker. Was that her? “You don’t look that bad either.”
“Oh, thank you.” Well, that had been the first compliment from her side, across the whole evening. Apparently she was slowly getting more comfortable around him. He couldn’t but feel happy about that realization.
“Actually... I’ve never met someone who is... well... not just a prude jerk...” she added. To Eizo’s surprise, the girl, Toka, reached for his hand, gently pulling him off the street and into the shadow of a side alley. “I... Uhm...” Not just her voice, but as well her over-heated hands and to some extent her glare to his shoes expressed the utmost feeling of her being nervous. And most likely inexperienced.
It was outright cute. “Hmm, what is the matter?” he asked, trying to sound as gentle as possible. He wasn’t entirely sure whether he liked where this was going. He really shouldn’t complain about a girl making advances like this... but it didn’t feel entirely right... maybe because his conscience was reminding him of just how innocent and probably naive Toka appeared to be. Was he really the right one for a girl like her?
“I... I’m not sure... how to say it...”
“Don’t feel yourself pressured to anything. You asked me to watch you on your way back home and I’m entirely fine with that. There’s no need to...” Suddenly he felt a shove against his chest as she more or less literally threw himself against him, causing Eizo to back up against the wall in search for support. “... rush anything.”
He could feel her breath on his face. The sweet scent of strawberry, a hint of alcohol and something that could be her perfume. Her lips moved closer to his and regardless of his previous concerns, it didn’t seem like he had the choice to decide in this matter.
Suddenly, she backed off again, turning around and hiding her face in her hands. “I... this just doesn’t feel right...”
Stunned in surprise, it took Eizo a few seconds to recover, before he muttered. “Uhm... no problem... we can just...”
“Sorry!” was her last word, before she quickly darted out onto the street and around the corner.
Dazzled and confused, Eizo remained leaning against the wall. Well... that had been unexpected.
But tonight’s surprises didn’t end there: A sudden shiver ran across his back. A shiver that made his body hairs stand out. A shiver that instantly made him realize:
They’re here.

6.
Thorougly mixed emotions filled Eizo’s mind: First of all, fear, the most natural of all emotions. And then there was excitement: May he would get his chance to prove himself, after all.
Trying to calm his breath, he closed his eyes, still leaning against the wall. He had to concentrate! Where did that feel come from? It wasn’t anything one could grasp with the five common senses of a human body, but only with that sixth sense. One of them was nearby and had done something. He merely had to concentrate on that aspect, trying to locate...
There it was! A small glimpse, maybe something like a low buzzing or a gentle touch.
A subtle something of an emotion, pointing Eizo into the right direction. Leaving the side alley and quickly walking along the nightly street again, it didn’t took him more then a few moments to realize he was walking back to the club.
Just when he arrived, a group of young people left the building, crossing the street. He instinctively knew something was going on and decided to keep an eye on them. In a slow, casually pace, he followed the group, though walking slower, letting them build distance, as to not give away the fact he was chasing them.
The main problem was at hand: He couldn’t tell whom of them actually was it? It could be one of the two girls who were pretty much laughing non-stop. Or the guy who was surprisingly silent, probably the only one not drunk amongst them. Or that large one who was holding a girl in each of his arms.
Or, a horrifying thought crossed his mind, may there were more then just one? He could very well be following a large group of them. Eizo could feel a pearl of cold sweet running down his neck. He hadn’t thought this through, it proved to be much more difficult just finding the target...
Maybe he should just back off for now? Get help? Inform Yi?
No! He came here to prove himself, running back like a scared child was exactly the thing he did not want to do. He had to pull this through. After all, he was at an advantage: They couldn’t possibly know he was chasing them. Which meant he merely needed to follow, observe and wait for the right moment to...
Bump.
Eizo swallowed audibly when he was staring at a pair of shoes and realized he hadn’t watched his step, or the group at all, whilst thinking about his situation. “Something up?” a male voice asked, right in front of him. A mix of amusement and probably anger about being more or less run into.
“Oh, sorry! Appears I’ve been zoning out a bit too much... My apologies.” Ezio didn’t dare looking up, but quickly turned to the side, intending to switch to the other side of the road.
“Ah, don’t worry, no offense taken. And you really don’t need to run from us, do you? Why don’t you accompany us, you seem to be sort of alone out here?” the male continued, reaching out and holding Eizo by his shoulder.
Before he could answer, there was another voice, a female one, stating: “Ye, what is a handsome guy like you doing all alone tonight? Somebody looking as juicy as you really shouldn’t have trouble finding someone to keep him company...”
“Kat! Don’t steamroll him like that!” the guy said, his voice audibly amused.
