The crowd roared as Hikaru's opponent stood staring at Hikaru before falling to the ground, back first, and laid there unconscious and defeated. The antagonist was completely out cold. Hikaru on the other hand was bent over, with both hands touching his knees as he continued to hyperventilate. Hikaru's shirt was ripped with numerous cuts, bruises, and welts. A man ran up behind him grabbing his hand and holding it up. Hikaru looked at the man with a stern face and said "Now you hold up your end of the bargain."The man slipped a paper in Hikaru's pocket as the crowd continued to roar at the battle they had just witnessed. Hikaru stumbled out of the arena holding his rib cage while the man held his arm. As the two finally left the audience's view the man spoke.

"Wow what type of magic was that? I really think you have a talent for this.." Before the man could continue finishing his shameless recruitment, Hikaru cut him off. "Do you want to end up like the other guy? If not I suggest you beat it." Hikaru questioned the man. Almost immediately the man got quiet and walked away. Hikaru walked towards the exit. The things he did for clues. He grabbed his bag containing a black hoodie. He removed the shirt that was barely still a shirt. The only reason he had kept it on was that it hid his Rune Knight tattoo. He put on the hoodie and continued to move. His out consisted of the hoodie, jeans, and black shoes. He didn't want to bring too much attention to himself, he was on an undercover mission right now. He was following a lead that he thought had gone cold. The man had given him a slip of paper that would surely help him acquire the location of a criminal he had been tracking for a few weeks now. Hikaru opened the paper only to see the word "Hargeon, Warehouse #428" written on it.

Hikaru couldn't help but be disappointed, but what could one do? He was in Crocus and he was in surely no condition to travel to Hargoen right now. He would need rest and a recovery before he headed in that direction. For now he would simply enjoy his time there. Hikaru walked down the dark street of crocus feeling the majority of his body aching. That guy he fought was no joke. The man surely pack a punch. Hikaru walked as though his body was in perfect shape but on the insides he was agonizing. Finally he reached a bench in Crocus the the just sat on. His posture loosened so he was using the chair for full support. It felt good to let his body rest. Hikaru closed his eyes simply just trying to cope with the pain. He took a large sigh and thought about falling asleep, but he was extremely vulnerable so he could only enjoy the brief moment of rest he had. The good thing about resting on the bench was it was at night, so any footsteps coming his way would most likely be heard.

She sat in the corner of the tavern, doing her best to keep to herself. More to just appreciate and enjoy the heat which radiated through the place, it being a nice contrast than that of the streets outside with the wind which every so often carried a cold breeze that could send shivers down your backside. The warmth was perhaps the only thing to really enjoy there; she didn't drink, nor did she feel particularly comfortable, being a young woman in a crowded place with tons of drunken men. Even as she sat in the corner, doing as little as possible to draw attention to herself, she couldn't help but worry about wandering eyes focusing on her from elsewhere in the tavern. She adjusted her cloak, hoping to better hide herself from what might have been other onlookers.

"Another round, o'er here!" Yelled out a nearby patron, the suddenness of him rising being enough to cause him to otherwise lose his balance, nearly crashing into where Leyaria had been in the process. She had been observant enough to notice him, having moved though still finding herself falling to the ground as if a minor shockwave had echoed out from his collapsing into the corner. She noticed an outstretched hand reaching towards her to provide assistance, but she brushed it off, quickly getting to her feet as she made her way towards the bar. Perhaps a drink wasn't as far-fetched an idea as she thought, or at the very least, just to have something in her before she made her way out of there to something that was more 'inviting.'

She had barely even situated herself at the bar when she looked up to see the bartender, a large burly man, staring directly at her, an angered look in his eyes. "I think's about time that you be on your way, little lady," he spoke, his words harsh, intended to intimidate. They didn't so much achieve that goal as it did confuse Leyaria. She pointed to herself, not wanting to speak aloud lest it draw any more attention beyond that of the one or two people who might have actually listened to what the bartender had just said to her. "Yes you. I take pride in this bar. Last thing I need is to have some whore walk on in and try to score some easy business off of my clientele. So I suggest you leave. Sooner, rather than later."

"Just a drink and then I'll be gone," her voice was weak, partly from fatigue, partly out of concern. There were quite a number of large individuals - the bartender and the collapsed oaf included - that seemed to utterly tower over Leyaria. It wasn't even a question of how many of them knew Magic, so much as it was just concern over their physical size; what would stop one of them from stepping on her? She turned her head to see one of the men nearest her looking in her direction, his hand beginning to wander closer and closer towards her, more particularly the cloak which concealed the greater extent of her body. Whether the bartender saw or not, he did nothing, nor did he as he planted the drink before Leyaria, all the while the other man's reach turning more and more into a full grasp, violently tugging on the cloak as she walked away with her drink, the force being enough to force her backwards, the beer escaping her hands and smashing upon its landing while she fell herself, managing to collect herself enough to stagnate her fall. It wasn't until she saw the eyes all gazing upon her did she realize that the man had ripped the cloak completely off of her. She noticed a handful of faces have expressions which went from that of lust to disgust and panic.

"What is she? Infected!?" Someone yelled out, only further seeming to further rise the tension within the room. With a sense of dread setting in, Leyaria looked down, only to confirm what she had immediately come to fear; the people in the bar had seen the black corruption which had come to further and further spread through her body. "Oh God... Are we going to suffer that too!? Is she sick or something? And she's been here this entire time!?" She could hear the voices of the men, ranging from increasingly panicked to increasingly angered, causing Leyaria to fear the absolute worst.

