“A Day In The Life - Xander Kuronova:
Can’t Stop Fallin In Love”

     “Xander, what are we going to do today?”
     “Well Raine, what would you like to do? We have an entire afternoon to ourselves, and there’s nothing major happening anywhere.”
     Silence for deep thought.
     “I know. Let’s go downtown for pizza. Pizza’s always good.”
     Nodding of ascent.
     “Sounds like a good idea. My treat.”
     Two young people walk arm and arm down the street, stepping over the remains of a wasted pizza that somebody threw from a passing car. The oldest one looks to be about fourteen or fifteen, with dark brown hair that’s mostly short except for a long ponytail running down his back. The younger one is about ten or eleven, with the same brown hair, only it’s pulled back in a long braid.
     The eldest hears something behind them, and turns his head to see a ball of light touch down on the soggy pizza on the sidewalk and seep in. There’s a blinding flash of light, and a moment later there’s a monster standing there, growling loudly about how hungry it is.
     “Raine, get out of here,” the eldest says, stepping in front of his younger brother and striking a battle stance.
     “But Xander, what are you going to do?” Raine asked, fear evident in his emerald green eyes.
     “Just go!”
     Xander turns back to the monster to see it powering up for a beam attack, then looks at Raine, who has moved away from the building towards the street. The monster fires, throwing Xander into a brick wall and Raine into the street in the path of an oncoming truck. Xander opens one eye to see the monster vanish into thin air and the truck hit his younger brother. The last thing he hears before passing out are the screams of his brother and his own screams of anguish.

     An alarm clock began to drone in the background. Snoring can be heard, and this is interrupted by muttering and cursing from the person wrapped up in the dark colored sheets on the bed. The covers fly back a moment later, a somewhat older version of the eldest brother sitting up and rubbing his head, running fingers through tangled cranberry and brown hair.
     “A dream,” Xander said, turning his head towards his window, where a gentle breeze blew the curtain open. “It was all.... a dream. But why... why that moment again?”
     Several minutes later he was padding downstairs, wrapped in a dark colored robe, his hair wrapped up in a towel to dry from the hot shower he’d just finished. ‘I think it’s going to be one of those days,’ he thought as he reached the bottom floor, using the towel to clean out his ears.
     “Good morning young master,” a gentle female voice said as he stepped into the dining room. “Did you sleep well?”
     “Yeah, I guess so,” Xander yawned, “but Yuren, could you do me a big favor?”
     “Yes young master,” the voice replied as Xander took a seat at the table.
     “Please stop calling me young master. My name’s Xander. Xan-der.”
     “Yes master Xander.”
     Xander sighed and looked down at his plate, where a stack of chocolate chip pancakes covered in strawberry sauce were sitting, then up at the older woman who had served him. “So I take it mom and dad have gone out for the day?”
     Yuren nodded, her curly gray hair bouncing slightly. “Yes master Xander, that they have. Your father has several meetings today, and your mother has a few rush orders for special deliveries.”
     Xander sighed and cut a large hunk from the stack of pancakes, stabbing a couple of strawberry pieces before stuffing it in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully for a few moments, staring out the window that looked over the park near his home. “Say Yuren, do my folks ever mention Raine?”
     Yuren stopped smiling, her eyes opening as she absorbed the implications of the question. She smiled and nodded. “Yes young master, they mention your brother now and then. Why do you ask?”
     “No reason,” he replied, sipping at his tea. “Just... curious. That’s all.”
     “Don’t forget that you have to be at work soon, young master. They’re expecting you for second cashier today.”
     Xander sighed and resumed eating his breakfast. “I know,” he said, “which is why I’m going to take my time this morning in preparing for work.”
     Yuren blinked at him a couple of times, and he turned and smiled up at her. “I’m kidding, of course.” He stuffed the remains of the pancakes into his mouth, chugged his juice, downed his tea, and quickly rose from the table. “Breakfast was delicious as usual Yuren.”
     “Don’t forget your lunch,” Yuren called as he exited the dining room. She sighed and watched him retreat up the stairs. “He’s such a busy boy. I wonder what he does for fun.”

     Half an hour later Xander stepped in through the exit doors of the market, smiling greetings to everyone there. “Morning Sakuri. Hello Keitaro. Aloha all,” he said, passing through the front end and past the courtesy booth on his way to the break room. Passing through produce he spotted Lyssa and bounced up to her. “Good morning Lyssa.”
     “Mornin’ Xander,” Lyssa replied rather laconically, running her fingers through her long dirty blond hair.
     “Anything interesting happen lately? Any word from Kintara or Maho or Tsukiri?”
     Lyssa shook her head for a negative response. “None. I’m surprised about that, though, since we were getting calls left and right for a solid week. Now... nothing.”
     Xander nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I guess it’s a good thing. But I’m still wondering who this Koushiro guy is. He’s saved us a few times, and has never stuck around following the fights to introduce himself.”
     Lyssa shrugged and resumed pushing her produce cart towards a large display of fresh vegetables. “Have a good day,” he called, waving to her before ducking through the swinging doors. He set his bag in a chair in the break room and began to rummage through it, eventually fishing out his name tag and a few other things he needed for register days.
     ‘I hope he’s working today,’ he thought as he browsed through the schedules for front end people. ‘I really hope I get to work with him today. He’s one of the few reasons I’m still here. Is he....’ His finger stopped on a name, and he slid his finger to the right to the schedule for that day. He had to hold back a loud cheer when he saw that the person he was thinking of would be working that day. ‘I can’t wait until he comes in,’ his mind raced, ‘Koichi Tanakawa, come on down.’
     “Xander Kuronova to the front please,” came over the PA system, and he glanced at his watch and sighed.
     “Bugger. It’s that time all ready? I swear it’s gonna be one of those days.”

