The trenchcoat girl began to stir. She rolled on her side and pushed herself up on her elbow.

"N-Nyx?" Remy started to say. She rushed to her side.

But Nyx held out her hand to motion "STOP."

"No. I'm fine." Her eyes keenly scanned her surroundings. "Doko?"

She jumped to her feet. "That's right. The Otaku no Mori." A malicious grin played on her lips. Nyx pushed her away past Remy.

"Where you going?" asked Remy, but Nyx was too far gone.

"Damn, I hate stairs." She jumped over the side of the railing to the floor below, landing on her feet. She smiled to herself. That felt damn good.

Remy rushed out after her. "Wait!"

"What's going on?" Seth had joined Remy at the railing.

"I don't know."

It was sunny out. She hated the sun. She distinctly heard three individual voices coming from the outside. The female voice belonged to Mercy.

"Mercy." Nyx smiled. "Mercy, mercy me."

Three figures stood outside of the Mori. Mercy was sandwiched between Orion and another man whom Nyx was notfamilliar with.

"Sweet, sweet Mercy."

Mercy's head snapped towards the her voice. A look of suprise streaked like lightning in her eyes. "Nyx?"

"Glad to see you here."

"Kuso!"

Orion stepped infront of his charge. "I won't let you hurt her."

"Get out of my way, cat-boy."

Understanding that this was not any of his concern, the other man stepped back into the cool shade of the tree.

Nyx whips out a Phosphorous gun and aims it Orion. "Back away. Or fry, chia pet."

Mercy had pulled out her lightsaber and does a forward flip over Orion. "You want me. Come and get me."

"The little blonde does have some balls."

"Mercy. Don't fight her. You can't unless she attacks you first."

"I'm well aware of that. This is my fight, Orion. Step back." Mercy replied firmly.

To her suripse, Nyx tossed her gun into HammerSpace. Her eyes glowed an ominous red flare and took her stance, wrists pressed tightly together and her fist clentched. A sparkling red aura encompssed her hands, surging through her arms.

Remy and Seth rushed headlong through the door, both squeezing through simultaneouly.

"Manos."

The ball of flame shot a straight path directly to Mercy.

"NO!" Orion lept in front of the fireball.

Mercy watched helplessly as the scene unfolded in slow motion before her eyes.

"'Y mashe no ka." A man's firm command broke the silence. With the incantation, the fireball evaporated, inches from Orion's chest.

He falls to the ground at Mercy's feet.

Milton appeared beside Nyx. He was wearing loose, black drawstring pants--suprisingly without a top. His appearance was more haggard, his hair tossled and untended. A fierce fire glistened in his murky blue eyes.

"Enough." He grabbed Nyx by the waist and pulled her into him. "Enough."

TBC....