Wasting no further time, she grabbed back her cloak - the man who had yanked it seeming to be as stunned as the others - and rushed out of the tavern, never once looking back nor stopping to see if they were following her. Rather, she ran, running as quickly as she could away from there, not particularly knowing where she was going or for how long she had to run, only knowing that she just had to keep moving.

It wasn't until that point that she had finally opted to look behind her, noticing not a single person from the tavern having followed her. She was in the clear, seemingly, and as the adrenaline in her body began to wane, she started to slow down, but with her attention focused behind her, she failed to notice the slight trip in the ground ahead. She fell forward, the suddenness of it not being enough for her to properly brace for the fall, but rather holding out an arm in hopes of it absorbing the brunt of the force. "Ugh," she yelped in pain as she slowly got back to her feet, a pain running through not only her arm, but also her leg - it having scrapped against the hard ground as well. While she thought that it might not have been broken, she had to check on it, but with what seemed like no place nearby other than taverns, there was little as far privacy went.

Perhaps the best option before her; a bench with a man who appeared to have been sleeping.

She slowly proceeded towards it slowly, not wanting to further strain whatever extent the wound on her leg had amounted to. Once she had taken a seat, she began to pull back the linen sleeves of her outfit, blood having already been soaked in them. "Damn," she cursed under her breath, mindful not to wake the man beside her up. There seemed a small cut near her wrist, it already having appeared to begun swelling, but outside of that, there wasn't any apparent injuries. That is unless one were to consider the blackness that consumed her hand to have been an injury, certainly at least a deformity as Leyaria would consider it. Looking down on it as the pain it caused continued to throb, Leyaria swore at herself, her eyes remaining fixated on her hand as droplets of blood fell to the ground beneath it.

Hikaru slept peacefully and quietly. That was until he felt something on the bench beside him. He wasn't quite sure what it was but heard it sweat. By the sound of the voice he assumed female. She seemed to be moving a lot because he could hear the movement right next to him. He was ashamed he had let this person get so close to him. He had actually fallen asleep and let his guard down. The fact of the matter was he had just rested his eyes but lord knows how long he had been out there simply just resting. Hikaru decided that eventually he would have to open his eyes to see what was going on, or who was next to him. If this person was going to make an attempt at his life then they would have done it. Hikaru opened his eye only to see the women bleeding, but what threw him more off guard was the marks on her body.

Hikaru couldn't help but stare and look in amazement. The marking on her body was similar to that of what he had during his training. Furthermore Hikaru couldn't help but look at the blood on her leg and her hand. He was curious as too what she had just done or where. It was all too much at once. He observed the girl. She had beautiful blue hair, a green streak on one of her tips. He was mesmerized by her appearance. He wasn't sure as to why she was there, but the markings on her body peaked his interest enough to engage with her. Hikaru finally decided it was time for him to speak.

"You know, just staring at your hand won't make it better."

Hikaru reached for his pocket. He pulled out what he was looking for extremely slowly in an attempt not to alarm her. It was a beautiful Silk Handkerchief with the Nakamura Family crest on it. He couldn't help but extend his hand out giving it to her to clean her wounds. As he extended his arms he felt the soreness in his body and flinched a little. The thing about the Handkerchief was he could always get another one, and his motto was manners maketh man. He had to do the gentlemen thing and that was help the lady. Actually it was quite a funny thing. The way Hikaru was dressed one wouldn't expect him to hold a handkerchief. Actually he looked like a bum, but he was instead the opposite. It was his cover while in Era, or his disguise. Hikaru put his hands on his hood slowly moving his hood down revealing his pink hair. He turned his head with a nice white smile and spoke calmly.

"Dang, I can't imagine what you did to the other guy."

Hikaru said implying that the girl had just gotten in a fight and won.

For the moment, she hadn't processed the fact that she actually wasn't alone. He had been asleep, though he very well could have been dead for all Leyaria seemed to notice of him at first. It wasn't he spoke that he seemed to come into focus at all, Leyaria having been so fixated on her hand, reflecting on how circumstances had gone for her, that he had effectively become nothing more than another example of the void that utterly surrounded her. The void she sought to ignore entirely. Not so, at least not this man anymore.

She didn't expect him to say anything, so upon the first words out of his mouth were enough to make Leyaria jump in a mixture of shock and panic. "Oh... I'm, I'm so sorry! I thought, thought that you were sleeping..." Her mind immediately began to race, worried that his reaction to her would be no different than that of the drunken fools she had run from earlier; she wasn't in any sort of position or state to run anymore. Though she did her best to look tough, she could feel the pain through her body, especially that of her leg. 

But to some degree, she didn't think it was going to be a case of her having to run. There was something that she feltshe could trust about this man, something she couldn't quite understand. Perhaps it was that his circumstances seemed to parallel hers to some degree, a somewhat forced need for the poor to trust each other, she rationalized. "It's... It's not that bad," she said in response to the man's remark about her hand. Although not entirely true, it was just easier to lie, to hope that he would just let the topic drop entirely, rather than explain. Some times it worked, most of the time it didn't.