     “And today we’ll be studying the socioeconomic impact of the second world war. Now, who would like to volunteer to begin reading? Mister Tanakawa?”
     Half the class turned to a young man with slick dark hair and glasses whose hand was raised high into the air. He blushed uneasily and rose, book in hand. In a low tenor voice he began to read, and even Kintara had to admit that Koichi Tanakawa needed to talk more, since he had a nice voice.
     ‘I wonder what Xander is doing today?’ ran through Tara’s mind as she scribbled down notes from the reading. ‘I finally have a day off to enjoy things. No emergency call from Albarsis. No weird exchange students showing up to throw a wrench in the works. Marge, Zelda, and Whitely have had total personality revamps. This is perfection.’
     “Miss Shikoba, will you please pick up from where Mister Tanakawa left off?” Professor Ueda asked, adjusting her glasses and shaking her head, her chin length violet hair spreading out and catching the light. She fixed her gaze upon Tara before saying, “Well?”
     “Top of page one fifty seven,” Maxamillion whispered from behind her. “First column, third paragraph.”
     “Thanks,” Tara nodded, rising from her seat and picking up her reader. “The war had positive and negative aspects for all countries involved on both sides....”

     Three o’ clock took its sweet time in rolling around, and the minute the clock struck three Xander made a dash for the break room, his stomach rumbling since he had opted to have his fifteen minute break first and his lunch later. He vaulted over the carts of slow moving customers, diving to the floor and rolling through the doors as Leon Pandarus, the assistant store manager, was stepping through.
     “Hey Xander, how are things?” he asked as Xander rolled to his feet.
     “Going good Mister P,” Xander replied, winking before bounding to the break room, where his bag and his lunch awaited.
     ‘I am seriously starving,’ he thought as he plunked down and fished his lunch bag out of his backpack. ‘I know that Yuren packed something mega delicious for me. Her cooking rocks! I just wish that now and then mom would cook something for me.’
     He unzipped his lunch bag and peeked inside, smiling when he saw that it was bursting with goodies, especially for him. He took a moment to pull most of it out, repack some of it, and leave a sandwich, fresh cut vegetables, a jar of chocolate soy milk, and home made double chocolate cookies. As he was about to take a bite of the sandwich he heard footsteps and glanced to his left to see Koichi on his way through, shirt untucked and tie loose. The dark haired young man stepped into the men’s room, and a moment later he stepped out, smoothing his hair down, his shirt tucked in and tie straightened.
     Xander watched him step up to the bulletin board where the schedules were posted, and waited. And waited. And waited. He finally said, “Afternoon Koichi. How ya doing?”
     “Good,” Koichi replied. An icy chill blew through the room, ruffling Xander’s hair as Koichi turned and exited.
     “Well, that sure could have gone better,” Xander sighed, smacking his forehead with the hand that wasn’t holding the sandwich. “Baka. Baka. Baka. Baka.”
     “You shouldn’t smack your self like that,” a familiar voice said. Xander looked up to see Tara leaning over, her ears twitching as she grinned at him. “What time you out?”
     “Tara.... um, I think I’m out in an hour or so,” he replied.
     “Then it’s settled. Koichi’s doing part of a shift today, so we can all get together after the two of you get out and go to the arcade.”
     “But Tara....”
     His protests fell on deaf ears, since the catgirl was already bouncing out of the break room and back rooms of the store. “Don’t forget to meet us at the arcade,” she called, her words echoing through the rooms.
     “Yeah, right,” he sighed, leaning forward to rest his chin on the table. He covered his head with his hands and sighed again. “Things go from bad to worse.”

     With it being such a slow day for grocery shoppers Xander was released from his imprisonment a full half hour early, which he took as a sign of things going much better. He slid his sunglasses on and walked in the direction of the arcade. Part way there he turned in a different direction, heading for a different arcade from the one that Tara would frequent.
     ‘I’m sorry Tara,’ he said mentally, picking up his pace to a run, ‘It’s not that I hate you. It’s just that I need some time alone right now, and that means Dance Dance Evolution with no distractions.’
     By the time he reached the arcade tears had welled up in his eyes, and he stopped outside to wipe them away and regain his happy composure. With head held high and shoulders squared he stepped through the sliding doors, promptly face faulting when he saw the line for Dance Dance Evolution.
     “Hey Xander, you’re a little late today,” the manager called from the service counter.
     “I noticed,” Xander sighed as he stepped up to the counter and leaned on it. “What are the chances of me getting to the front of that line?”
     Murmurs of excitement began to fill the air, and the manager smiled at Xander. “Well, as sure as I am of my name being Ryuuske I’d say it’s pretty good.”
     Xander’s ears twitched, and he turned to see the line falling back, opening a path for him to the machine. People began to chant his name, and Xander looked at Ryuuske, who simply smiled at him. “Go on, they want to see you dance, and you make the world better with your dance.”
     “You’ve been near that machine too much,” Xander sighed, a sweat drop forming on his head as he turned away from the counter.
     He slowly approached the machine, wondering why everyone wanted to see him dance. He didn’t consider himself to be a wonderful dancer. Usually he bombed after a couple of levels, but there were blank spots in his memory that made him wonder if he had gone into some sort of a trance while playing.
     A boy of about thirteen with short pale blue hair stepped up to the coin slot and dropped some coins into the machine. “Come and play,” the machine beeped, and Xander stepped onto the dance platform, staring blankly at the screen. He selected the game mode, then his character. When song select came up he clicked through it a few times.
     ‘What do I wanna dance to?’ he asked himself, going from song to song. ‘There we go. This one’s perfect.’