She was it! Eizo was sure, who else would possibly use the term ‘juicy’ in this relation? But since he was still breathing, it meant she couldn’t possibly know about him. Which again confirmed his advantageous position!
Turning around, Eizo tried to put up a charming, slightly clueless and embarassed expression. “Well... to be honest... I’ve been following you from that club back there... just to say...” He fixated the girl that was standing just slightly behind the large guy he had ran into. She had noticeably red-orange hair, with a few yellow stripes scattered across her head. “You’re... like... gorgeous... and stuff...”
7.
Stay cool! Stay calm! Stay handsome!
Which was easier thought then done, given Eizo was now walking amongst a group of potential enemies, chatting as casual and easygoing as possible, whilst trying to hide both his nervous mind and the fact he was already alerted.
“So, what are you doing, Ezzi?” the red-haired girl, Kat, asked, leaning over to him with a bright smile.
“Ah, not much... Working as janitor in a local gym. Not the best job, but it gets the bills paid.”
“You work in a gym? Well, that explains your body.” A poke into his waist, which was admittedly not that far from being muscular, ensued.
“Hehe, probably. Member discount is an advantage after all.” Eizo answered with a wide grin, praying his face didn’t look to much like a set-up. “What about you, Katty?”
“Hey!” Kat exclaimed in angered tone. “We’re not that far yet, don’t you dare calling me like that!” Given quite everyone else in the group started to giggle or laugh, Eizo quickly realized her played anger was just for show.
“After all, you started it first! I said you could call me Ez, not Ezzi!” he returned, trying to imitate her face’s sinister expresson.
A smile ran across her face as she continued: “Pff, boys! Don’t you know we always got all rights to give you nicks long before you do?” A cold breeze blew across the street and suddenly the group stopped. “Gah, it’s getting cold!” Kat said, wrapping her arms around herself, apparently shivering lightly.
Something in her voice, however, was off, at least it appeared like that to Eizo. Instantly, he noticed how that guy’s expression appeared to twitch as well. “Je... sorta cold...You think we should head home?”
“Hmmm...” Kat hummed. “I don’t think we’ll be caught by a cold just from this little breeze. We’re probably save.”
Eizo tried to order his body to stop sweating. And as well tried to control his face not to show all the tension building up inside of him. They had noticed something. And given their talk, most likely both of those two belonged to them.
“Though... What about your sister? She could catch a cold easyly, that poor girl... we really shouldn’t have left her alone back there, don’t you think?” Kat continued, her voice trying to sound as caring as possible, a slight hint of nervousity hidden beneath.
“Damn... Sure, I’ll get her.” The guy said in sudden realization and spun around, nearly bumping into Eizo as he rushed past him in a pace that was barely within the limits of ‘walking’. “Catch ya later.”
“So... end of the night?” another girl in the group asked, audibly disappointed.
“Probably the best for us. We can go for an all-nighter later... if the nights aren’t this... cold.” Kat said, the disappoinment barely hidden in her own voice.
Within a matter of seconds, the group had dispersed, leaving only Kat and Eizo standing. Realizing this could be the chance he had been waiting for, he said: “Aw... And there is was looking forward to... uhm... well... you know...” He wasn’t sure whether he liked the fact he was that good at playing the innocent, naive guy.
Kat snickered audibly. “Oh, pretty straight forward, aren’t we?” She appeared to hesitate, apparently considering her situation. “But why not? But we should hurry, I really don’t want a cold to catch either of us out here.”
Eizo nodded with a smile, following her as she continued on her way. He waited, several minutes, as she lead him through the streets of the town, till he felt sure there was noone else around. “Oh, by the way, Kat... I’ve got something for you...”

8.
Hitting a fist against the nearby wall, Toka tried to overplay the bitterness in her mind with the pain of her bruised hand. Damn! She had messed up again! And the worst thing, she wasn’t even sure why she couldn’t do it. It wasn’t like she was having regret or pity or something. Was it because of him? He had been... nice to her. Just like Garro. But maybe that has just been a way to lure her? No, he himself had said that he didn’t want to force her to anything.
Toka again hit the solid brick. Was it because of herself? Was she just to weak? To soft? Was her brother right, should he continue helping her step by step? Why couldn’t she just do something by herself for once!
“Something the matter, lady?” an amused voice asked, somewhere behind her.
Turning around, Toka saw a young man, standing at the end of the alley she was in. And something about him... was off. Maybe the fact he was wearing an unfittingly large sombrero and a long cape. “N-No... All fine.”
“You really don’t seem like you’re fine, though... Did you get dropped by your boyfriend?” he proceeded, a pitying smile running across his face.