The man made some sort of motion, though in spite of the apparent slowness of it, just the action - combined with what transpired earlier - was enough for her to feel cautious. To her surprise though, the man had produced some sort of cloth and extended it towards her. To her even greater shock, Leyaria saw that it was a handkerchief, one that the wealthy people always seemed to have on them. "Uh, thank... Thank you," she said, a little unsure as to what make of the gesture. In all the time that she had lived in the streets before, the only time that she knew someone to have had something that looked apparently expensive was if they had stolen it or done worse to get it. Leyaria worried which option this guy had taken to get it.

Cleaning off the blood, the wound didn't appear to have been nearly as serious as the crimson might have indicated. There was certainly possibility for a scar to form, but comparitably that was insignificant. She overheard the man make another remark about her, to which at this point she didn't even bother trying to hide her hand. Chances were that he was keen enough to rationalize that the blackness extended beyond her hand, though she hoped he didn't know to the extent. 

"I can't imagine it either..." 

She stared at her hand for a moment, not realizing the tears beginning to form around the corners of her eyes. The fact was, she didn't know what might have happened, who could have suffered as a result. And it terrified her.

Had it not been the fact that she saw the droplets of water fall onto her hand, she probably wouldn't have noticed herself that she stood on the verge of crying. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be..." Embarrassed, and not wanting this kind stranger to see her like that, Leyaria sought to leave, getting up from the bench only to find herself immediately sitting again as a roaring pain shot through her leg. As she caught her breath from the sensation she had just felt, Leyaria simply sighed; if just standing caused that much pain, it wasn't likely she was going to be able to move much further tonight...

Hikaru found this women somewhat strange. She had been different than he expected. She had been startled by him but she had seen him unless she was blind. However, she quickly put that blind theory to rest because she took the handkerchief from him which meant she could see it. She seemed to think that the cut she had wasn't bad so Hikaru couldn't help but see this women be tough. She used his Handkerchief and he could see the would wasn't horrible thought he was curious as to how she got it. Hikaru realized she was being short with him. Was she uncomfortable? He couldn't tell. Hikaru decided that it might be best to be friendly with her. Maybe he would bring up something to show she could trust him. He had been taught this as a Rune Knight, establishing a basic trust.

Hikaru observed the women once more and realized the marks on her hand were similar to that of what he had. Though it seemed like she had a lack of control of her powers, or so he would assume. Maybe different elements reacted different ways. Hikaru's marks were usually suppressed by his mastery of it. However he decided he would play dumb and entertain the fact that it might be interesting to find out more about this women.

"So, you're big on tattoos I see? Or is it a disease of some sort?"

Hikaru said. He had said the first part in a sarcastic manner, and the second part had come off a bit more grim. He was testing to see how much faith this women would put on him. Maybe he would show her they were much more similar than she thought, but Hikaru found for now it would be best to keep the cards close to his hand. A lot of the time some people enjoyed being unique, and once in a while they'd find out they weren't as unique as they thought. So they either were happy, or hated it and tried to eliminate their own kind. It was human nature. With such a rare trait Hikaru knew only two things could come from this entire thing. It would either be hate or appreciation. Either way Hikaru was praying for the best but prepared for the worse.

Leyaria turned her head, the tears that had been falling having stopped, albeit for a moment. It was hard to really decipher just who this guy was. At first glances, he wasn't any different than her, someone from the streets, but even she at times showed that guise to be a deceiving one. There was a degree of charm to him, but just in how he behaved, it seemed foreign to her, unlike that of someone who would typically have that same ragged look. It put her in a difficult position, unsure whether to trust him or not; a part of her hoped that he would just get up and leave, another part didn't wish for that either. She didn’t want to admit it herself, but she didn’t want to be left alone; and for reasons she couldn’t explain, she just felt safer now than she had before.

The man made some remark to Leyaria, one that made her realize that he wasn’t any different from everyone else. They just don’t understand. How could they? She turned her head slightly, just enough for her to grasp a quick glance of her hand out of the corner of her eyes. Not a thing I would ever get, but I guess if some people wanted to… What he said afterwards caused her eyes to widen, her body to stiffen slightly. After a quick moment she turned her head back towards the man, defeat on her face. “Yeah...” Her voice was weak, faint, “Yeah that’s what it is. A disease…” She took off the other glove and the leather sleeves, turning her body entirely towards the man, showing off the blackness which had for the most part consumed her arms, the blackness which had extended even further, much of her chest being covered and parts of her legs to a lesser extent as well.

“Magic, that’s what this is…” She held her breath for a brief moment, lifting her head up and taking a quick glance at the stars that disappeared and reappeared as a lone cloud passed through the otherwise clear sky. “The worst disease of them all...” She felt it with all of her heart, and everyone believed her to be crazy for it. All throughout her travels, she had heard about all the great things that Magic had done for people, how it had improved countless lives. What good had it done for her though? Everyone, the people in the bar, the man seated beside her, they all looked at her and assumed her to be diseased, to be tainted. She sighed, struggling to remain optimistic about the whole thing, "I wish I never had this... I wish I could just take this all back..."

The women said Yeah, and called it a disease. The way she said it, and she began to show Hikaru the black marks on her body. Hikaru couldn't help but gaze at it in fascination. It seemed like she had little to no control of her magic. Hikaru's body was probably spotless of any dark marks.He wondered how she was coping with it. Hikaru had gotten a scroll with his and the scroll instructed him on how to train to not taint his body or his soul. However it was still possible to, he didn't have any marks on his body at the current moment. She told Hikaru it was magic, and seemed extremely grim about the entire situation.S he looked up and seemed to sigh. That was when Hikaru realized the women's opinion of her magic. She didn't find it as a blessing, maybe the women didn't like it at all. Males and females were two different kinds of people. Females are mean.

