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Last Revised: Never

    Amefuri groaned as she stared at the stone stairs that twisted slowly up the side of the mountain, until it reached the tiny red torii gate at the summit. 

    The bus from school had taken her three quarters of the way up the mountain before it turned back to civilization. She didn't know why the city kept a bus route going to far out of the city core when the only people that lived out here aside from the wildlife was herself, and maybe the occasional farmer. However, she wasn't one to question the city's motives when it allowed her to travel this far by conventional transportation. Amefuri could still remember the days before there were buses travelling out this far. She did not travel much in those days.

    Still, the last quarter of her journey had to be covered on foot. That wasn't as bad as it could have been. Never the less, the bus often takes so long to reach the mountain that the sun is setting by the time she arrives. Trying to walk up old stone steps with no light to guide you is something that should not be attempted unless absolutely necessary.

    "This is the reason I loathe travelling." Amefuri complained to anything that cared to listen.  "I have to climb these steps in the dark. You would think that after all these years, I would learn to keep some lanterns near the bottom..."

    She silently continued up the steps to the Star Shrine, unaware of the shadow creeping up towards the steps to the temple.  A faint shift in the ancient and familiar energies of the shrine alerted her to the movement. She spun to glare down at the disturbance as it stepped onto the staircase. 

    The shadow froze briefly before flickering up the steps towards her.  

    Amefuri reached for her necklace. The shadow dissipated without a sound and she slowly lowered her hand to her side. Any visible sign of the shadow was gone, except for the lingering scent of crisp night air. Even though the encounter had been brief, she wasn't prepared to ignore a warning when it presented itself. 

    Perhaps if there had only been peculiar sign today, she would have felt confidant in ignoring it. She often did. However, when several present themselves at once then it usually means that something is coming. 

    'Or something noticed my transformation...' she reluctantly admitted.

    Slowly, Amefuri turned and continued walking up the steps to the temple.  Something just didn't feel right about that encounter. The unnatural shadows had always paced restlessly in the woods surrounding the shrine but they had never tried entering before. They were usually content to rest in the shadows until nightfall. 

    But this was worrisome. 

    The shifting flicker of hostile energy prompted her to make a decision before she was conscious of the event.

    "Epsilon Light! Make up!"  Amefuri shouted and raised the amethyst crystal above her head.  From the swirling cloud of shining crystal and dark mist, Sailor Epsilon emerged with her silver staff.  Sailor Epsilon turned and ran up the steps towards the shrine, absenting wishing that her powers included teleportation.

    After a few minutes, Epsilon could finally see the gate of the temple before her and feared the worst.  She skid to a halt and leapt into the bushes to the side of the stairs as there was a distant rumble of stone. A few seconds later, a  stone block that she recognized from the gardens tumbled down the stairs, carving ragged paths out of the steps as it went. Epsilon raised herself up onto her elbows and winced as she felt a sharp pain from the back of her head.

    Grimacing, she slowly turned and began to tangle her long hair from the bushes.

    "Need some help miss?" A voice inquired softly from behind her. Epsilon whipped her head around in surprise and tried to jump to her feet only to belated remember about her predicament.  She cursed under her breath and fell back to the ground to scowl up at the stranger.

    A strange young man stood upon the stairs just before the bush Epsilon was stuck in.  His dark red leather jacket was open in the front to reveal a greyish blue shirt.  His shirt was loosely tucked into black pants and ankle length black boots.  His soft dark metallic blue hair was held a blood red cloth tied across his forehead. His hair spilled over the cloth to partially obscure his amused crystal-blue eyes.  Epsilon leaned back and gave him the coldest look she could muster.

    "Do you need some help miss?" The strange boy repeated softly and offered a hand out to her. Epsilon gave him a withering stare but he took Epsilon's silence as agreement and kneeled down in front of her.  

    He carefully reached out and began untangling her hair from the bushes.

    When Epsilon glanced at the man's eyes and saw how he seemed amused and, for some reason she couldn't understand, melancholy. There was a smile on his lips but his eyes were different. They were haunted, sorrowful eyes. He carried a kind of tired dignity in those moments that she watched him. 

    "Who are you?" Epsilon whispered and looked at him uncertainly. "There's no reason for you to be here."

    "Just a traveler," he said absently.  "I was passing through and it looked like you needed some help."

    "I don't need your help." Epsilon began to struggle to her feet in protest but stopped when she realized that her hair was still stuck. Unwillingly, she sat next to the stranger as he methodically pulled apart the branches to gently untangle her hair. His pale skin stood out in stark contrast with the dark leather of his finger-less gloves.

    "There you go." He leaned back on his heels with a concerned expression. "Are you alright now?"

    Epsilon scowled in annoyance and shifted away from the stranger. His proximity only increased the agitation she was already feeling as a result of the infestation of shadows at her shrine. The man seemed to notice this since his eyes sparkled slightly with amusement.

    "I don't see why my condition should be of any of your concern." She snapped at him.