<music: ‘If You Were Here’ -Jennifer>
     The next screen was difficulty select, and without thinking he tapped down twice, selecting ‘Maniac’ as opposed to ‘normal’ or ‘tricky’. The screen went dark, and stars appeared and spread, the word ‘ready’ appearing before vanishing to leave his character dancing.
     As the song played he danced like very few people are able to dance, nailing every single step with precision timing and accuracy. He wasn’t fully concentrating on the game, but nobody could tell since he finished the song with a perfect score. He stepped on the select button, and the music select screen came up again. Clicking through the songs he came upon another one to fit his mood. Once more he selected ‘Maniac’ and went with it.
<music: ‘Can’t Stop Fallin’ In Love’ -Naoki>
     Yet again he danced like an expert, his feet moving faster and faster, hitting the arrow keys below them with rapid fire accuracy. He began to trance, thinking about how much fun it would be to spend quality time with Koichi. Maybe they could borrow his dad’s convertible and drive out to the country or the mountains and watch the sunset or something. Maybe enjoy a candlelit dinner at a fancy restaurant sometime, or wake up and cook breakfast for Koichi.
     “Wow, he’s good,” a girl of about twelve with pink hair in ponytails said from the back of the crowd as the doors slid open, revealing Tara and Koichi outside.
     “The boy is on fire today,” Ryuusuke commented before noticing Tara, who looked hurt and offended. “Tara, what are you doing here?”
     “Looking for that little brat,” the catgirl snarled, pointing at Xander, who was finishing his second song. “He was supposed to meet us someplace else this afternoon.”
     “Wow, look at his score,” Koichi said, pointing at the screen where a shining ‘A+’ appeared next to the song title.
     Somebody outside screamed, and Tara and Koichi looked down the street to see a large monster that resembled a pizza terrorizing the populous. The monster spied them about the same time they spied it, and it lashed out with a whip composed of mozzarella cheese, tying Koichi up and dragging him off.
     “Koichi!” Tara cried, running after the monster. “Damn!”
     She considered stopping to transform, then decided against it since she would lose the monster if she did. She did, however, click on the homing beacon on her comm bracelet, hoping that her friends would think to look for her.
     As she rounded a corner she found herself getting a face to face encounter with a web of sticky pizza cheese. “This sucks,” she murmured, her cheek stuck to the web. “How embarrassing,” she sighed moments before it began to drain her energy. “Damn.”

     Back at the arcade Xander was about to select his fourth song when he heard his comm bracelet begin to beep. “Not now,” he muttered, stepping down from the platform. “Ryuusuke, you take over for me. I have to answer a page.”
     “What? Me?” Ryuusuke stammered, “But I don’t dance Maniac.”
     “Dance at your own pace. I need to go,” Xander said on his way out the door. “The dance king has left the building.”
     Once outside he clicked open his comm bracelet. “Zandarius here. What’s the sitch?”
     “Zandarius, it’s Albarsis. Shihoko’s tracking signal is stationary and there’s a monster on the loose with a hostage in tow.”
     Xander’s eyes widened at the mention of a hostage. “Any idea of who it could be?”
     ‘We’ll meet you at the arcade.’ Tara’s voice echoed in his mind. He was supposed to meet Koichi and Tara, but had gone to the Gold Crown Center instead of Digital Dreams. “Never mind what I just said,” he said into his communicator. “I think I know who the hostage is.”
     “Do you want backup?” Albarsis asked, only to hear static on the other end of the transmission. “May the force protect you.”

     A couple of blocks later Xander skidded into an alleyway, where Tara was strung up on a web of what looked like cheese. “Tara?” he asked. A set of cat ears twitched at the mention of the name.
     “Xander?” Tara asked weakly. “They got my energy, and they have Koichi.”
     “Who’s they?” Xander asked, clenching his fists so his nails dug into his palms.
     “One of the youmas from Soi’s sick and twisted mind,” the catgirl said weakly. “It looked like a giant pizza.”
     Xander’s eyes widened in shock. Could it be the same youma from four years prior? The one that had attacked him and Raine? The one who had caused his brother to fall into a deep coma, from which he had yet to awaken?
     He glanced past Tara to see pieces of a white dress shirt on the ground, as well as a black tie, and those items confirmed that Soi’s youma wanted to drain Koichi of his virginal energy. He shut his eyes, praying for the strength he needed.
     ‘Lords of darkness of these worlds, as my word as thy bond, grant me the strength I need to become the sword wielding warrior of darkness, Mystical Healer Zandarius.’
     The jewel in his bracelet glowed, encompassing him in dark violet light. He arched his back as he brought his wrist level with his eyes. He reached for the sky, a ring of dark light forming. This ring spanned down his body, melting away his street clothes and replacing them with the dark colored clothes and armor he wore as Zandarius.
     Once transformed he summoned his nodatchi and used it to cut Tara free of the web. He set the weakened catgirl to the side, out of danger, and reactivated her tracking signal before running off to rescue Koichi.

     “Your energy is mine,” the youma said, having pinned Koichi to the wall with globs of mozzarella cheese and also having stripped the young man of his shirt. “Ahh, yes, you’re nice and pure. Just the type that Queen Soi needs.”
     A globe of darkness descended into the alley, exploding behind the youma to get its attention away from Koichi and onto someone standing on a nearby rooftop.
     “Hey, you piece of outdated garbage,” a shadowy figure said, brushing strands of hair behind his left ear. “You harm him and you’ll be answering to me.”
     “Who are you?” the monster asked, “Another pure of heart, mind, and body?”