Hikaru knew from a young age much more females worry about their looks and had numerous insecurities, and he assumed this made this women no different. She called it the worse disease and Hikaru seemed to tighten up. His light-hearted mood had maybe been too much on the girl. He didn't enjoy what he was hearing. She had no optimism. She wish she could take it all back and this just made Hikaru angry. He remained silent for a bit before speaking.

"You're an abomination. No one enjoys your company, nor respects you because you're different. Those marks you call a disease make you physically displeasing. However,"

Hikaru said. It was blunt, mean, and uncalled for. On the other hand he didn't enjoy this women's aspect of the entire situation. She didn't know that the magic she was granted made her unique, and different from others. Hikaru turned his attention looking the girl straight in the eye as he said However. He began to increase his magical aura. His hair was slightly moving due to the increase in pressure. Hikaru opened his palm, and White lightning began to spark from it, remaining within his palm however. As he continued to raise his aura creeping up his body was the same blackness the women had.

"What you see as a curse, I see as a blessing. You find it as some disease. Maybe it makes you an outcast of some sort. However, what do you do about it is what matters. You can complain and continue to pity yourself or you can learn to control it and embrace your new found individualism. Train, and even if those marks are permanent you better demand respect from anyone who insults your power. That's what it is. That's all it is.It's the power capable of slaying a Demon."

Hikaru said. Once he was done speaking he closed his hands palm clenching his fist. The lightning disappeared and his magical aura fell immediately. The black marks on his body would also quickly beginning to retract leaving the side of his face and arms.

"But that's just my opinion."

Hikaru said nonchalantly. That had hurt him a bit though. He could feel his body aching from the fight he had just gotten in and showing off his magic only exhausted him a bit more. He laid back on the bench waiting for the women to respond.

She kept finding herself simply sitting there, not really sure what more to say. Or even if there needed to have been any more that had to be said. Times like this weren't uncommon for her, though they seemed to have occurred - much to her delight - less frequently than they had when she first became afflicted with this Magic. The thoughts of taking her own life, they were seldom, though at times overwhelming. Ironically enough, there was a comfort that she took in with letting out her frustrations. Even though this man most likely had no idea as to what sort of toll it had taken upon her, even though he most likely couldn't in any way relate, it was still good to just let it off her chest. To even just pretend that there was someone who understood what she was going through.

Hearing the man's next words dispelled any sort of illusion of good feeling that Leyaria had built for herself in that moment. She was left aghast, stunned that she had been proved to be so off the mark with this man. How could she have led herself to believe that this man gave any sort of care towards her? How could she have been so stupid as to not realize he'd dismiss her, just like everyone else in her life had done to!? "How... How could... You're just like all of them!?" She barked out, anger in her voice infused with betrayal and pain as emotion ran through her. "Just as much a bigot as anyone of-"

Turning to face the man, she was stunned, seeing that he seemed to have the very same marks that she did, marks in which weren't there previously. From his hand there emanated bolts of energy, white, just like that of the flames she had created. Leyaria couldn't believe her eyes, that all this time she had been seated next to someone who apparently had the same type of Magic as she did. The power that radiated off of him was intense, and even for Leyaria - as naive about the Magical world as anyone - couldn't help but feel intimidated slightly by it. It made her uncomfortable, wanting her to back up as reasonably as she could from it, fearful of what might happen. Her experience had shown that those who got too close suffered, so why would this be any different?

Before she realized it, she had fallen off the bench, having backed up that far to create space between herself and the man. She listened as he described it, Demon Slayer Magic. It was something that she hadn't heard in years it seemed, a title that she never wanted to hear again. Too many memories just the phrase brought up, none of which gave her any semblance of solace. "What... How?" It was all she could seemingly muster, still stunned by not only the fact that this man seemed to have a very similar type of Magic as she did, but more by it seemed he had control over it. The black marks which covered his body only a moment earlier faded away, leaving not even a trace behind. Leyaria wished that she could have such great fortunes, but to ever control it like that, she worried that that day may never come.

She swallowed, hoping to compose herself. Leyaria wanted to believe that this was still the same man as earlier, but after having seen that, it was impossible to simply disregard it. "That... How? Who are you? Who are you really?"

The women had gotten angry at first, but upon realizing what was happening she seemed startled. No the look on her face wasn't one of fear, but maybe it was of amazement or shock. Soon Hikaru would determine it was of shock as soon as he saw her fall off the bench from backing up way too much. As soon as he finished his speech he could hear her stutter. It was pure amazement, he could tell by what she said that she didn't expect him to be like that. He took a brief moment to think about what else he could say to this women who was baffled. She asked who was he, then she said really who are you. Hikaru thought and got up.

He walked toward the women who was on the floor and extended his hand to her. He was going to aid her in lifting her up, but he decided as he walked over that it would be best maybe to just meet her acquaintance. He didn't really want to tell her too much information but he assumed a first name couldn't hurt.

"Hikaru. I am Hikaru. Lightning Demon Slayer."

Hikaru said with a smile on his face. He flinched as he felt the pain fro his sore body as he held his hand out. He then figured if he told the women who he was , it would be just as nice to find out who she was. Like himself she was a rare kind and in this dog eat dog world the only thing to stick together.