“No, really... I’m fine... just... sorta...” Toka tried to explain her situation. Though, she didn’t know what to say in first place.
“Lost? No problem, I can show you the way, if you like.” the stranger offered. “And since politeness dictates for the man to introduce first: I’m Dante, nice to meet you.”
His smile shifted from gentle to sardonic and then to diabolic, as her face appeared to lose all of it’s color in an instant. More instinct then realization, Toka backed up against the wall behind her.
“Oh, it seems you’ve heard of me already... No surprise to me, actually...” He took a step forward, still grinning evilly.
Toka was shaking. Every cell of her body was. She was afraid and he knew that. If he possibly could’ve had any doubts about her identity, her body had already given her away. She knew that name. Knew the tragedy and hate associated with it. And as well the warnings.
“So, how about telling me your name? A legendary tale of my deeds is much less memorable if my slain enemies don’t have names.” Another step forward.
She had to act. She had to do something. Something like running away, or attack him... But how could she possibly run from, even less fight against THE Dante. “M-my name is... Toka. N-nice to meet you.”
“I strongly doubt anybody ever said something like that to me and meant it truthfully. At least not someone from your kind... You don’t look like you’re going to fight? Guess I’ll make this a quick, silent one...”
Silent... Of course! She neither had to run, nor win against him. She merely needed to make as much noise as possible, something that would attract Garro and the others! “Ah... no silent quickie...” Dante said with a sigh, apparently noticing the new-found confidence in her glare.
Then he angled out and struck forward, causing the brickwall to shatter at the spot Toka had been standing on, just mere moments ago. “Pulse!” Her right palm directed at Dante, a flash of something shot forth from her arm, striking the man and catapulting him off the alley and onto the street.
Before he had the time to get up, Toka had already taken stance on the other side of the street, her left resting on her right lower arm, an unidentifyable mist of something dark wavering around her right hand. Slamming said right hand onto the ground in front of her, she yelled “Impale!”, releasing the energy stored.
Something below the ground appeared to move, the asphalt of the road starting to crack open, the cracks and rumbling quickly moving towards Dante. “Definitely not a quickie.” he lamented, before jumping to his feet and then off to the side, just as a large spike of blackness shot from the ground, barely missing the man’s body. “Would have preferred a quickie...”

9.
“You didn’t really” “Pulse!” “thought that would actually” “Pulse!” “hit or injure me,” “Impale!” “did you?” Sidestepping every of the attacks, Dante quickly closed in on Toka, coming up behind her before she could possibly turn around. His right was angled out, holding some sort of short blade, shining brightly in the moonlit night.
A sly grin ran across her face. Of course not. But that hadn’t been the plan either way. "Nova!” Within the fractal of a second all of the energy Toka had accumulated across the past moments spread across her body and then erupted outwards, creating a massive, black-violett explosion.
Incapable of possibly dodging a large explosive force from point-blanc range, Dante found himself once more propelled through the air. A loud crack sounded when he crashed into the wall of a nearby building, the wall itself giving in to the impact, crumbling on top of him.
With a sharp gasp, Toka stumbled forward and fell to her knees, her body trying to compensate for the sudden exhaustion she had brought over herself. She definitely should have spent more time training.
“I have to admit, I didn’t exspect that sort of calibre from somebody this young...” As fast as her aching legs permitted, Toka got back up and turned to face Dante, who was emerging from the rubble of brick, brushing dust and dirt of his cape. “Well played, young lady, well played...”
Toka bit onto her own lip, in an attempt to distract herself from the ache every part of her body was radiating. She had to concentrate, otherwise she wouldn’t survive this. Dante was known as somebody who possessed incredible strength and agility. She couldn’t win the fight, not without help. Did Garro already notice the fight? The Nova should have been noticeable enough... But in case it didn’t get his attention, she should probably attempt something even more flashy.
“I’m not sure what to think of you. You appeared young and utterly helpless, yet I managed to get myself flying two times in a single fight. I can’t even remember when that happened last time. And since you don’t yet seem ready to give up, I’ll have to assume you have more aces up your sleeve...”
Of course, that was a weakness she could exploit! Dante obviously loved to toy with his enemies, bragging and ranting all across the fight... She could potentially try to lure him into talking, causing the whole fight to be delayed. “Maybe. But you don’t seem to have gone all-out yet, either.”
“Haha, of course not. If I were to go ‘all-out’ I would run risk to draw too much attention. Pulverizing the entire town would for sure make people unhappy, even those on my side.” Kicking the last pieces of brick away, Dante casually walked back towards her.