<music: ‘.59’ - DJ Taka>
     “I am a warrior of darkness who fights to protect those who are pure and innocent. Mystical Healer Zandarius!”
     As Zandarius introduced himself several globes of light formed, illuminating his face and features. When he spoke his name he looked up, his face set in determination. He grinned before leaping from where he stood, diving towards the ground below while twisting his body around. Near the ground he tucked into a roll, landing in a crouch, his left hand going behind his back to draw forth his no datchi.
     “Prepare to get trashed,” Zandarius growled, drawing his sword.
     “You’re the one who’s going to get trashed,” the youma replied, lashing out with tendrils of cheese. Zandarius ducked, then glanced over his shoulder to see the tendrils strike Koichi. Koichi cried out as his energy was rapidly drained, his head falling forward when he no longer had the energy to cry out.
     “You BASTARD!” Zandarius cried, his energy spiking off of the charts. A dark wind began to blow through the alley, increasing in strength until the youma had to cover its eyes or risk going blind. During the unnatural sandstorm Zandarius used the smaller blade in his sword hilt to cut Koichi free, the dark haired young man slumping over his shoulder.
     “Everything will be all right,” he whispered into Koichi’s ear. To the monster he shouted, “I’ll be back to kick your sorry butt into next week! You hear me?!”
     A set of eyes glowed in the dark sandstorm, and Zandarius backed into a corner, Koichi draped over his shoulders. A moment later he melted into the shadows, using the shadow walk ability that Albarsis had instructed him in using.

     A short distance away, where Kintara sat, still too weak to move let alone transform, something stirred in the shadows between a pair of garbage cans. The catgirl looked up weakly, wondering if she was going to be attacked again or worse. The figure of an armor clad man melted out of the shadows, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
     “You’re a sight for tired eyes,” she said, struggling to stand.
     “Easy there Tara,” Zandarius said, stepping forward. He hefted the catgirl up and balanced her over his shoulder, to much protesting.
     “You pervert! Don’t you dare look up my skirt!” she screamed, her legs flailing as he stepped back into the shadows.
     “Will you please calm down Tara?” he hissed through gritted teeth. “I need to concentrate to shadow walk, and with two passengers it won’t be easy since I’m still new at this. Understand?”
     He felt Tara nod her head, and took this as a good omen. A moment later he melted into the shadows again, leaving behind the alley and the youma for a short time.

     Near the Hirosaki residence something stirred in the darkness outside the garage. Tsukiri was outside working on his motorcycle when he heard the garbage cans fall over and someone swearing somewhat loudly. He picked up a heavy wrench and proceeded to investigate.
     As he turned the corner of the garage a figure wearing dark colored armor stepped out. He swung the wrench, not realizing until it was too late that it was Zandarius. He winced as the wrench struck the mystical healer, then blinked when he didn’t hear any cries of pain.
     “You really need to watch your aim,” Zandarius said, removing the wrench that was now embedded in his chest armor. “You could hurt somebody if you’re not careful.”
     “What are you doing here?” Tsukiri asked, realizing after he asked the question that two unconscious people were draped over Zandarius’ shoulders. “Never mind.”
     “Keep an eye on these two please,” Zandarius said, setting the two comfortably on the ground before retreating into the shadows. “I’ll be back later to help them.”
     “But Xander,” Tsukiri protested, hearing the swish of a cape as the healer slid back into the shadows. He sighed, his protests unheard. “He’s going to need backup.”
     “He’ll be fine,” Tara whispered, “he can handle this.”
     “But you got drained and you’re our leader,” Tsukiri argued, sitting cross legged next to the catgirl who had struggled into a more comfortable position.
     “He’s fighting for more than himself, more than us. He’s fighting for a reason that even I don’t know. He’ll triumph. You’ll see.”
     Tsukiri sighed before clicking his comm bracelet open. “Sakura, Nadeshiko, it’s Genrou. Zandarius might need some backup in town.”
     “Roger that,” Maho said cheerily.
     “Ditto,” Lyssa said, “we’ll give him help if he needs it.”

     In a richer part of town a small purple dragonet flitted about outside a bedroom window. The window opened, allowing entry into the room of Masamichi “Maxamillion” Volfield.
     “Max, have you heard the latest broadcast over the transmitter?” the dragonet asked, out of breath from having to hover for so long.
     “Yeah, what bits I could over the Neanderthal's latest tirade,” Max sighed, looking back down at his textbook. “My brother is such a mega arse sometimes!”
     “Well, here’s your chance to blow off some steam,” the dragonet said, landing atop Max’s desk lamp. “Zandarius may require some help with a youma downtown.”
     “You think Koushiro’s help will be required?” Max asked, closing his textbook with a loud ‘thud’.
     “Will you settle for a ‘DUH’?”
     Max smirked at the dragonet. “You know Jikana, that’s the first time that you’ve ever been the least bit sarcastic. I like it.”
     A loud pounding sounded at the door, followed by a long string of curses and profanity. Max sighed, glad for the four locks that his dad agreed to have put on his door.
     “Come out you little twirp and let me pound ya!” Max’s brother, Tobias, shouted from outside. “Rika just broke our date for tonight and I’m looking for some stress relief!”
     “Time to go,” Max whispered to Jikana, who nodded and flitted for the window. He glanced over his shoulder at the door, then down at the bracelet around his wrist which allowed him to transform. ‘Lords of thunder and lightning, your dispositions stormy, grant me the strength to become the archer known as Koushiro!’
     The gem in his bracelet glowed a bright violet, lightning crackling around him. A ring of lightning formed around his feet, and this spanned up his body, forming the dark colored clothes and violet armor he wore as Koushiro.
     With his transformation complete he leapt from his window, a bolt of lightning engulfing him. A short distance later the bolt struck ground, setting him down before vanishing.
     “Which direction is the youma?” Koushiro asked as Jikana caught up to him.
     “Center of town, a short distance from Digital Dreams arcade,” the dragonet replied.
     Without further discussion Koushiro took off at a dead run, his body engulfed by lightning from time to time for a lightning warp. Would he be in time to lend a hand if needed?