"And if I may ask, who are you? I'm guessing you're a demon slayer too. That mark is one of a kind."

Hikaru said. He was happy to meet her. He was curious as too why her tattoos were still on her. It took Hikaru a while to get his off, and maybe she lacked the mastery necessary for it. Furthermore maybe she didn't have a scroll that acted as a play-by-play. However, even Hikaru's scroll couldn't be read by just anyone. For some reason he was the only one capable of reading it. From the moment he touched it, he had been the only one capable of reading it. How did he know? We'll he's had it out before on his desk and his mother had no clue and thought Hikaru was trying to learn a different language. The scroll he had gotten himself was nonetheless magical. He assumed this women didn't have it, or if she did she might of just been ballsy enough to walk around in public like that.

It took Hikaru a year just to remove it on his face alone. The rest of the time he spent wearing turtlenecks and things that covered most of his body.

What she saw before her startled her, to say the least. She figured that there were similarities between her and the man, particularly that the man seemed at least poor; a situation similar to what she had spent the greater majority of her life in. Never though, even in her wildest dreams, had she imagined that the man happened to have the same type of Magic that she supposed she had. Demon Slayer Magic. The only time she had heard it outside of this moment was when she came to acquire it, under circumstances that she has long since regretted, even to this day. But she had always been of the opinion that she was alone in having this Magic, that there might not have been anyone else even within Fiore that had something similar to this Magic. Who would have suspected that the man speaking with her happened to have the same one, if not an extremely similar Magic as what she had.

Her leg still hurt but the pain that had radiated through her body seemed to calm down significantly, at least enough for her to otherwise focus. Putting weight on it, that was more of a stretch, but as the man got up and held an arm out for her, Leyaria somehow managed to find the strength to hold herself up. It wasn't without struggle as pain again radiated through her leg as she quickly took a seat on the bench. Lightning Dragon Slayer, it was the title that he carried himself with. She wondered if she should have been introducing herself as the Flame or Fire Demon Slayer. No. I can't do that... When the man asked her for her name, she hesitated for a moment; the things that she had seen her Magic do, in Hargeon, in Magnolia, and elsewhere, she was terrified to  be the one to put the claim to that. What would the world think of her? Even this man, what would he do if he were to find out?

She nodded her head slightly, conceding to the man's request. "Leyaria. My name is Leyaria Venerak..." It felt a bit weird, saying her last name. Rarely did she ever use that name; there wasn't any reason to as far as she was concerned. She didn't have any more family, and the only person who she ever really considered to even be family - her sister - was gone. "I guess, I'm a... I don't even know what I am." She lied, unable to admit to herself just what she was. "I never asked for this. Everything in my world fell apart and I thought that I could try to salvage something, anything..." Tears looked like they were beginning to form in her eyes, "Now it seems like everything around just burns to ashes..." Looking down at her hands, the blackness of her hands seeming to be all the more pronounced to her the longer she looked at them, "And it keeps getting worse and worse, and I don't know what to do..."

The women introduced her full name. Leirya. She seemed to have taken a lot of damage in her knee based on the way she had gotten up. She spoke to Hikaru telling him that she didn't know who she was. He didn't judge her nor would he care. He was confident this would not be the last time he saw her. She talked about how he world falled a part and how she thought she could salvage it. Hikaru didn't know what to say. He had gone through a much better experience with his lightning demon slayer magic than she did. He had consistently trained it for a year before he could just keep it off his and hands.

She began to have tears and she said now it seemed like everything was burning to ashes. What had this women gone through to put her through so much grief? Hikaru was curious, but rather than speaking he decided this time he'd be a listener. Sometimes someone just needed someone to vent to. She began to speak about how it just kept getting worse and worse. He wasn't sure what to tell her. However he decided the best thing to tell her was what she wanted to hear. Give her hope, and reassurance.

"I was once like you."

Hikaru said looking at the women. His story wasn't as tragic but he was like her at some point. He wasn't quite sure how to explain how he had achieved his power but he would try to summarize. He thought about it and would just tell her the truth rather than telling her what she wanted to hear.

" I wanted power. I wasn't strong enough, my potential was low before I had this power. So I went out and got it. Nearly killing myself. I got this power willingly. Though at first when I got the marks I was terrified. However I spent some time isolated as learned to master the power. When I came back my mastery was still not good. It takes numerous years to get a grip on the power, and sometimes you won't be able to control. However, for not one moment did I regret getting this power."

Hikaru said. Just from speaking he could see the difference in the women and him. The way she looked at herself, the way she hated the marks on his body. Hikaru had came to an inference which he would ask her straight forward without attempting to hide anything.

"You don't want this power... You would take it all back if you could. But you can't. The only thing that will make you stronger, and giving you a chance of mastery is finding your resolve. It can be a year, a month, or a week to find that resolve. I see now."

Hikaru began to chuckle to himself. He knew the women's problem. It was something obvious. Most people want things, but they don't want it bad. Maybe it just took someone to give them a little shove, or to put them back in the right track.

"I've came up with two conclusions. The first one is you don't want to remove as bad as you claim you do. The second one is you have no goal. What drives you? What do you strive for? I trained my power so I can see my family again and become stronger for their sake. What do you want most? What keeps you going in a battle? What or who do you live for?"