    He gazed at her with an intensely calculating expression, as if he were measuring her every word and gesture against a internal scale. Epsilon looked away from him but could still feel his eyes upon her. Analyzing her. She shuddered slightly from the intensity of the man's stare before feeling the fires of indignation kindling within her. She met his eyes with a challenging stare, daring him to take action with hers.

    His eyes slid shut as he gave her a warm, reassuring smile.

    "Come now, I just want to help you.  There is no need to feel threatened." He answered in a gentle, jesting tone. 

    "...very well." Epsilon growled out, unwillingly accepting his offer. "But I want to know who you are."

    "Oh. That again." He sighed and absently raked his fingers through his hair.

    "Yes," Epsilon insisted. "That again."

    "Now now," He shook his head slightly as if he was disappointed at Epsilon's refusal to accept his initial explanation. "If you insist on knowing, I suppose that I have no other option but to tell you."

    She crossed her arms and waited for him to finish. 

    "I am called Shinigami." He flicked back his coat back and bowed to her from where he knelt with a flourish. He was rewarded with a disbelieving snort as he shot her a wide reassuring smile.  "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss...?"

    Epsilon examined the stranger, Shinigami she reminded herself of his name, in an attempt to discover and possible strengths and weaknesses she could exploit when he became too much trouble.  He was a strange one, there was no doubt of that.  His quiet nature hinted at a something darker but while his easy replies told her of a sharp mind that likely enjoyed verbal sparring. She came to the conclusion that he was the sort of person that could talk someone to death, figuratively speaking.

    "I have no obligation to tell you my name," she replied.

    No matter how gentle and kind he attempted to portrayed himself, everything about the way he carried himself contradicted his words. He moved with an inhuman grace, every minute action seemed carefully measured and gauged. Somebody used to battle. A hunter.

    In a flash, Epsilon summoned her staff to her hand and pressed the long, curving silver spikes against the stranger's throat.  A bead of bright red blood slowly welled up and slid down the man's neck as he gazed back at her with an impassive expression.  A tense silence followed as she searched his eyes for any hint of veiled hostility. Shinigami met her cold searching eyes with a smile that was too warm to contain any malice or ill-intent.  Epsilon reluctantly dropped the staff to her side and looked away from him after coming to the conclusion that he wasn't a threat to her yet.

    "Epsilon." She finally replied with an icy, distrustful glare. "I am called Sailor Epsilon."

    "Well then, Miss Epsilon," Shinigami said and wiped the blood from his neck with a unreadable smile. "I suppose that we should go and take a look at the disturbance up at that shrine of yours, ne?"

    An uneasy stare was leveled at him before she grudgingly nodded her assent. 

*  *  *  

    "Shhh...." Epsilon grabbed the shoulder of her unwanted guest and jerked him back.

    He started to speak in surprise but fell silent when he glanced at Epsilon's anxious face.

    "Be quiet," She snapped in hushed tones. Epsilon absently noticed Shinigami following her gaze towards whatever had caused her peculiar reaction.  What seemed like an average courtyard filled with night-time shadows at first glance gave him a mild shock when he re-examined at the shadows more closely. 

    The courtyard seemed to be filled with a small army of writhing black creatures.  The waning sunlight seemed to be sucked into the black voids of the creatures bodies.  The only thing that distinguished the creatures from the normal shadows were the dully glowing red eyes and an unmistakable air of sinister malice.

    "The seal has been broken." Epsilon whispered in a cold voice and readied her staff for what would undoubtedly be a fierce battle. "Follow me and don't get in my way."

    Shinigami turned and looked at his companion with a strange look.  He could tell she was going to attack the creatures, but how she was going to do so was a mystery to him.  He turned away to gaze back at the strange demons as a strange gleam seemed to burn in Epsilon's eyes.

    "Crystal..." At first the whispered words failed to catch his attention but when he turned, he saw a dark aura had formed around Sailor Epsilon.  She gripped her staff tightly in her hands as pale beams of light began to swirl around the crystal on the end of her staff casting eerie shadows across her face.

    "Soul." At that soft command, the spiralling beams of light solidified into long ropes of dark amethyst crystal.  Epsilon was distantly aware of the surprised look Shinigami was giving her as she uncoiled from her crouching position to leap high into the air above the creatures.  The sudden movement had attracted the attention of the demons mere moments before Epsilon flung her crystal ropes at the creatures in a flurry of motion.  Before they had a chance to react to the action, Epsilon screamed out the final word of her attack.

    "STORM!!"  The crystal ropes suddenly burst into millions of long razor sharp shards raining down on the creatures.  The creatures screamed and writhed in pain as the crystal storm rained down upon them.  Unfortunately, it would take more than a crystal shower to defeat them.  Epsilon landed lightly on her feet with a maniacal grin stretching across her face as she whipped her staff up for another attack.