     Back in the alley the youma was growing rather impatient with having to wait for the healer to return. Just as it was preparing to leave a voice from the shadows said, “I told you I’d be back to kick your sorry butt into orbit for attacking my friends.”
     “You certainly took your sweet time,” the youma replied as Zandarius rose out of the shadows, his head bowed and arms crossed. “Funny thing is you remind me of some kid I attacked when I was first born four years ago.”
     “I know,” Zandarius replied coldly, “that was me, and because of your attack my little brother is still in a coma!”
     The last part was growled as Zandarius raised his head, his eyes cold with hatred and loathing for the youma composed of street pizza.
     “Oh, so I caused you suffering and pain before this day?” the youma laughed. “That makes it twice the fun.”
     “There’s only one difference between that day and today,” Zandarius said, summoning his short sword into existence.
     “And what’s that?”
     “You’re not the only one with super powers,” Zandarius smirked before dashing at the youma, who was caught off guard by the speed of his attacker. The healer was in his face before he knew it, and Zandarius unleashed a devastating twelve slash combo before being thrown down the alley into some trash cans. The healer flipped to his feet in time to be caught in the shoulders by sticky globs of cheese and plastered to the wall behind him.
     “Struggle all you want,” the youma taunted, “it will simply drain your strength and pass it on to me.”
     ‘He’s right,’ Zandarius thought as his arms were struck by more cheese and glued to the wall. ‘I can’t get free to do anything. I’ve failed my friends, my brother, and myself.’
     From above someone shouted, “Aeroblade!”, several glowing green blades of energy tearing through the air and cutting through the cheese that bound Zandarius to the wall.
     “That attack...” Zandarius said, looking up to the rooftops since he more or less knew who to expect.
     “Who’s there?!” the youma demanded, spotting two shadows on a nearby rooftop.
     “A soldier of the winds whose heart is free, Mystic Knight Nadeshiko!”
     “A soldier enfused with the flames of love and righteousness, Mystic Fighter Sakura!”
     The two female warriors leapt down, landing between Zandarius and the youma, their weapons drawn and fixed on their enemy.
     “How’s it going, Zandarius?” Nadeshiko asked, emphasizing his name.
     “I could have handled it,” Zandarius replied, peeling cheese off of his arms and shoulders. “But thanks for the assist.”
     “How touching,” the youma said sarcastically, “makes me want to be sick.”
     “Can it anchovies for brains,” Sakura said, shifting her grip on her hammer. “Ready ‘Shiko?”
     “Ready Sakura,” Nadeshiko replied, stabbing her spear into the ground before holding her hands over her head. “Emerald...”
     “Fire...”
     The youma didn’t wait to be attacked but took the initiative, several points on its body glowing before it launched a beam attack that struck Sakura and Nadeshiko, slamming them into the wall on either side of Zandarius hard enough to leave a full body impression. The two female fighters slumped to the ground, unconscious from the impact.
     “You’re next,” the youma growled as Zandarius looked at his friends in open mouthed shock. “Say buh-bye.”
     “I won’t forgive you for what you’ve done,” Zandarius growled, his armor glowing, a second level change taking effect as dragon wings unfurled from his back. “You hurt Tara and Koichi, and now Nadeshiko and Sakura. But most importantly you hurt Raine, and for that you must be severely punished!!”
     He charged at the youma and lunged, his wings glowing as he propelled into his adversary. Momentum pushed them towards the alley entrance, where a doorway of shadow appeared. Both Zandarius and the youma vanished into the doorway, which shut and vanished once both had passed over the threshold.

     A short distance away Koushiro stopped and looked around, something causing the hairs on the back of his neck to itch and prickle.
     “What’s wrong?” Jikana asked, catching up to him and landing on his shoulder.
     “Didn’t you just sense Zandarius’ power level increase?” Koushiro asked, his eyes closed, his hair billowing in the breeze.
     Jikana closed her eyes as well, reaching out to sense whatever was there. The level that met her attempts nearly knocked her from where she sat on Koushiro’s shoulder. “Holy crap!” she exclaimed, her eyes snapping open, her wings fluttering to keep her on her perch, “That must be some amazing power up he got.”
     “If you recall, Shihoko gave off a pulse like that when she ascended to Super Savior,” Koushiro said.
     Jikana nodded. “So that means that Zandarius has just ascended,” she mused.
     “And that makes him easier to track, since he just shadow jumped,” Koushiro said, shifting direction towards the park. “Better hold on tight for this next warp.”
     “Koushiro, waiiiiit,” she cried, the lightning bolt already surrounding them. She let out a startled, “Eeerk!” before they were warped away, leaving a black spot on the roof where they’d been.

