1218/FP: A Charity Concert

FP: A Charity Concert
Date of Scene:	18 March 2016
Location:	Mitakihara - Easter Stadium
Synopsis:	Utau Hoshino and the mysterious DL put on a 'charity' concert. Little do the Guardians and their friends know, the beneficiary of this concert isn't those in need, but Easter itself, as Utau and DL's music draws hundreds of X-Eggs out!
Cast of Characters:	Utau Hoshina, Sora Hisakata, Amu Hinamori, Ikuto Tsukiyomi, Nadeshiko Fujisaki, Kukai Souma, Mikoto Nakajima, Tadase Hotori, Reiko Touyama

---

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    It's a cool night tonight, with the stars already starting to come out, twinkling like hundreds of beautiful jewels in the night sky. A light frost hangs in the air too, and it would have been uncomfortable for the hundreds of fans who turned out tonight to watch the show. Fortunately, the dome has a massive transparent roof that keeps the chill out, but leaves the air fresh enough to make sound travel perfectly.

    The stage is set in the very center of the dome, elevated slightly so that those in the back bleachers can see and hear the performers just as well as the audience sitting near the front. The concert hasn't quite started yet, and the lights havent been turned down low, although promo videos of tonight's performance are already being shown on the TV screens around the dome.

    Right now, as the performers prepare offstage, the audiences are just finding their seats, while concession stands sell their wares, including promo t-shirts, glow-sticks, and some beautiful posters of the duo. Although both Utau and DL have performed separately in the past, it is their first debut performance together and there is a lot of excitement in the air..

Sora Hisakata has posed:
Though often times she might not admit it, Sora Hisakata does like music, and when she heard of Utau doing a charity concert, she decided she just had to go. Like always, she carries along a bag filled with random stuff, and has taken a spot near the front, ready to enjoy the music of her favourite musician.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Okay, okay, we're going!" Amu says, laughing a little at the quartet of charas that are all literally squealing with excitement, leading her towards the stadium. "Geeze, you guys, it's just a concert. I don't know why you're all flipping out."

"Because it's Utau Hoshina!!" Miki says, turning around to stare at Amu like the pink-haired girl is a little crazy. "She's only the most amazing idol in all of Tokyo!"

Amu laughs at Miki's excitement, then says, "Well I'm sure you'll have a great view. Do you guys see Tadase and Kukai? We were supposed to meet out front. Our seats should be together."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Yoru is one of the quartet of Charas accompanying Amu here. He's not technically hers, but she's taking care of him, at least until they find out what's happened to Ikuto. Maybe he can even find Utau after the concert and ask her if she knows anything about Ikuto! Between the happy atmopshere and the happiness of the Charas he's with-- and their bearer too!-- even Yoru finds his spirits buoyed a little.

Miki's words get a nod. "Yeah. Utau's got a really pretty voice-nya," he comments. Pause, and he looks around. "Wonder what kinda food they got here-nya." Yup. That's Yoru all right. Always thinking with his stomach...

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Nagihiko is silent as he follows the small group of people and charas, taking in the crowd, the lights, everything. It's probably his first time at an outing like this in slacks, and he's quietly glad for the blue beanie covering his ears.

His eggs are both in his satchel, safe and snug. He's sure if they were hatched, they'd be joining the excited chatter of the others.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai Souma had bought a ticket for this concert back when he'd first learned about it. Now that it's here, his heart is pounding. Usually he doesn't go in for idols - the money for this concert was originally going to go to seeing an exhibition NBA game in a month or two - but this was different. This was Utau.

Kukai still didn't know how he felt about the blonde girl - well, no. That was a lie. He knew how he felt about her as someone working against her will for Easter, but as for anything else? It was all up in the air. Part of him wished he'd talked to his friends more about this concert - his suspicions, his thoughts, his interactions with Utau - but another part of him wanted to give her one last chance to do right, if she knew he was going to be there.

So, there he is, playbill in his back pocket, ticket in the other, following the group and grinning as Daichi chatters along. "Maybe Il and El will come over and play with us while she sings!"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto knew she was going to be at this concert the moment she first saw the advertisement poster. 'DL' indeed, she'd know that face anywhere. So she spent quite a bit to make sure she could get as close to the front row as she could.

She's expecting trouble, but not going in to start it herself.