“Then you’ve picked the wrong person to fight. I’m not sure whether I can beat you, but I can for sure force you to go way beyond what you are comfortable with. If you aren’t ready to risk everything, you won’t beat me!” Starting to move sidewards, Toka more or less avoided the direct confrontation, instead causing both of them to start circling each other, something Dante didn’t appear to mind.
“Is that so? You know my name, you probably know how many of your kind are right-out afraid of me. What makes you think you can possibly come close to my level of power?”
“Because you’re feared for your mercyless, bloodthirsty way of hunting. You don’t fight for a higher sake, but just for the fight itself. You aren’t half as strong as many may believe, you’re merely scary because you fight more and kill more of us then anyone else. If you really were as strong as you claimed to be, you would have taken on the elders already, wouldn’t you?”
A slight trace of anger ran across Dante’s face, hinting Toka had hit a sweet spot. “As if I would bother searching for your so-called elders. They’re hiding from me, not the other way round!”
“Then why don’t you prove your words? I know the strength of the elders, show your powers to me and I will draw the comparison. Or don’t, if you’re afraid of the challenge...”
“Afraid? AFRAID? Of you? Pah! Don’t make fun of yourself!” Dante exclaimed, a sinister yet half-hearted laugh filling the silent streets.
“Is that so?” Toka asked, trying to make her voice sound as teasing as somehow possible, before beckoning Dante. “Then get over here!”

10.
Sliddering, Kat came to a halt, in a few metres distance. Utter surprise, mixed with a trace of shock was written across her face. And yet she had managed to dodge the strike, damn it! “Wow... that... Damn, I’ve to admit your act was good.” she muttered, slowly regaining her compositure. “I... for sure didn’t exspect you to be the something I’ve felt.”
With a grumpy expression, Eizo withdrew his outsretched arm, which was engulfed by a metallic something that strongly resembled a long, pointy lance. “Didn’t exspect you to dodge that one, either...”
“Well, you get used to people trying to stab you in the back when you’re on the constant run from the likes of you. What a waste of a cute boy, though...”
“If you mind to stop with the blabbering, how about we begin?” Eizo asked in a displeased tone.
“Why do you even ask me whether I’m ready? Didn’t you just try to stab me in the unprepared back in first place?” Kat asked with a visibly curious expression.
“Rules of honor. Stabbing is fine, but once the opponent has realized you’re an enemy, a fight should be won by strength and cleverness, not by deception.” Eizo responded.
Kat gave him a blatant stare. “The hell do you guys actually manage to keep posing a threat to us, whilst subject to such utterly retarded rules?!”
A low chuckle. “It’s skill and talent, obviously. I’m gonna take that as an ‘I’m ready.’” Even then he still gave her three seconds to prepare, before he charged forward, as if to simply impale her on his armlance by force of momentum.
Kat didn’t really seem intent on evading, but kept standing in his path till the very last moment: She sidestepped the approaching lance, then used it as a support to jump forward, right across Eizo’s head. “Blaze!”
Jumping sidewards, Eizo barely managed to dodge the red-glowing projectile. As it struck the ground, a short burst of flames and a small puddle of molen asphalt indicated the glow wasn’t just for show. “The next time you charge that plumply at me, I won’t intentionally miss.”
“As if that was an intentional miss...” Eizo returned, realigning himself and charging at her again. This time however, he didn’t wait for her to dodge, but instead aimed the lance at the ground, causing it’s tip to pierce into the asphalt. Permitting himself to be carried by physics and momentum, he was flung into the air.
With an amused expression, Kat once again sidestepped, avoiding the plump kick. Flying past, Eizo pulled the lance with him, causing it to swing towards Kat’s side. Just when the lance made contact, his feet hit the ground again. Eizo stopped apruptly and instead swung the lance quite similar to a bat, knocking Kat across the street with brute force.
To his surprise she wasn’t flung, spinning around herself, through the air, but instead aligned herself with the bypassing ground again, before striking down with a bare hand. A few seconds of splattering asphalt and a metre-long crack in the road later, she had come to an halt. “That wasn’t nice.”
“Wasn’t supposed to be. Nice way of catching yourself, though.”
“Duh, why do you think they call me ‘Kat’ for?!” the girl lamented, pulling her right hand from the split ground: Her hand was covered in a faint red glow, that intensified towards her fingers, forming the silhouette of claws. A quick gesture later, the same energy started to engulf her left hand, too.
“Hmm...” Eizo appeared to think for a second. “The lance definitely won’t do...” He raised his left hand and stroked across his right arm, from shoulder to the tip of the lance. The weapon started to dematerialized into a silver metallic mist of something, before he repeated the gesture in the opposite direction, causing the mist to take on a different shape. Cowering slightly down, the right arm outstretched, Eizo smiled towards Kat. “Mind if I... axe you a question?”