     Near the edge of a wooded area in Cherry Hill Park a dark doorway appeared and opened, the youma that had been attacking the populous flying out, Mystic Healer Zandarius following a short distance behind. The doorway closed and vanished as Zandarius skidded to a stop, the youma flying through the air and into a tree.
     ‘Good,’ Zandarius thought, looking around, ‘It’s open enough for me to use any and all attacks in my arsenal without worrying about innocent bystanders.’
     “Are you scared to be all alone with the big, bad, hungry youma?” the youma taunted, peeling itself off of the tree.
     “Cha, as if,” Zandarius retorted, summoning his sword, “I’ll kick your sorry butt from here to kingdom come!”
     The youma lunged at Zandarius, who leapt into the air and hovered there, watching his opponent's actions. When he saw an opening he arched his back and flung his sword with all his might at the youma.
     “Astral Drain!” he cried, the sword lodging itself in the ground in front of the youma. A light purple glow surrounded the sword and youma, a gem in the sword hilt glowing blood red. A ray of light shot from the gem, striking Zandarius and transferring energy from the youma directly to the healer. Zandarius angled up, a blue glow encompassing him. He cried out, three rays of blue light shooting out of his back to streak across the sky towards three very distinct people.

     In the alley where much of the fighting had taken place two of the rays of light touched down, surrounding Nadeshiko and Sakura and revitalizing them with energy taken from their enemy. Both slowly opened their eyes, wondering what had transpired in their short time of unconsciousness.
     “What just happened?” Sakura asked, sitting up and rubbing her head, “and why does my body ache so?”
     “We got whacked by that pizza youma,” Nadeshiko said, rising unsteadily to her feet.
     The two looked at each other and face faulted. “Xander!”
     “He might need our help,” Sakura said, leaning on her hammer while she got her feet under her. What felt like a lightning bolt tore through her body, returning her strength and healing her aches. Nadeshiko felt something similar, and with both of them back in action they left the alley for the rooftops, and from there made haste for the park.

     At the Hirosaki residence Tsukiri was busy tending to Tara and Koichi while trying to remain calm. When his back was turned for a moment a bolt of blue energy burst through the window and struck Tara, encompassing her in a pale blue glow. Her eyes flickered open a second later as her energy was renewed.
     “Tsukiri?” she said faintly, turning her head to look around.
     “I’m here,” Tsukiri said, kneeling next to where the catgirl lay, “How are you feeling?”
     “Like kicking that youma’s sorry butt from here to next month,” Tara replied, sitting up and bouncing out of bed.
     Tsukiri blinked and fell back, skittering a short distance away until his back came to rest against the wall. Tara cocked her head, puzzled by her friend’s reaction. “What’s wrong?”
     “A few seconds ago you were unconscious, and now you’re all hyper again,” Tsukiri said, a sweat drop forming on his head.
     Tara scratched her head and cocked it the other way. “So that explains how I got from the alley to here,” she said, finally realizing what had transpired. Tsukiri fell over, his left leg twitching in the air.
     “You can act so... so... BLOND!” Tsukiri exclaimed, sitting up and slamming his palms on the table in the middle of his room. He looked out the window and blinked, since a glow could be seen in the center of town. “Zandarius...”
     “Could probably use a hand with things,” Tara said, rising from her bed. “You look after Koichi. I’ll go and lend him a hand.”
     Tsukiri nodded as Tara stood in the window, bracing herself on the frame. The gems in her bracelets glowed, forming her armor and outfit she wore as Shihoko. Without further words she was gone into the night.
     “Well Koichi,” Tsukiri said, sitting back and glancing at the still unconscious young man, "Hopefully Zandarius will return soon to help you.”

     “Queen Soi! Queen Soi!” Yuiren exclaimed, barging into the throne room and through several guards who moved to restrain the blue haired general of the dark kingdom.
     “What is it now Yuiren?!” Soi sighed loudly, upset that someone dared to interrupt the facial and manicure she was in the process of getting.
     Yuiren face faulted when she saw the green glop and cucumbers on the queen’s face. She shook off the shock and continued. “We have reports of a rogue youma named Pizzazz who has amassed a great quantity of virginal energy for our kingdom.”
     “A rogue youma?” the cucumber slices slid off of Soi’s face. “Who did it drain?”
     “Shihoko, Nadeshiko, Sakura, and some guy,” Yuiren ticked off the names on her fingers.
     Soi went pale underneath the avocado pack on her face. She swallowed loudly. “Oh my.”
“Some energy was lost due to an Astral Drain attack from Zandarius, but not overly much. There’s still a wondrous amount remaining.”
     “GO!” Soi commanded, “Bring the energy back before Zandarius destroys the youma!”
     “Yes, my queen,” Yuiren said, turning to leave.
     “One more thing,” Soi said, stopping Yuiren, “Just how old is this rogue youma?”
     “Four years, my queen,” Yuiren said without turning.
     Soi blinked. “FOUR years?!”
     “Yes, my queen. Four years.”
     “Don’t just stand there you fool! Give it some backup! With that much of a life span it must have huge amounts of energy collected!”
     Yuiren was gone in a cloud of Sakura petals, leaving Soi to resume being pampered.
     “A four year old youma,” Soi mused as fresh cucumber slices were placed over her eyes, “Interesting.”

     Back in the park the youma now known as Pizzazz was getting the stuffing literally beat out of it by Zandarius, whose anger had caused him to ascend to a higher level of power.
     “You’re going to be so sorry for ever messing with the people I love and care for!” the warrior shouted, lashing out with both his swords now, both blades glowing with runic symbols. Pizzazz was struck by almost every swing, yet incurring little personal damage.
     “Is that the best that you can do?” the youma taunted. “It barely tickles.”