Dressed in a white skirt-suit, red trim on the blazer and skirt, and crimson stockings topping her boots, she paces casually up to her selected spot. She pauses occasionally along the way, chatting with fellow music-lovers, several of whom are from families well known to her own.

Hikari filters in separately, from the other side of the stadium. The silver-haired cat-girl has hidden her inhuman features tonight, and dressed in a matching outfit to her mistress, though the trim is pale blue on hers. She too stops to chat along the way, seeming to have attracted attention of the Teenaged Male sort. She's taking the time to flirt and enjoy the attention, positively preening as she gathers a small assortment of young men to follow her.

((~Having fun over there, 'kari?~))

((~Always! They're such nice boys. Maybe I'll let one of them buy me a snack.~))

((~Well, don't get too caught up in the fun. Remember what we're here for.~))

((~No worries there, Mistress! Your Hikari is on the case! So far, no sign of any Bounded Fields, Barriers, or disguised youma amongst the crowd.... a few creepazoids, though.~))

((~Yah, you always get a few of those at these things. Don't hurt them too badly if they give you trouble, hey? We don't want to get thrown out of here.~))

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase may be the one who has neither self nor chara that finds any real reason to be here on his own. Utau's music, while pretty, isn't his style, and Kiseki has about the same opinion. On the other hand, though, Tadase knows Utau Hoshina very well. And it's a soft spot, much like his relationship with Ikuto.

Still, it was easier to come along with Kukai, Nadeshiko, and Amu than to explain all of that, and worst case scenario, he gets to enjoy a concert with friends. And with Amu, he reminds himself - after the conversation, he's not sure how to think about it, and they haven't really talked anymore. He doesn't know what to call her.

Still, he's here, and the little King is resting on his shoulder. He's trying his very hardest to not look like he's both out of place and out of sorts. He is failing miserably.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama has come along with the group of the Guardians because-- why not! Friends are friends!

Though she thinks Chouko is a better idol. "I think I have a preference for my friend's music..." she says. "BUT that is totally biased~ Because she's my friend!~" she says somewhat teasingly.

"Still..."

"We got good seats... right?" she asks the group as she looks down at the ticket.

"...or is it standing room only?" she asks. She adjusts her glasses a little.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    It seems like forever before the crowds grow more quiet, and the lights dim. Various strobe lights color the stage in a splash of rainbow brightness and the announcer briefly comes over the intercom.

    "Ladies and Gentlemen: Thank you for attending the 2016 Utau and DL Live: 2016 Charity Concert! For the first time coming together since their debut, we now give you the famous indy idol singer, Utau Hoshina, and the equally talented and mysterious violinist, DL! Let's hear it for these two!!"

    The audience erups into a flood of applause as Utau is the first to make her appearance on the stage. Dressed in a simple yet elegant black cocktail dress, adorned with a beautiful gold link belt from which hangs a pair of eggs that only a handful of people in the audience might just see, her arrival sparks another round of applause from her adoring fans.

    Long blonde ponytails sway gently in the breeze and she bows briefly to her audience, although the look on her face is as always, a somewhat sombre one. As usual, Utau is all business before charm, but what charm she can create through her music alone.

    She brings the microphone to her lips, and the spotlight shines on her initially as soft music forms in the background:

    ~Open your shiny eyes in the silent night
    I swooped down in the mysterious night.
    I sneak without any sound of footsteps
    In a lusting black cat's pose.~

    A Silhouette that carries the moonlight on it's back
    "Come here" It smiles as it beckons me.~

    Utau brings up her free arm, pointing at the crowd as she sings, arching her finger as if to mimic her words. Her voice is polished, clear as diamond as she mezmerises the crowd..

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
He's not sure what to make of the concert. The singing isn't bad at all, in fact it's very pretty, but it's not quite his style.

It's apparently Kukai's, though.

Not that it matters, of course. Utau's very pretty.

Still, he listens along, closing his eyes so he can hear the lyrics above the cheering crowd.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
And following the introduction and Utau's appearance onstage, that's when DL makes his appearance. He walks out onto the stage in a formal-looking suit, with not a single stitch out of place, not a single button undone all the way up to his neck, his tie perfectly straight, his hair perfectly groomed. But there's a handful of people out there in the audience who are going to know him by another name.

It's Ikuto.

