Collision

*~Chapter 3: Making things clear~*

"Augh! COME ON!! This isn't fair you sadist!"

"I can't help it. It's just so much fun watching you fail." Koru laughed and teased Ponopon some more. Meiko was planning to use her best weapon, Cute faces. *No guy could ever resist this,* Meiko thought to herself. She went over to him and winked at Ponopon as she passed.

*Oh, I see where this is going!* Ponopon gave a little snicker as he snuck to the table that was conveniently behind Koru.

Meiko gave him all of her best techniques, The Sad look, The Happy look, The Cool look, The Flirty look, and her most famous one, The Cute Look.

Koru just stared blankly and asked, "What the hell are you doing? Those looks are used so often by other girls I hung out with and I am immune to them. She was shocked and gave the Shocked Look. *Nooooo! He's immune to my irresistible Cute Face Trick??*

Koru snickered a bit. "Okay I admit, that look is a little silly. Do me a favor and practice a little more, alright shorty?" Meiko did not like being called short. Her face turned red and steamed as pepper. She grabbed her fist together to prevent any violent actions. Ponopon saw this as an opportunity to get the crest from Koru.

"ALRIGHTY! NOW'S MY CHANCE!!" Ponopon leaped from the table nearly grabbing the crest from his neck. Koru dodged replying, "You have to do better than that!”

*And I will you jerk face!* and with that, she dashed and ran with the crest in her hand to the other side of the room. A sharp pain overtook her and she collapsed. Ponopon ran to her side. The cat danced a little victory dance as if he won a lifetime supply of catnip.

"Now we can go back to the realm to give to Lord Hemnos. He could fix her leg completely."

"Give that back! My father gave it to me!" Koru's eyes glowered as his father's possession was being twirled.

"Serves you right sadist! Now c'mon Meiko!"

Meiko grabbed what she thought was her staff. When raised, she saw it was a plain cane. She panicked as she looked left and right. *Oh no! Where'd my staff go?* She looked frantically, scanning the rooms in the apartment dragging her leg along with her.

"Huh? What's wrong Meiko?" Ponopon asked impatiently. "Why haven't we left yet? We got to go fix your leg and get your voice back. So come on stop fooling around."

Meiko looked at Ponopon for a minute or two.  And at that moment, he realized something important.

"Meiko...please say you have your staff with you." She just stared blankly in space realizing what she did.

"Meiko...PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE THE STAFF WITH YOU!!!" Meiko shook her head.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Now how are we supposed to get home?"

"You guys are missing something aren't you? Is it that important?" Koru sighed. "Oh well, I'll get you another one later."

"You don't get it!" Ponopon cried. “That staff is the key for me to transform, because I'm a Guardian too!"

Koru became very puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, items that people cherish most are connected to their Guardians. You see this collar around my neck?"

*Now that you mention it, Sunoco had one just like it...* Koru thought. "Is it supposed to be a symbol or something?

Ponopon nodded. "If someone has a hold of it, I won't be able to protect her. The staff Meiko has, it used to be her grandmother's!"

"So the crest that you hold, which is mine, is a key to Sunoco right? Then give it back and I'll help ya out."

"I'm not falling for that old trick sadist."

“What does your leader even need it for?"

Ponopon stopped and thought a minute. "I'm not quite sure, but I know that if I give it to him, Meiko will get her voice back. He doesn't break any promises, period." Koru shrugged and turned to Meiko. “Okay then, kid, do you remember where you last left it?"

"WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING??" Ponopon shrieked.

Meiko closed her eyes and thought deeply. *When his sister came to get us...!! Back there! It has to be!* Koru eyed her suspiciously. "It seems you have an idea where it might be at?"

Meiko nodded. She pointed out the door. "You mean to tell me you left it back there?!" Ponopon panicked.

"Hey, Koru! It’s one of your friends on the phone!" Koru rushed to the room and grabbed it from Ana's hand.

*Could've said thanks...* Ana thought bitterly as she left to another room.

“Hello?”

(Riga)

“Aoru.”

(I have this cool looking staff thing here. Found it near the dump. Wanna take a look?)

"A staff? Uh...yeah it's Ana's. She must have dropped it when she was doing her errands."

(Hm...You have to bring Ana along to Siren's Peak. Time's up pal. You two better be alone, if you want the staff back. )

"Grrr..."

 (Just bring Ana along. Show up or you will take her place.)

He slammed the receiver with tears of rage in his eyes *click* *Damn it! He didn't buy it...*

He froze in fear, anger, and guilt at the thought of loneliness. *Damn you. Damn you Aoru! If it wasn’t for your twisted mind, we probably would have still been friends. None of this would be happening.  I waited too long. Now Ana is going to get killed. And I got another girl involved too. I screwed up big time. Why does Red Band have to go to the extreme?? What went wrong?*

His feel of solitude caused the crest to grow hot. The cat yowled in pain as the crest floated back around Koru's neck. They were quite surprised when they saw it. *The crest chose him.....interesting...* Meiko and Ponopon tried to get his attention. Ponopon shouted in his face, “Sadist? Sadist! Come on! Pull yourself together!"”  Meiko shook him violently until he came back to reality.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine."

"Did you find our staff?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't know the owner so I told him that I knew her so he'll give it to me."

"All right! I think I see you in a different light."

"But here's the thing... I told him it was my sister who owned it."

"WHAT?!"

----!@#$%^&*()-----

Red Band leader Toro Aoru was preparing for assassination. The other members were preparing for a fight of a lifetime. Why? They knew Koru well since they used to be friends and a long-time member.

The Red Band was made for a revival of a fallen comrade; Aoru's girlfriend, Sara Nul. After she died of heart failure, a part of him snapped and never was the same. He had other friends that joined Red Band, but the group reduced after they saw the horrors of female assassination. At first, they were just getting characteristics of her. But after the First Resurrection failed, Aoru came to one conclusion, The Gate of Revival. They would destroy females who got in their way and collect large samples of their blood. Usually, if a female member quits, she would get killed on the spot, and her female relatives along with her. When male members quit, they would kill his female relatives and bomb the male's house. They were never caught since they were minors. Only four members are left. Koru then quit after his father died. Since he was a long-time friend, Toro gave him 3 years to pay without getting anyone harmed.