<music: ‘Dynamite Rave’ -Naoki>
     “You want it to hurt?” Zandarius asked, grinning maliciously. He joined the swords at their hilts for a second, plunging the blades into the ground. He cracked his knuckles before picking the blade back up, breaking the connection between them. “We’ll make it hurt especially for you.”
     He lunged forward, his wings spreading. He twirled the swords he held, turning them into whirling blades of death. The youma sidestepped the attacks, simultaneously creating a sword out of pizza crust and using it to clip Zandarius’ wings. Zandarius managed to flip forward, using his momentum to handspring into the air, where he rolled into a ball.
     “Blade Boomerang!” he cried, throwing his body straight and rigid, four whirling energy blades flying from his back. These blades assaulted the youma, shattering its sword into breadsticks before returning to Zandarius and locking onto his back armor.
     “Prepare to have your life drained,” the youma said as the healer touched down. Globs of pizza cheese flew from the youma, and Zandarius dodged these with ease. He didn’t see the two larger tendrils until they slammed into his chest, propelling him backwards into a tree, where he was pinned. “Your virginal energy must be great for someone of your caliber.”
     ‘Crud and double crud. I think I may have failed yet again,’ ran through his mind as the youma began to drain him. ‘Koichi. Tara. Maho. Lyssa. I’ve failed.’
     “Silver Lightning Arrow!”
     Two silver arrows streaked through the air, severing the tendrils and knocking the youma back when they exploded. Zandarius slumped to the ground, half aware of what was happening around him.
     A flash of green and red came into his view and he squinted to focus on Sakura and Nadeshiko, both of whom were standing between him and Pizzazz.
     “We got you chief,” a voice said in his ear as he was lifted to his feet, and he glanced over to see Koushiro lending him a shoulder. The archer blushed a bit and managed an uneasy smile. “Err...”
     “You don’t need to explain anything,” Zandarius said, “we’re just glad you’re on our side.”
     “I’ll get all four of you in one shot,” the youma said, four tendrils growing out of its back. These danced like trained snakes before lashing out at the four heroes.
     “Combined tech,” Sakura and Nadeshiko said in unison, auras of elemental power glowing around them. “Pyro Pillar!”
     They executed mirror image motions, both sweeping hands forward, globes of colored light joining before crashing into the ground in front of the youma. A cyclone of fire burst into existence and engulfed the target, the heat intense enough to knock the casters back a couple of feet.
     “Nailed him!” Sakura cheered, flashing a victory sign. “A perfectly executed duel tech.”
     “Excellent work,” Koushiro said as the flames began to dwindle, a dark shadow appearing behind the wall of flames. “but it’s not defeated yet.”
     “And you won’t get a chance to defeat him,” Yuiren cackled as she and several generic dark kingdom soldiers phased in. “That youma has enough virginal energy in its body to bring about the revival of our kingdom and another age of darkness!”
     “All the more of a reason to destroy it,” a familiar female voice said from the treetops. Lights flicked on, revealing a catgirl clad in silver armor, her blond hair blowing dramatically in the breeze. “Appearing from the darkness, a soldier of light and purity, Magical Savior Shihoko!”
     “A fighter who rages like the tides of our lovely earth,” an out of breath male voice said from the edge of the park. “Magical Warrior Genrou. And Shihoko, you need to learn what ‘wait’ means.”
     The catgirl leapt from her perch, landing in a perfect crouch at the front of the group. “Later Genrou. And just who is watching you-know-who?”
     “Simple,” Genrou said as he joined Shihoko at the front. “Gorn and Eli.”
     “Can you two bicker some other time?” Koushiro growled. “In case you hadn’t noticed, the monster is recovering from the duel tech.”
     Shihoko and Genrou looked to where the pyro pillar was dying down, a very charred but still living youma stepping forth, multiple points on its body glowing with dark energy.
     “Destroy them Pizzazz,” Yuiren commanded, “then we can return to Queen Soi and revive the dark kingdom. A hahahahahahahahaha... hack hack cough.”
     Yuiren began to cough and choke, since she wasn’t used to cackling evilly at such a high octave. The dark soldiers tended to her, leaving the youma to attack the heroes.
     “Say Saionara,” Pizzazz smirked, a large globe of darkness forming in front of its body, more energy being drawn to the globe from the glowing points.
     “Saionara,” Zandarius growled, breaking away from Koushiro and rushing at the youma. Midway there he snagged his nodatchi from where it had landed, and with the sword in hand vaulted into the air, the image of a dark dragon appearing and engulfing him.
     “Isn’t he too weak to use that attack?” Nadeshiko asked Sakura, who simply shrugged. “Figured as much.”
     “Dragon...” Zandarius cried, the dragon rearing its head back. “CUTTER!” The healer slashed horizontally with his now glowing sword, the dragon appearing to belch a large blade of dark energy. As the blade struck Pizzazz several smaller blades sailed from the dragon’s mouth, converging on the youma to strike from multiple angles.
     “Hello afterlife,” Pizzazz said as it fell over. The youma detonated a second later, leaving behind the charred remains of a very old, soggy, and moldy pizza. The globe of dark energy it had been summoning dissipated, leaving a light blue mist to float on the afternoon wind.
     “Lady Yuiren, they destroyed Pizzazz,” one of the soldiers said. Yuiren simply snapped her fingers, the soldier turning to crystal and falling to earth, where he shattered.
     “Never tell me bad news,” she said icily. “Poo, we lost the youma and a soldier, as well as all that virginal energy.”
     “You’ll lose more than that if you stick around,” Koushiro said as each of the heroes produced their weapons and assumed fighting stances, training blades and arrows on the dark general.
     “Adieu,” Yuiren said, blowing a kiss as she and the soldiers vanished into thin air. “We’ll be back!”
     “And we’ll be waiting,” Zandarius shouted after them. Across the city the sun was setting, coloring the sky with brilliant reds, oranges, pinks, purples, blues, and gold. ‘Well Raine,’ Zandarius thought, ‘I don’t know if you’ll ever wake up, but I put that youma in its place for hurting you.’
     “Say Zandarius, isn’t there someone at the Hirosaki’s who needs your attention?” Shihoko asked, nudging him in the ribs.
     “Oh, hell,” Zandarius said, blushing before diving for the shadows. “I’ll catch you guys later!”
     “We should get going as well,” Nadeshiko said, “After all, some of us have other things to do.”
     “Right,” Shihoko said, grabbing Genrou’s arm and dragging him in the general direction of Tsukiri’s house, “We’ll see you later.”