But he doesn't seem to register anything around him. He stands slightly facing his right, not facing the direct front of the stage. He doesn't acknowledge the audience. He doesn't acknowledge the other players onstage other than to accept their cues to begin playing. His eyes are hidden from view.

Now, Utau probably could tell there was something off about Ikuto's playing as soon as he started. Whenever he played for her and Tadase as a child, he always played with a particular flourish. Even if it was another person's song, he always made it his own when he played it. But here? Each note was precise and formulaic; he played the tune he was supposed to play and did not deviate from it one iota.

...Maybe he's just tired? But he's been tired an awful lot, hasn't he...?

For his part, Yoru looks at the stage as the band comes out. He can't see properly until the lights are struck on the band, until the song starts. Then his eyes go wide, his ears perk forward, and his tail stands straight. "IKUTO!" He flies to the seat in front of Amu, gripping the back of it and staring at the violinist onstage as if in disbelief. He looks to Amu, confused... then he looks to Ikuto on the stage again. Clearly he's having trouble not just zipping over there and latching onto Ikuto's face in a hug...

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu joins her friends at their seats just in time for the concert to start. Her charas all mostly hang around, but they're more intersted in the concert than Amu is! Still, Amu does love great music. In another life, she might have liked to have been an idol. Not that that was meant to be.

When the music starts, Amu screams excitedly and grabs Tadase for a hug, then continues clapping and cheering. She quiets down when Utau starts singing, and listens to the music. When Yoru rushes forward, Amu almost misses it, until the little chara starts looking back at her.

"What?" Amu asks the little neko. "No, that can't be Ikuto. Is it?" she asks, peering past the crowds towards Ikuto. "Do you think he's left Easter? No, it can't be, this concert's theirs, right? That's so weird!"

Sora Hisakata has posed:
Sora is cheering along with the crowd, shooting Utau a wink from her seat up front, just in case her idol remembers her, and manages to notice. If not, that's fine too, she has no illusions that idols have an obligation to love every single one of their fans.

She hears Yoru yell a name, and looks around, noticing a little catlike creature on her seat. "Wuh?" She blinks, clearly unsure what to make of it, then looks back towards the stage, seemingly doing her best to pretend she never saw the little cat.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai hadn't ever heard Utau's singing before. Whoops. She's got a voice that pierces the soul and makes Kukai breathe faster. He leans forward in his seat, grinning slightly, listening to the idol sing, and almost forgets his friends around him as he listens, if not for Amu screaming her lungs out. Wow, she's good. Even Daichi, sitting in with his Chara friends, one arm around Kiseki, the other around Ran, is cheering.

But there's something else. The other figure steps onstage besides her, and it looks... like someone Kukai'd seen at school? He was pretty sure he'd seen that figure before. He misses Amu whispering to Yoru, though, and has completely missed seeing Sora off to one side, even though he really wouldn't recognize her.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
((~I see why you like him. He's really cute. But there's something...~))

Mikoto nods, her eyes locked on the young musician as he plays. She hasn't heard as much of his music as certain others might, but even she can tell there's something lacking. She just doesn't know what it is, the way they would. ((~It's definitely him. Keep watching, I've got to figure out how to get backstage for a bit when he's done.~))

Neither Mage nor Familiar notices the goings-on around the Guardians. Indeed, Mikoto is finding herself quite enjoying Utau's music, and Ikuto's playing is at the least technically worthy, even if it lacks - something.

She wants, so very much, to get up and yell out his name, to try to get his attention, right now. Her fingers tighten on the arms of her seat until her knuckles are white, and one leg tenses to push her up.

((~Mistress, please! Wait until the end at least! He isn't going anywhere!~))

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama eeeeeee everyone is cheering! eeeeeeeeee! so is she!

Yeah, Reiko is totally caught up in the excitement of the concert. She sort of swings her head back a moment as she gets caught up in the lyrics--- and then--- another figure joins Utau. She peeks over at Amu. and then Yoru. Ikuto? She blinks a bit.

That can't be Ikuto, can it? She squints.

Ugh if that jerk didn't leave this jerk company yet after Amu stole^H^H^H^H took^H^H^H^H lovingly confiscated Yoru from him for his own good she's gonna be confused and maybe also crossed as she crosses her arms a moment.