    As soon as the effects of Epsilon's attack faded, the creatures howled and screeched in raw fury as they clawed their way towards Epsilon.  However, they didn't seem to notice a crimson blur dart out of the bushes with a long, vicious looking scythe behind them in their haste to get to Epsilon.  The only warning the demons received before the attack struck them was a rumbling peal of thunder and a sudden chill as the temperature abruptly dropped.

    "Lightning STORM!" Lightning flashed through the unnaturally darkened sky and cast blazing forks of lightning down upon the unwitting demons.  An electric blue bolt of lightning seemed to coil around the long blade as Shinigami readied his scythe and charged into the thick of the creatures.

*  *  *  

    "How is it going?" A tired man with silver eyes asked. 

    "She's come out of hiding, just as you guessed." 

    The man tucked a strand of silver and red hair behind an ear and turned in his chair to face the messenger. "Of course she would." He smiled sadly and studied the papers littering the surface of his desk. Among them were various reports of magical battles near the Japanese capital. He shifted through them instead of answering the messenger directly. 

    "Sir?" Came the timid query.

    "You may continue. I'll be there soon enough."

    "...yes sir."

 *  *  *    

    Epsilon easily vaulted over a crowd of creatures with her staff and pelted them with glowing crystal daggers.  When they dissipated into smoke, Epsilon flashed them a dark grin as she gripped her staff and landed with a soft thud.  She spun her staff around in a blur to clear enough space amidst the creatures to leap back to safe distance. Sometime during the course of the heated battle, Epsilon had totally forgotten about her companion and his efforts until she backed right into him. Both of them spun around with their silver weapons poised to strike, then they recognized each other.  Reassured that their backs could be protected for the moment, they returned their attention to the task at hand.

    "Hey, Epsilon!" Shinigami called out with a cheery tone. "How are you doing?"

    "I'm...just...FINE!" Epsilon said with a grimace as she swung her staff to dislodge a small demon from the end.  "How are you holding out?"

    "Oh, I'm just peachy!" Shinigami flashed her a quick grin as he turned another demon to smoke. "You know what, Epsilon?"

    "What IS it?" Epsilon growled out in irritation as she desperately fended off a demon from clawing her face off. "Can't you see I've got more important things to do than talk with you?"

    "Oh, I'm hurt!" Shinigami pulled the demon away from Epsilon and smiled at her as he threw some distance away. "But in all seriousness, we shouldn't we just kill these things off?"

    "What do you think I've been DOING for the last hour? Dancing the ballet with these...these...THINGS!" Epsilon finished with a growl and neatly speared a demon over Shinigami's shoulder.

    "Ahh... my dear Miss Epsilon," Shinigami smiled sweetly at her while he calmly sliced a shadow in half. "What do you say we combine our efforts and send these creatures back where they came from?"

    "I do not trust you nor do I like you." Epsilon said and rewarded his efforts with an exhausted scowl. "However, I am willing to hear you out if you can prove your worth."

    "Aww...c'mon now!" He protested and gave Epsilon a playful jab in the ribs. "I saved your life over 6 times already!! I think that should at least prove some of my worth."

    "........" Epsilon scowled at him for a moment before sighing in defeat.  "Very well. What's your brilliant idea?"

    "I say we combine our attacks from earlier on, they seem to be very similar in nature.  I can charge your crystals with my lightning, increasing the damage and range, to eliminate all of these creatures at once. " Shinigami stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "What do you say Miss Epsilon?"

    "I must be delirious with exhaustion because that actually sounds like a good idea." Epsilon admitted sourly and retreated onto the roof.

    "Great!" Shinigami gave Epsilon a huge, enthusiastic smile as he joined her on the roof. "I knew you were an agreeable person!"

    Epsilon scowled. She was unwilling to admit that she was too tired to win on her own. "Let's just get it over with."

    "Crystal!" As before, crystal ropes formed from the spiralling purple ribbons of light around Sailor Epsilon.  Epsilon's vision suddenly began to go dark around the edges. 'Oh no...not now! Please not now!'  She glanced at Shinigami out of the corner of her eyes as he began the second phase.

    "Lighting!" Shinigami placed his hands upon Epsilon's staff as pale blue lightning shot through the length of the staff and into the crystal. The colour slowly shifted, adding a current of electric blue in the dark purple depths.  They met each other's eyes as a silent agreement passed through them.  This was a last ditch effort to win.  If this failed, they'd both be too drained to continue the fight.

    "STORM!" The crystals burst apart to shower the demon army in a blizzard of crystal lightning.  The demons screeched and writhed in agony as the crystals sliced deeply into their bodies, attracting the lighting to vaporize them.

    Epsilon was dimly aware of the tide of the battle turning in their favour as her vision was cloaked in black shadows and the strength drained out of her limbs.  Fortunately, Shinigami had enough power remaining to hold out their attack until the last of the demons disappeared. Epsilon raised her head and glanced out over the empty courtyard, they had won the battle.  Satisfied that her temple was now safe, she let her staff clatter to the ground below and passed out from sheer exhaustion.