Hikaru said with curiosity. It was the most obvious reason. This girl was sad because she didn't have anything to protect.

On one hand, it would have been easier just to have said nothing, to deny and feign ignorance. It wasn't as though it was a new thing for her, nor was it something that she wasn't particularly comfortable with at this point. Lying and hiding what she was really feeling had become second nature to her, but here she found herself in an awkward situation. This man, Hikaru, he wasn't all that different from her, at least not on the surface. They were Demon Slayers, damned forever with this Magic, at least as far as Leyaria was concerned. It wasn't by choice that she had come to acquire this, at least not knowingly that she had. The circumstances surrounding that fateful decision, the grief and agony that she found herself constantly overwhelmed by, it wasn't all that much different by what she was feeling now, though this time around it was different.

The two of them were stark contrasts particularly in how they viewed their Magics. For Leyaria, it was a curse, a damnable punishment for which she had been forced to forever endure. It had not been uncommon that the thought of her ending her own life as a means of escaping it. On the other hand, Hikaru didn't at all seem afflicted by the same warped thoughts; from where Leyaria sat, he seemed proud, accepting of the Magic. As she sat there, reflecting on her Magic, she listened as Hikaru explained how he had come across the Magic. Leyaria had long assumed that something like this was a cruel tragedy, but listening, hearing how he actively sought out power, how he took the Magic willingly, there was something to it which infuriated Leyaria. Perhaps it was when he tried to relate to her, going so far as to say that he was like her, but listening to what he had done, how he assumed that she actually wanted the Magic, it disgusted her.

Turning towards the man, the tears which had been flowing moments before were instead replaced with eyes that glared of anger. "You think that I wanted power? I didn't want power for the sake of power! I tried to save someone, the only person who ever mattered to me, the only person who ever gave a damn about me!" As her rage built, she didn't realize that tears started to form once again. "I would have given anything! I would have traded my life if it would have meant that it would save her's, and what did this do!? It was supposed to save her... She's still gone, and... And now all I wish is I could take it all back..." In her anger, she had gotten up, having completely disregarded the injury she had suffered only moments earlier, only to immediately collapse to the ground as her leg gave up from under her.

Leyaria yelped in pain, but at the same time, a part of her really didn't care. While her blood still boiled out of anger of what Hikaru said, a part of her mind still latched onto the other thing he said, the thing that she had almost entirely missed until it seemed her mind could have a second to process it. No goal. Nothing to fight for. She looked down at her leg, blood looking like it was beginning to gently flow from the earlier wound. That was her fault. All of what had happened was her fault. Had it been because she had nothing to fight for? The more she thought about it, the more she came to start believing it. "What I want... what I want I can never have," She spoke coldly, her eyes never leaving her leg until she finally looked back up at Hikaru, "I want my sister. I want my life before I became this thing. But she's gone..." She sighed. "She's gone and now, now I don't know what I'm living for..."

Hikaru had hit a breaking point for the women because she snapped at him saying she didn't want the power and she only had it to save someone she loved. It was sad. The ultimate sacrifice was taking on a magic for someone else, only to let them die. A constant reminder of how weak she was and how she couldn't save that one individual. Hikaru got quiet. He didn't know what to stay especially because of the tears. She collapsed on the ground. She began talking about what she want she could never have. Hikaru couldn't help but want to console the women but he allowed her to continue to speak. To vent, to let it all out. He had nothing to say, how could he say anything? He had almost a perfect life, everything he could wanted and this women had the opposite life. It was weird. The only Demon Slayer he had met other then himself and she was as close to a polar opposite as possible.

The women said she's gone and she didn't know what she was living for. Hikaru couldn't imagine the feeling his sister was alive. He took a brief moment to look at the women. What to say to her. Hikaru remained quiet for a brief moment before proposing something to the women. It was something that would make the most sense, and hopefully help this women come to terms with the death of her sister. He crouched to the women on the ground looking at her. Hikaru took out his hand and he clenched it as white lightning filled around it.

" If you want I can kill you right here right now. You'll never have to feel the pain. However, if your sister died, do you think she died for no reason? I can see that you guys once had a strong bond. Based off that bond I'd say if she had been the one to get demon slaying and not you she'd be in the same state. She'd wish that it was her rather than you. So where am I getting at this? You didn't let her down. Rather she died for you. So you can live, and what you're doing right now....."

Hikaru said taking a pause looking at her in the state she was. Crying about her life. At this point Hikaru's hand no longer had lightning around it cause hoping she had gotten the point of his speech she wouldn't choose death over what he was saying.

"Would you really even call it living?"

Leyaria lifted her head slowly as she heard the man get up. That she picked up on it was something impressive, but for the moment the only people, or more appropriately the only things, that she seemed at all able to focus on were her and the man. But as to why she couldn't quite understand. He had delivered a bombshell to her only a moment earlier, making her truly realize that she was at fault for everything. He had basically all but said that it was her fault. And she believed him. What other explanation was there? What sort of evidence was there to the contrary? Leyaria looked on with dead eyes as the other Demon Slayer approached her.

As he held out his hand and white electricity bolted out from within the palm of it, she looked on with intrigue and envy. He had so much more control over his Magic than she could have ever had, if even she had just a small fraction of it, who knew how many people she could have been spared? How many families wouldn't have been devastated by her own incompetence? As she stared more and more into the lightning, the man's words echoed through her head. If you want, I can kill you right now. If you want, I can kill you right now. Maybe you should. You should. You should... Before she knew it, she was inching closer and closer towards the lightning, coming only a mere couple of inches from it before the words of the man continued, snapping her out of her own misery and looking directly into the man's eyes.