She's still swaying to the music though.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase is suddenly given a hug by Amu. Sure, it was a hug of excitement rather than anything directed at him explicitly, but that doesn't make it less nice at all, and his face flushes for a moment.

He's ripped out of that savagely once he sees Ikuto. Much as Utau can, Tadase can tell there's something off about his playing. Perhaps moreso, he is unwilling to give Ikuto the benefit of the doubt when it comes to 'just having an off day' because from the blonde teen's perspective, Ikuto's been having a few off years.

And yet this still seems even more off than that. Kiseki notes it too, and floats up next to Tadase. The music is beautiful, the crowd is cheering - so why can't Tadase enjoy it?

"Something's wrong." he says, quietly, at first to Kiseki, who nods a bit. "Something is wrong." he says, a second time, louder, to the assembled Guardians.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    As soon as the violin joins her song, Utau really gets into her music. If there is something off about how he plays his violin, Utau seems not to notice. At least, she makes no outward response. Perhaps she was simply so excited, so wrapped up in her eagerness to play with him that she paid little attention now, to how his music lacked any real heart.

    Whatever the case, Utau seems more focused upon her adoring fans and the audience, than she is on her partner on stage. She continues to stride gracefully upon the stage, nearly seeming to glide like the butterfly she sings of, her ponyfalls continuing to sway gently in the evening breeze as she imitates the movements of a gently swaying butterfly, dancing in step with the rhythm of her voice and the strings of DL's mysterious violin:

    ~A shadow of desire squirms in the town
    It wanders in the guise of an angel
    It holds the shards of love without a place to go
    In it's arms as if it treasures them

    As you fal asleep, are you somewhere also
    Having a Happy dream?
    Kiss the starry sky. It's time for good children to go to sleep.~

    Utau brings her fingers to her lips, blowing a kiss to the audience instead. For a moment, her gaze passes briefly upon all the guardians, Mikoto, Reiko and of course Sora, whom she recognizes briefly from a couple of run-ins in the past. Perhaps it is only because they sat near the front that she even saw them..For a moment longer her gaze lingers upon Kukai, offering him the faintest of smiles, before she passes on, taking in the entire crowd, touching them all with her song, and perhaps with a little something else as well.

    The strobe lights flash brilliant purple, then blue, sending out glittery points of light throughout the stadium. It's hard to see much more than the stage in this flashy light display, as the bleachers are mostly left in darkness.

    ~~Don't look at me, don't catch me.
    I'm a butterfly who got lost.

    I sing freely with these wings no one can see.
    They're hiding in your heart.~~

    Amid the lightshow, a pair of black tiny wings seem to briefly sprout from Utau's shoulderblades as she sings. But of course, only a few select audience members would even be able to see this..

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Yoru looks back to Amu, nodding firmly. "I'd know Ikuto anywhere-nya!" he declares. "But I don't get it... if he's OK, how come he hasn't come back? Or at least come by to say he was OK-nya!" One doesn't abandon one's Chara lightly, after all. Besides that? Yoru notices something else too. "...An' he's playin' funny, too. Somethin' doesn't sound right about it-nya..."

He doesn't notice Sora... until she turns back to look at him! Once he realizes she looked right at him, he zips back to Amu, hiding behind her shoulder and peering over that shoulder, staring at the back of Sora's head with wide, confused eyes.

Back on the stage, it's the appearance of Utau's wings that Ikuto takes as the signal to begin. Suddenly the violin in his hands begins to glow a malevolent purple that, much like Utau's wings, is only visible to a select few people. Yet he keeps playing. And now there is an overbearing, almost overwhelming sound to the instrument. And he adds his power to Utau's, casting it over the audience like a net. What does it catch?

Eggs.

All over the stadium, the audience begins to grow still, their eyes filled with a glassy light. One by one, ripples begin to appear at many people's chests, and black eggs with white Xs on them begin to exit through that rippling. The X-Eggs fill the stadium with their plaintive cries of "Impossible... impossible... impossible..." But the music is loud, aimed perfectly to drown out their little squeaks. And the bright, flashing lights draw the eye to the stage, away from any particular weirdness. And the audience isn't acting too weird. They're just staring at Utau with rapt fascination. Which could be perfectly understandable.

And still Ikuto plays on, as if he hasn't realized it's happening...

