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Description
Aya and Hikari both sat next to the roaring fire now lighting up the surrounding village. There were people laughing and joking, others just talking and drinking as the bonfire raged on. Yumi and Kazuki lay unconscious next to the two of them. "This incident has made me think." Aya started. "This village is in serious danger. If it wasn't for Kazuki today I don't know what I'd have done."
"I'm sure you would have done a fantastic job... you're the leader here for a reason." Hikari smiled.
"Maybe... but I don't think I can abandon these people. I mean look, if neither I nor Kazuki had been here this village would be nothing more than a smouldering hole now." She stopped, the fire reflected in her eyes, the words would come, but Hikari could see that she didn't want to say them. "I can't come with you. I need to stay here, protect these people. It's likely we'll have to leave here soon and I need to be here to oversee that." Small tears appeared in her eyes. Hikari gently put her arms around her. "I'm sure we'll meet again Aya."
"I hope so..." Her smile weakly showing through. "Now!" she said strongly, "Lets wake him up, lazy boy!" she stood up and went walked over to him. "Hey!" she kicked him. "Wake up!" He began to stir. "Kazuki." Hikari said softly, "Wake up..."
"Wha... what happened..." he muttered, slightly confused.
"You're leaving." Aya shouted, "You need to get out of here quickly, if they find you, they'll kill you."
"Are they here!?" he shouted getting to his feet, kicking Yumi in the process.
"No you dolt." Aya laughed, "But they will be, so pack your stuff, you're leaving." She grinned and walked into the tent. Kazuki relaxed for a moment, staring up at the black sky, before he was embraced by Hikari. "Hey..." he smiled "what's this for?"
"Nothing..." she mumbled into his chest a small tear secretly trickling from her eye. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying the moment, until a sharp voice cut in. "I want to go with you."
"Excuse me?!" Kazuki replied shocked. The voice had been Yumi's, she now sat up looking intently at Kazuki. "I want to go with you."
"Hang on, first you make my time here hell by..."
"I'm sorry!" she said, pressing her face against the ground, bowing to him. "I was scared... I was angry that for some reason I had this stupid power, this curse, and look what it did, I put everyone in danger, the people I care about... even total strangers. There isn't a place for me here anymore. So please... take me with you!"
"We've picked up quite a following!" Laughed Kazuki, "First Aya now you, anyone else?"
"Aya isn't coming." Hikari said bluntly. "She doesn't want to leave her people."
"Maybe I should talk..." he tried to get up, but Hikari stopped him, shaking her head. "Well... her choice I guess." He turned back to Yumi. "Well there is room!" he laughed.
"Thank you!" Yumi said bowing again.
"One thing, please stop bowing, you're creeping me out!"

They walked into the night as the village waved them off. Three backpacks full of supplies and a weapon for each of them. Although the forest kept out any real light from the moons, their path was lit up by Kazuki, who using his magic, had concocted a small lantern. "So where are we going?" Yumi asked. "I probably should have asked before but I..."
"Didn't think?" chuckled Kazuki.
"We're going to the Crystal City!" Hikari answered boldly.
"The capital? Why?" Yumi asked wide eyed.
"We're going to help Cloud fight against Strike." Hikari replied, continuing her upbeat attitude. Yumi continued to walk in silence for a few minutes until another question popped into her head. "I've been wondering this... since it happened... but... what actually happened today?"
"Overload." Kazuki answered, "It's what happens when you've either not used your magic in a while and it builds up until the point where your body can't take it and has to realise it, or... or you receive a bad emotional shock which either sends you into a hopeless state or an angry one."
"Has it ever happened to you?" Hikari questioned.
"It happens to everyone with the ability at some point. You see there are three stages of magic, the first is what you saw when I was fighting the demon today. My senses were heightened, reaction time cut and my energy acted like both a shield and a sword, giving me some protection and allowing to hit harder. The second is what you saw Yumi go through. It's called a Spirit Summon, forcing your magical energy into a spirit and having it act on its own accord, although most people do it in more controlled environments and without the danger we went through!" He laughed at his own joke, however the two girls were still looking for the rest of the information. "So you've had that happen to you?" Hikari and Yumi asked together.
"Yes, I have my own spirit. Yumi does now too, however if you use it of your own accord your will power should be enough to keep it under your control."
"What about the third stage?" Yumi asked.
"The third stage is a rare one. Very few people with the ability hit this level. From the stories I've heard its one born out of desperation, fear and hate all rolled into one. It is the most powerful state of them all, however it cannot be controlled and therefore the person will no longer make the distinction between friend or foe."
"Have you...?" Hikari started.
"No. I've never had the need, besides it can be self destructive and stage two has so many variants it would take one hell of a battle to force power magical people in that kind of form. I saw a weaker soldier try it once, as an experiment at one of the barracks I was at; didn't end well for him."
"What happened?" Yumi looked shocked, scared and intrigued all at the same time.
"He died."