Was that it? Did she die for me to live on? She would have given everything for me, and this... This is what I'm doing... As she realized just what she was doing, the light fading away from the man's hand, she simply looked at him, stunned. "I... I don't know..." What he said stung painfully true; she had spent well over a year travelling throughout Fiore, hoping to find something, anything that might have helped her understand her place, give her purpose, and no matter where she went, she seemed unable to find it. Was that why? Had she been so fixated on trying to find why she still had a life that she ignored the fact that this would be the last thing her sister would want to see? Angma would have wanted her to be happy, to enjoy life. But what was she doing instead? Coming inches away from committing suicide at the hands of a man who was trying to help her. "It just seems like I've been running for so long, I don't know... Not much of a life, I suppose."

The women had almost let Hikaru kill her rather she said she didn't know and seemed to finally begin to get what he was saying at. She explained to Hikaru that she had been running for so long. It made him wonder what was she running from? Was it herself, her magic, or an actual person. She seemed to understand Hikaru's statement when she said she didn't have much of a life It seemed his point was coming along, but he needed to make a final push toward it.

"Maybe sometimes in life you need to stop running and turn around and start fighting."

Hikaru said implying that the women should be challenging her fear. Hikaru was far from wise, but he did know a thing or two about life. He couldn't imagine the pain this women went through and all he wanted to do was help, however he could only do such if she began by helping herself. Hikaru decided to continue to give the women some inspiration.

"Life's always going to hit you hard and knock you down. It's just a matter of if you're willing to get up or not."

Hikaru said once again standing up and offering his hand to the women for her to stand too. It was not only to get her off the floor but also as a part of symbolism for her to stand up and stop getting knocked down. He waited for a response or a gesture at least. He understood that he wouldn't be able to change the women completely but this was a start toward rehabilitation maybe in her life. Even if it made her life an ounce better or made the situation just slightly better it would be enough.

Leyaria looked at Hikaru, wondering how it was that he had managed to seemingly end up in such a better spot than her. How was it that he had come to terms with the Magic, that he managed to master it? Was it a reflection of him being - as he said - more powerful than she was? It was clear enough that he had a more positive outlook of things, certainly towards the Magic than Leyaria was, that went without much saying. But, how long had he had that Magic too? She had had hers now for what seemed like forever though was only actually a couple of years, but how long had it taken Hikaru to master the Magic? Undoubtedly it would take Leyaria years to even come close to the level that he was at.

In silence she sat, not sure exactly what to say, what more to do, other than sort of allow her mind to wander. The image before her, of Hikaru seeming towering over her as she lay on the ground in pain, it was a proper image to portray how they had both opted to tackle their Magic. Hikaru mastered his, while Leyaria allowed herself to be controlled by it. By all accounts, she was at its mercy, and as she had traveled from place to place, each time being again reminded of how little control she had of her own, the more and more it sank into her head that there was nothing that she could do. But here also was the man who was proving that notion wrong, if only she would believe it herself.

She saw the man hold out his hand again, a part of Leyaria wondering if he was going to create the same lightning effect that he had done earlier; though she worried a small part of her would still seek out death rather than continuing on. When no lightning appeared and rather instead an outstretched hand, she wasn't exactly sure how to respond. Lifting her head up to see if she could get an idea if the man was serious or not, she finally conceded and extended her hand out too, the man helping her up to her feet, to which she immediately adjusted herself so that she was again on the bench. Looking down at her leg, she grimaced slightly at the wound; that she had gotten up didn't do much in improving the look of it at all, as blood now lined the majority of her leg beneath the wound. Even though pain rippled through her, she tried as hard as she could to take her mind off of the wound, but instead turning to face Hikaru. "How many times did it knock you down?" While it might not have been particularly important or related to her herself, she needed to know, for just her own knowledge. If she were going to have endure the hardships of this Magic, she wanted to know as much as she could before the hard part.

The women seemed to accept Hikaru's hand but not before asking a question. Her next question was how many times was Hikaru knocked down. Hikaru couldn't help but wonder that himself, and he came to the conclusion it surely couldn't have been as many as that women but it was a few time. Hikaru took out his hand and began counting with his fingers.

"I don't know. but it's been quite a few times to be honest. However my personality is an extremely stubborn one."

Hikaru said. That was the best way to put it. He was someone who seemed to be stubborn and driven which was a curse and a blessing. He wasn't impulsive as much but just extremely resilient. There wasn't much of a "I can't do this" mentality. Rather Hikaru believed in the opposite of that.

"I live my an expression I guess. The difference between possible and impossible lies in a person's determination."

Hikaru said. He took a moment thinking about that. It was one of the many quotes his step-father had given him as a child. He thought about it several times and he believe he had said it right, but if he didn't then the point was there. Hikaru would then explain the origin of the saying to the women.

"I guess you can say my mom instilled that to me at a young age. She actually was big on reading so she often used many quotes on me. But that one sticks out like a sore thumb especially in this situation. I guess I was taught to think impossible is a state of mind. I can't tell you how many things in my life I found impossible, but look where I am now. Pass the things I found impossible. I guess thats the origin of my stubborn or resilient personality best described. How about you?"