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"What's wrong?" Amu asks Tadase, turning to regard him confusedly. But then Yoru's talking to her, so she turns to focus on the little chara. She doesn't catch Sora's glance, but she does spot all of those eggs coming up from the ground. "Oh ... oh no," she murmurs, eyes widening.

"Yoru, this is going to be a weird request," Amu says quietly, "but I think I need your ears. I need to hear this music the way you're hearing it. Will you transform with me?" she asks the little catboy, as she reaches up to grab for the lock dangling from the choker she's wearing.

Sora Hisakata has posed:
Sora notices it happen, but she does not initially react. Instead, she mimics the fans that had been affected by this, her gaze firmly set upon Utau. It's hard to see that she's doing something else at the same time, she's got one hand in her bag, subtly feeling around for a familiar tome.

She waits another moment, Yoru's presence may not have told her much, but it's told her there's magical people nearby, and she can't allow them to see her transform, and so, she waits for a convenient moment to slip out into a spot where she can transform.

Until then, she stares at Utau, mimicking the crowd.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
It's not the sensation of eggs floating around or Ikuto on stage that gets Nagihiko's attention, it's the whispers of those around him about those things.

He's very thankful there are no small ears around to hear the choice words he has to say.

Suddenly on alert, he's looking around at exits, running though his mind on the best and fastest way to clear people out, as well as wondering how much damage a boy his size could do if he could literally drop in on one of them.

"Were we supposed to know this would happen?" He's whispering to Kukai, hand falling on his forearm, still looking, still waiting.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama la la la, music~

Then she blinks blinks blinks and squints a bit across the crowd. Did Utau just grow wings? and there's some sort of weird aura effect. Special effects. Right...?

Then he Prism tingles and she gently tugs it up by the necklace as she looks on at the group. Yup, her Prism is glowing. Something is wrong in the area.

She slowly slips it back and sighs a little.

"Amu, Tadase, Kukai, what's going on?" she asks quietly.

"Is this some kind of attack or...?" she asks to the others.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai grins back at Utau as he sees her eyes pass over him. So far the concert's been rather awesome. The song is awesome, and he's caught up in watching Utau onstage. Maybe it'll be ok.

He can't see much through the darkness and the strobe lights, and the music is so loud he couldn't possibly hear anything else. He looks over at his friends, unthinkingly nudging Nagihiko with an elbow and grinning at Reiko, before looking back just in time to see those tiny black wings pop out. That must be Iru.

The violinist begins to play a few moments later and the violin shines, that shining, malevolent purple, which might be the first thing Kukai's seen that's strange. Unfortunately this is the first major concert Kukai's been to, and he doesn't know what's strange and what's not, and he'd long ago realized he saw things that other people didn't, so he can't tell what they see and what he doesn't. Maybe it's some special effects trick of the light. He does think it's overwhelming Utau's voice, and that annoys him.

He's so caught up in the music he doesn't notice a highly frustrated, highly agitated little blonde angel popping up near him, trying to get his or Daichi's or anyone's attention.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Seeing the violin start to glow sets Mikoto's every nerve on edge. When the magic ripples out over the crowd, she can't be certain of what's going on, but it's almost certainly Not Good. It's all she can do to avoid just jumping up, drawing Carnwennan, and blasting the violin out of Ikuto's hands.

Somehow, perhaps with Hikari's urging, she manages it, though her hand clutches the Device's amulet-like storage form for a long moment.

((~'Wennan, you're recording everything, right?))

((~Of course, Meister. Significant thaumic disruption ongoing. It will prove interesting to analyze.~))

She's seen Ikuto stealing eggs before, but she's never really analyzed the magic involved - so she doesn't recognize it now. She still doesn't like it.

((~You hear that, Mistress?))

((~I just hear music. They're playing pretty good, but the magic...))

((~Voices. They keep saying 'impossible'.~))

Mikoto bites her lip. She cannot allow herself to act yet. Despite what she now suspects is going on. ... She's just glad that whatever the effect is, it doesn't seem to be affecting her or Hikari.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase can feel it as much as anyone else can, creeping up just giving him a general feeling of unease, that something is wrong and getting worse. Kiseki, though, feels it a lot stronger. As the voices converge, Tadase finds some of his hair literally being yanked by the little King. "Tadase!" Kiseki hisses. "X-eggs, and they're everywhere. All around us. They're not hatching they're just... coming out in a group!"