Description
Aya and Hikari both sat next to the roaring fire now lighting up the surrounding village. There were people laughing and joking, others just talking and drinking as the bonfire raged on. Yumi and Kazuki lay unconscious next to the two of them. "This incident has made me think." Aya started. "This village is in serious danger. If it wasn't for Kazuki today I don't know what I'd have done."
"I'm sure you would have done a fantastic job... you're the leader here for a reason." Hikari smiled.
"Maybe... but I don't think I can abandon these people. I mean look, if neither I nor Kazuki had been here this village would be nothing more than a smouldering hole now." She stopped, the fire reflected in her eyes, the words would come, but Hikari could see that she didn't want to say them. "I can't come with you. I need to stay here, protect these people. It's likely we'll have to leave here soon and I need to be here to oversee that." Small tears appeared in her eyes. Hikari gently put her arms around her. "I'm sure we'll meet again Aya."
"I hope so..." Her smile weakly showing through. "Now!" she said strongly, "Lets wake him up, lazy boy!" she stood up and went walked over to him. "Hey!" she kicked him. "Wake up!" He began to stir. "Kazuki." Hikari said softly, "Wake up..."
"Wha... what happened..." he muttered, slightly confused.
"You're leaving." Aya shouted, "You need to get out of here quickly, if they find you, they'll kill you."
"Are they here!?" he shouted getting to his feet, kicking Yumi in the process.
"No you dolt." Aya laughed, "But they will be, so pack your stuff, you're leaving." She grinned and walked into the tent. Kazuki relaxed for a moment, staring up at the black sky, before he was embraced by Hikari. "Hey..." he smiled "what's this for?"
"Nothing..." she mumbled into his chest a small tear secretly trickling from her eye. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying the moment, until a sharp voice cut in. "I want to go with you."
"Excuse me?!" Kazuki replied shocked. The voice had been Yumi's, she now sat up looking intently at Kazuki. "I want to go with you."
"Hang on, first you make my time here hell by..."
"I'm sorry!" she said, pressing her face against the ground, bowing to him. "I was scared... I was angry that for some reason I had this stupid power, this curse, and look what it did, I put everyone in danger, the people I care about... even total strangers. There isn't a place for me here anymore. So please... take me with you!"
"We've picked up quite a following!" Laughed Kazuki, "First Aya now you, anyone else?"
"Aya isn't coming." Hikari said bluntly. "She doesn't want to leave her people."
"Maybe I should talk..." he tried to get up, but Hikari stopped him, shaking her head. "Well... her choice I guess." He turned back to Yumi. "Well there is room!" he laughed.
"Thank you!" Yumi said bowing again.
"One thing, please stop bowing, you're creeping me out!"

They walked into the night as the village waved them off. Three backpacks full of supplies and a weapon for each of them. Although the forest kept out any real light from the moons, their path was lit up by Kazuki, who using his magic, had concocted a small lantern. "So where are we going?" Yumi asked. "I probably should have asked before but I..."
"Didn't think?" chuckled Kazuki.
"We're going to the Crystal City!" Hikari answered boldly.
"The capital? Why?" Yumi asked wide eyed.
"We're going to help Cloud fight against Strike." Hikari replied, continuing her upbeat attitude. Yumi continued to walk in silence for a few minutes until another question popped into her head. "I've been wondering this... since it happened... but... what actually happened today?"
"Overload." Kazuki answered, "It's what happens when you've either not used your magic in a while and it builds up until the point where your body can't take it and has to realise it, or... or you receive a bad emotional shock which either sends you into a hopeless state or an angry one."
"Has it ever happened to you?" Hikari questioned.
"It happens to everyone with the ability at some point. You see there are three stages of magic, the first is what you saw when I was fighting the demon today. My senses were heightened, reaction time cut and my energy acted like both a shield and a sword, giving me some protection and allowing to hit harder. The second is what you saw Yumi go through. It's called a Spirit Summon, forcing your magical energy into a spirit and having it act on its own accord, although most people do it in more controlled environments and without the danger we went through!" He laughed at his own joke, however the two girls were still looking for the rest of the information. "So you've had that happen to you?" Hikari and Yumi asked together.
"Yes, I have my own spirit. Yumi does now too, however if you use it of your own accord your will power should be enough to keep it under your control."
"What about the third stage?" Yumi asked.
"The third stage is a rare one. Very few people with the ability hit this level. From the stories I've heard its one born out of desperation, fear and hate all rolled into one. It is the most powerful state of them all, however it cannot be controlled and therefore the person will no longer make the distinction between friend or foe."
"Have you...?" Hikari started.
"No. I've never had the need, besides it can be self destructive and stage two has so many variants it would take one hell of a battle to force power magical people in that kind of form. I saw a weaker soldier try it once, as an experiment at one of the barracks I was at; didn't end well for him."
"What happened?" Yumi looked shocked, scared and intrigued all at the same time.
"He died."