Chapter 17: The Solitary Beat

For readers: Please take note that I changed Mugen's name in Chapter 16 to go with the story, sorry about that. Please enjoy Chapter 17.

**A sword into the shadow, what could that be?**


The reiattou twitches inside the Shinigami's body, blood keeps on pouring out from the enormous wound.

''What... just... happened?'' Asks the Shinigami to Darucard, slowly.

Darucard then takes his reiattou out from the ground, and keeps his reiattou back into his body, he calmly looks at the Shinigami's desperated eyes.

''My name is Darucard Spiegel, nice fight with you, Shinigami,'' Says Darucard calmly.

The Shingami finally show a smile on his tired face, he knew that he won't last long.

''It's good to know your name before I die, I'm Aero Drafneel. The Vice-Chieftain of 8th Division, it's a really pleasure fighting you,'' Slowly, he closes up his eyes and collapses to the ground.

''Drafneel... Drafneel... That name,'' Darucard says to himself inside his mind.

Darucard then turns his back and walks away. Flashbacks start to flips through his brain, taking control over his body.

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Inside a forest, teenage Darucard is seen holding a wooden sword and swinging around. He attacked the trees around him and yelled everytime he is rushing towards the tree. Suddenly, bushes behind him started to moving and swooshing. Something is walking towards him from the bushes. He turned his back around and aimed his sword at the direction. Then comes a little girl, almost the same of his age.

This girl is cute-looking, with big round eyes and a long green hair that reminds you of a wavy water. She smiled when she saw Darucard. Darucard, standing there with a numbed and shy face. Put down his sword and walked towards her.

''Who are you? Why are you here?'' Asked Darucard to the girl.

''I lived nearby here, I heard someone's yelling so I came and checked it out, what were you doing?''

''Uh... Uhhh... Just toying around with my sword, hehehe,'' Blushes Darucard as he showed her the simple-looking wooden sword.

''You called that a sword? Hahaha!'' The girl started laughing.

Darucard started rubbing his hair in a shy and blushy style. He never had this kind of feeling before. He stared at the girl with emotionless eyes as she started picking up the sword and running around.

They two started chatting by sitting down under a shady tree.

''What's your name?'' Asked the girl.

''Me? Darucard Spiegel, nice to meet ya!'' Darucard replied with a cheerful voice.

''How about yours?'' Darucard continued.

''Not telling you!'' Replied the girl with a naughty voice.

''Come on, tell me,''

''Perhaps next time, hehe,'' Then a butterfly suddenly flied across them. She immediately stood up and started chasing it.

Darucard just stared at her back running around with happy laughters. But then, a voice started calling out from outside the bush.

''Hey Lucy! Come home for dinner now will ya?'' Shouted an unknown male voice.

The girl immediately stopped and turned around showing a sad face. Darucard looked up at her and said,

''Whose that?''

''My brother,'' Replied the girl, probably named Lucy.

''Well, I guess you better get going,'' Said Darucard with a smile.

''I had fun! Hope to see you again! White hair boy!'' Said Lucy while walking away from Darucard.

''Hey, whats your name again?''

''Lucy, Lucy Drafneel!''

After that incident, Darucard never sees her again. Whenever he came back to the same old spot, and how hard he tried to yell during his practice, no one shows up again.

''Lucy... Where are you?''

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''That idiot Aero,'' Says Tanos, standing not far away from the battle that just ended.

Beruda stands beside him, he turns his head around and starts to check out the surroundings.

''What are you doing?'' Asks Tanos.

''Nothing,''

"That Aero, he's always soft-hearted during battle, such an idiot'' Says Tanos sarcastically.

''I think you better shut your filthy mouth up before someone cuts it down,'' Says a voice comes from behind Tanos.

It's Jyuro, already holding his reiattou. Looking eager to fight with one of allies.

''Where's Lute?'' Asks Beruda.

''To the girl,'' Answers Jyuro, with a smile on his face.

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Cain can't stand still, both his legs are hurt. Strouff stands across him, with a grin on his face.

''Sorry to say, after so many years, I'm better than you,'' Says Strouff with a sarcastic voice.

Cain suddenly appears behind of Strouff, he swings his reaittou against Strouff but misses, Strouff dodges away.

''You're still fast with both your legs being cut? Haha, but not fast enough!''

Strouff immediately dashes towards Cain while holding his reiattou behind his back. As soon as he reaches Cain, he lifts his right foot up and kicks against Cain's stomach but Cain blocks away with his fist but then Strouff's reiattou swing towards Cain all of a sudden, out of control, Cain dodges it but falls to the ground. Strouff is now holding the reiattou against Cain's throat, just an inch away from slitting it.

''How pity of you, lying on the ground, looking at me with those begging-for-forgiveness eyes, you're nothing but a weakling,'' Says Strouff with a serious voice.

Cain still remains calm while being put in this dangerous situation.

''Don't give me that calm and serious look, I'm tired of looking at it, any last words?'' Asks Strouff while pressing his reiattou against Cain's throat harder.

''Screw you,'' Says Cain calmly.

Strouff then fully presses his reiattou into Cain's throat in an enormous force. But then, Cain disappears into thin air.

''What?!'' Yells Strouff with a shocking look.

Cain then appears behind him. In top-shape without any injuries on him.

''I see, stupid kidou move,'' Says Strouff without looking at Cain whom is standing behind him.

''Now, I will be standing on the tallest sky, no one can ever stops me, no one!'' Yells Strouff as he suddenly channels all the reiatsu through his body. It's an amazing sight, even Cain's eyes got big and the serious look starts to develop while looking at it.

''Cain, look at me, just simply look. This body, this power, is an art, God gave me this art, and now, this art is going to wipe you away from history,'' Yells Strouff as his body is now glowing with all the blue reiatsu flame surrounding him.

''Kidou of Destruction, Violet Flames,'' Says Cain while firing a purple reiatsu energy blast towards Strouff.
But the attack did nothing at all, Strouff simply blocks it away with his hand.

''It's no use, you're too naive!'' Yells Strouff and follow by an evil laughter.

''Kidou in reiatsu is no use against him now, Cain, think, you must think,'' Says Cain to himself.

Right at that moment, Strouff djinns behind him. Cain is in shock for a moment.

''Farewell,'' Whispers Strouff into Cain's ear.


** Stay tuned for next chapter. **