Tadase blinks, and shifts closer to everyone. "Something is very wrong with the music. I think it's Ikuto." he says, barely able to keep the anger out of his low voice. Of course, Tadase usually thinks it's Ikuto up to no good, he just happens to be right this time, in a manner of speaking. "You all feel it too, don't you? And your charas? We have to do something." he says, obviously concerned about the groups of people around them - so many with those dull, spiritless eyes.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    There is definitely real magic here; Was it in the music itself that spun such a heartwrenching, many-layered story; A story that could touch the hearts of many in the audience? A sad, lulling tune that could pull at the heartstrings, reach deep down inside of one's deepest dreams and fantasies, and bring it to light?

    Or was there something else at play here as well? The lights upon the stage flicker in a multitude of rainbow colors now, forming the shapes of hundreds of butterflies that flutter through both Utau and DL like a sea of winged stars.

    ~The memories in the mirror
    Of when I was a cry-baby.
    But i'm not a child anymore.
    I untied my long hair.~

    ~A sweet fragrance that tightens my chest
    I'm noticing I'm being seduced
    You placed a spell on my lips that lost their words.~
    She points again at the audience, although for some, it seems she singles them out in particular. Those shadowy wings remain fluttering lightly upon her shoulder blades, but while the audience is focused totally upon her and DL, she is totally focused elsewhere, singling out many members of the audience.

    And somewhere hidden on the stage, a little red clothed fairy cackles inanely as she weaves a magic of her own, drawing out even more X-eggs, carefully hidden by the darkness, by the distracting lights and the loud music. Still, she too, continues to sing as if nothing had happened.

    ~Don't look at me, don't catch me.
    i'm a butterfly who got lost.
    It's too dear, it's too precious.
    It's going to break, the key to my heart.~

    I continue to look for my own back story
    Even if I am blinded by fate
    I pierce through these clouds, and flap my wings to the distant tomorrow.

    ~Don't look at me, don't catch me.
tI'm a butterfly who got lost.
    I sing freely with these wings no one can see.
    They're hiding in your heart.~

    As her song finally draws to a close, she bows deeply, clutching DL's hand so that they can bow together and their performance is met with another sea of applause and screaming from rabid adoring fans before the pair exit the stage, quickly vanishing behind the curtains..

    As the lights come back on, the excited fans slowly rise from their seats, murmuring excitedly about the concert as they begin to leave. If something did happen..If there was some sort of evil magic afoot, no one seems to have noticed anything unusual. Many bear smiles on their faces as they clear out, leaving only the Guardians and a few others who undoubtedly saw and heard a lot more than Utau and DL's music...

    And then there is Eru, flitting by Kukai and Daichi, flailing unhappily, trying to get Kukai's attention. "Ooooh, this is terrible...Terrible! I should have seen this coming! Kukai! Please, you have to help me stop Utau-chan! I'm...I'm so bad to run away but, I couldn't take it anymore....!"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Yoru blinks at Amu's request. "Eeeh?!" He seems confused. But the mention of hearing the music the way Yoru does... that actually makes quite a bit of sense. So he nods. "Okay! I'll do it for Ikuto!" he agrees, nodding once, firmly. "Let's do this-nya!"

On stage, Ikuto stops playing as the song ends, but his violin still glows a bright purple. He takes hold of Utau's hand as she reaches for him, and bows with her. It's then that he finally faces the audience. It may be too far away to see, and there may be too many things going on right now to notice...

But his eyes are as lifeless as the rest of the crowd's.

He takes his bow, and as people begin to leave, he heads into the backstage area. He lingers just behind the now-closed curtains, violin still glowing, keeping the X-Eggs under their control until they can be collected...

Sora Hisakata has posed:
As the crowd leaves, Sora has the opportunity to slip into a side alley after walking alongside them. She's seen and heard enough to know that this is something that deserves a response. and thus once she enters that alley, she quickly takes out her book, flips to page sixty-six and concentrates on the magical forms detailed there.

When she's got all the magic needed pictured, she speaks the incantation in ancient Sumerian, and the shadows surrounding her collapse in on her, infusing her clothes, her skin and her hair. Growing the fibers in both hair and fabric until she's standing on top of strands of hair.

