I drew a feather from my winged back and lunged at the exorcist.

Surprised he parried and lurched back.

"You are not going to use the Lotis?" Allen asked.

"You know about that?" I knocked him back in response. "That wouldn't be very sporting; as you cannot use the Lotis."

"This is a fight." Allen replied. "No such thing as sporting; especially with our enemy."

"Very well; you will see Lotis before this is out. Activate your innocence!"

Allen did so and struck me, but his arm failed and I drove him back.

Allen landed a blow, driving me back a step. "Tell me about the Lotis."

"All..." Drive back. Parry. Dodge. "Creatures are born with a word on their tongue."

I swung and he ducked and jumped behind me, activated and attacked. I whirled and met his next blow.

"Some of us wait when we are born—" Thrust. Parry. Blow. "For want of tasting the word."

He drove me back again, and my feather crossed his hand.

"What word?"

I smirked, knocking his hand away into dust and pushing him back. "Your name."

He gained his footing and attacked again. "But I know my name, don't I?"

I spun my feather and cut off a bit of his hair, grinning again. "A person's name is sacred. A bit of their soul. Names have power. For instance, "Allen Walker"—" A flinch. Drive back, Parry. "Is a name that inspires great feeling for you."

"So if I discover my name then—"

He pushed me back, and I defended again. Ah, always on the defense.

"You will take the first step in the Lotis." I grinned, held up the feather to block, straight up, point in upward. "RII-YA!"

A rune glowed on my arm and struck the feather and a giant barrier exploded forth and drove him back against the wall where he fell.

Allen, for his part, was pretty sporting and got up with renewed vigor and lunged for me.

I lurched forward to attack, and the weakness struck and then...all went black.

Xxx

Allen dropped his innocence into dust and caught Kuri in his good arm.

He ran for the infirmary.

The nurse there quickly hooked her up to machines and shooed him out.

Allen sat there, head in his hands. She was clearly weak in body; why hadn't she said something? He could have killed her!

"Allen." Bak was standing there. "Kuri is an exorcist like you. But her weapon takes directly from her own energy and she has to be stabilized after using it. We are hoping to cure her if she can achieve synchronization as you do."

"But why did she want to fight me?" Allen asked in a pained voice.

"It is her way." Bak said. "She has an unquenchable fighting spirit and a winning attitude. She is the light of this branch. Please...be kind to her."

He left Allen alone with his thoughts.

Allen decided he would continue to fight with Kuri, help her become a strong exorcist.

Because really, how much stronger was he at the moment?

He could...He would save her.