     In Tsukiri’s bedroom the lights were set low, the colors of the setting sun coming through the window and painting the walls the colors of the rainbow. In the shadows of one corner something stirred, disturbing the dust bunnies that had congregated there. A tall elven figure stepped out of the shadows, wiping a mist of sweat from his forehead.
     Koichi lay on Tsukiri’s futon, half covered by a blanket. The elf stepped into the sunlight, which reflected off of black and dark red armor, and glanced down at the young man who lay in an uneasy and unnatural slumber.
     ‘Koichi,’ Zandarius said mentally, a blush creeping over his cheeks. He knelt next to the futon and gently smoothed Koichi’s hair back. ‘I only hope my powers can help him.’
     He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Koichi’s, activating the Soul Kiss power he possessed. A gentle glow encompassed them as energy was pulled from the healer’s limitless pool and transferred to the young man whose energy had been taken by the forces of darkness. As the glow died away Zandarius recalled his transformation, leaving Xander kissing Koichi, whose eyelids stirred as consciousness returned.
     “Xan... der?” Koichi asked as the kiss was broken. “What happened?”
     “Not much,” Xander lied. “Mystic Healer Zandarius chased off that youma and saved your life. He then defeated it with the help of the other magical heroes.”
     “That doesn’t explain the kiss,” Koichi said, sitting up and slipping his glasses on.
     Xander blushed as Koichi studied him intently. “Well, umm.... Zandarius told me that a kiss would wake you from your slumber,” he lied, trying to come up with some excuse.
     “Well, next time you see Zandarius,” Koichi said, smiling, a twinkle in his eye, “tell him that I think he’s a great kisser.”
     Xander’s jaw dropped, and he blushed deeper. Koichi put his fingers under Xander’s chin and gently closed his mouth before leaning forward and kissing him gently.
     Outside the window Tara, Maho, Albarsis, and Tsukiri sat in the branches of a tree, watching what was happening inside.
     “Is that the power of the legendary Soul Kiss?” Maho asked their guardian dragon.
     “Well, energy transfer is, but as for the love between those two,” Albarsis said, “I think it’s a mutual attraction.”
     “So that means that Xander’s...” Tara said, her voice dropping.
     “He likes ‘em both,” Tsukiri said. Tara and Maho looked at him. “He told me once... after he used the Soul Kiss on me,” he explained. “I’m 100% straight.”
     “Well, I’m happy it al worked out for them,” Maho sighed, “now if only I could find my one true love.”
     “We should leave them alone for a bit,” Tara said, leaping down from her branch. Tsukiri and Maho followed as the last rays of the sun bathed the happy couple in golden rays.

     The following afternoon Xander and Koichi walked into Digital Dreams arm and arm, smiles on their faces. Xander slipped his shades up on his forehead, and together they walked up to the Dance Dance Evolution machine, where a couple of kids dropped in coins for the dance master and his friend.
     Over at the snack counter sat Tara, Max, Tsukiri, Maho, and Lyssa, each one enjoying a soda.
     “Well, those two are officially a couple,” Tara sighed, “yet another guy to cross off the available list.”
     “Yeah,” Maho sighed, watching Koichi and Xander dance. “Wow, both are excellent dancers.”
     “So we support them fully?” Tsukiri asked. The other four nodded.
     “Why don’t we join them?” Max suggested. “After all, that looks like fun.”
     “We go in teams,” Tara said, “and Maho is with me.”
     “Done deal,” Max said, smiling at Tsukiri, who sweat dropped.
     “I’ll just watch for now,” Lyssa said as the other four rose from the table. “Maybe if Ryuusuke gets a moment we’ll join you.”
     Together the four approached the machine, where the terrible twosome were finishing their warm-up songs. The machine clicked onto the free play mode as Xander and Koichi stepped down to allow Tsukiri and Max their turn.
     “And if we take top scores,” Max said as they selected a song, “You owe me a kiss.”
     Tsukiri glanced at him in astonishment, and he clicked the song start button.

<music: ‘Velfarre 2000’ -Bazooka Girls>
     “Done deal,” Tsukiri sighed as the song started.
     “TOKYO........ What’re you doing?”

-END

     “Hi, Tsukiri here, telling you to stay tuned to the next episode of Magical Savior Shihoko. This one centers around yours truly when my old girlfriend, Shanice, walks back into my life. Does she have a new love? And what’s the dark kingdom plotting that will mess things up? Stay tuned to ‘Remember me’. The tides of the planet surge and swell, and so does my love for her.”
-In Production Now