Hikaru said. He wasn't sure if she was comfortable with saying that herself, but it was a bit of insight on the character that Hikaru had.

Leyaria looked right at the man, in some respects through a different lens. Earlier, he had been nothing more than a homeless man who happened to have shared the same bench as her. Then it transitioned into a man plagued with the same affliction as her, and from there it further changed, now instead being like that of an almost mentor-like figure - or at least as close as one could imagine him being to her. The reality was that the two of them were worlds apart, perhaps much more than Hikaru could have even imagined it to be. Even as Leyaria listened to him speak, to talk of his resilience, the lessons instilled to him by his mother, there was no way for him to imagine as to how jealous of him she was. How she wished that her and Angma's situation could have been different, that they had been born to a mother that actually cared for them, that actually loved them. Then maybe things could have been different.

She listened, half-focused and half imaging how things would have been different when she picked up on the last thing Hikaru ask, asking for Leyaria to describe herself. She swallowed, not sure what to say, if she should have said anything, but she figured at this point, what was the point of keeping secrets? She had come within mere seconds of ending her life earlier; at this point there wasn't much that she could say or otherwise do that would perhaps shock this man. "My family? There was just the two of us. My sister and me... Our mom... She and my dad, I don't even know if they should be called that." She sighed. It wasn't easy speaking about her parents, and it didn't seem to be any easier, even in spite of how much time had come to pass. "We lived on the streets, but them? They were never involved in raising us. They were always just high on something or another. And at some point, they just disappeared and it was just me and my sister..."

She could feel a very faint wetness to her leg, undoubtedly a streak of blood that trailed down it. It felt odd, but at the same time, a welcome one which contrasted the light breeze through the area. "I don't know what's more to say than that. For as long as I can remember, it was just her and I. My sister... My God she was incredible. She got us off the streets, got us a roof above our heads, kept us fed..." Leyaria lifted her head up, fighting back tears, before looking back at Hikaru, "I just wish I had done more to help her then. If I had done something. Anything..." Her words trailed off, as she struggled, but somehow managed to not reflect back to what she couldn't change. The past was in the past, but even still, it still hurt. A very weak chuckle escaped her lips as she looked at the man, "Well, you wanted to know about me. There you go..."

Hikaru couldn't help but give the girl a hug for all she had gone through. It wasn't easy, there was no way it could of been. The way she described her life, her parents being druggies and her sister taking all of the responsibility, no wonder she was so distraught. Hikaru had suffered lost but never true lost. A pet or two, but never someone who took care of him or was essential to his life, and this made nothing but sorrow for him to see this girl so distraught and hurt over this. Hikaru knew he brought up a tough topic and he decided it was best to apologize for making her speak about something so tragic.

"I'm sorry."

Hikaru said. Hikaru didn't want to be mean or lecture her but rather he wanted to be compassionate and kinder toward her. It was weird, but he decided it was about time he extended help.

"Leyaria, I know it isn't much but I just wanted to know that i'm here for you. If you ever need someone to talk to and to understand you, I'm usually in Hargeon in a manor that you can't miss, or in Era."

Hikaru said giving the women the two locations she would most likely find him in. From all that they talked about and all the pain he realized this women was he figured out she needed the extra person in her life. Plus the two were polar opposites but were bound by their extremely rare magics. The art of Demon slaying.

Leyaria felt a pair of arms wrap around her, to which she looked up to see Hikaru hugging her. Though she had held back tears a moment ago, she found herself struggling once again as the man spoke, his words calm, sincere. It had been so long since anyone had ever said anything along the lines of what she was hearing from Hikaru. Here was this man, a man who had a far greater possession and knowledge of this Magic that had for so long plagued her, offering to help her in a manner similar to how Angma had been for her before. "Thank you," she said, her voice sounding like she wasn't sure just how to respond to things. On one hand, she was elated, and on the other, it still felt odd hearing someone speak reassuringly to her. It was nice, albeit foreign.

Hikaru said that he could have been reached at one of two locations, within Era or in his manor in Hargeon. A manor? In Hargeon!? Unbelievable... It was perhaps as great a revelation as realizing that Hikaru had Demon Slaying Magic. Did he really live in Hargeon? Had they both been so close and yet she never realized it before? She lifted her head towards the man, "You... You live in Hargeon?" She wasn't quite sure how to react to that; on one hand being in a place that she was very well acquainted with, but on the other hand being a place that brought difficult memories. Perhaps though, if this man truly did live in Hargeon, he could help erase those more painful memories. Maybe over time they'd be gone, replaced with better ones, better ones that perhaps Hikaru could assist her with.

She seemed shocked at the fact that Hikaru lived in Hargeon. He assumed it wasn't common because there were so many towns but what are the odds. It did have a big population and there was a lot of trade. He assumed maybe she lived in it. As he moved away from the hug, he decided it was best to talk to her about where he was from.

"Yes I am from Hargeon. My family has lived there for years and so we established a property. It's been passed down from generation to generation to the eldest child, that being me I inherited the rights to the property at 21."

Hikaru said. Now that he mentioned age he was looking at the women and was curious as to how old she was. He wasn't attempting to hit on her, not was he attempting to go as far as to do anything else but still he was curious as to see her age. She didn't seem ridiculously young. However women tended to mature faster than males so it would just have to ask.

"Hmm, if I may ask how old are you?"

Hikaru said with pure curiosity