The Shadow Witch makes her way back towards the stage, giggling in a fashion that may very well give people the impression she's behind this all, high pitched, child-like, and somehow off-putting. Her words don't quite match that impression, "My, my. What a show you've put on." She says, loudly, "Mind if I ask why these eggs keep saying impossible, I've never seen anything like it before~"

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Nagihiko gives Kukai a Look. It is very apparent he's judging the other boy so hard right now.

A quick slap to the back of the head, he points at Eru. "You've got company."

Then there's another person, giggling like a child.

Nagihiko slides down to move low, very much wanting to find a higher ground.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai finally hears it, and feels it. There is something dark and wrong here, and annoyingly for once he's the last one to have noticed - a little too focused on the little black butterfly, probably. The slap on the back of the head is maybe a little unnecessary, but it does help Kukai refocus.

He looks at the others, and feels Nagihiko clutching his arm, then nods just in time to hear Tadase, and then Eru. "Wait, Eru, calm down. I can feel it too but how..." He looks around, trying to find the X-eggs, before standing up as the rest of the crowd does, looking to his friends. "Ok, we have to do something about this. We can't just let all of these people lose their dreams!"

And then there's a familiar form on the stage, and Kukai winces, closing his eyes, glad that most of the crowd had already left. "Well if we wanna move now everybody's looking at Shiniko..."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Right," Amu says to Yoru, then reaches out her arms and closes her eyes. The lock very suddenly begins to glow with a brilliant golden light as Amu calls out, "Atashi no Kokoro: Unlock!"

The light grows from brilliant to blinding in an instant, as its purifying luminescence engulfs the pink-haired girl. Her concert outfit melts away, to be replaced by ribbons of red and black. As Yoru and Amu merge into one being, those ribbons begin layering themselves over Amu's body, transforming into a red kilt with a fuzzy sash, and a matching red vest with a fuzzy collar. Amu turns around with a smile, and a pair of catlike black ears pop out of her head and wiggle once. A long tail emerges from her skirt, and another of the red ribbons hastily wraps 'round the tip with a little golden collar.

Ribbons enfold Amu's hands in a pair of kitty-paw gloves, and then they wrap around her vest, transforming into taught leather bindings.

After only a few seconds, the light begins to fade. The last little emphasis to the outfit is a tattoo of an X-eyed cat forming on Amu's shoulder as she calls, "Chara Nyari: Amulet Kitten!"

Amulet Kitten's ears perk up as she starts trying to listen tot he sounds the X-eggs are making. Then she bounds into the sky. "Tadase-kun, Kukai-kun, Reiko-chan, Nagi-chan!" she calls, "There's a lot of them! We need to herd the eggs back to the stadium-nya? We can purify them all at--" but then the Shadow Witch is taking the stage and cutting her off. "Because they've been corrupted-nya!" Amulet Kitten explains to Shiniko. "We need to save them!"

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Reiko Touyama looks at Tadase. "What. X-eggs!?" she calls out looking back out and---oh! There is-- isn't there. Woah. That's.. that's a lot of them.

Also, suddenly, Amu is a cat.

Wait what.

She sort of stares a moment. "Oh! Okay!" she says.

"Chroma Prism Orange, Transform!" she calls out throwing her arm upwards--

Everyone seems entranced so as far as she's concerned, it's safe to transform! Orange light- turns into her Chroma Wand- she uses to tap various parts of her outfit on- and also, adorable koi help-- ending in tying that bow in her hair-- before one turns into a koi shaped clip.

Prism Keeper Orange is here. She pushes up towards the air as she lets her wings hover her as she looks around.

A koi appears, tries to turn on a tiny orange flashlight. It doesn't work. He shakes the flashlight and tries again and it works, shining an orangish color glow across the area as Reiko eeks!

"That /is/ a lot! Um-- okay... how do I..."

"How do you round up these things?"

A koi appears, it is wearing a sheepdog suit. It gives two tiny thumbs up. Reiko rolls her eyes. "I don't think that'll work." the koi dissapears with a hrmphing-pop.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase... well, Tadase was not in the best of moods before everything went down. Now, Ikuto and Utau are apparently working together to steal masses of X-eggs? What is it with his childhood friends and turning evil? Come to think of it, Mamoru was evil for a while too. But he got better.

Kiseki, reading his thoughts, decides the best course of action to snap him out of it is to troll back at his Bearer. "Maybe you're just really unlucky, Tadase. You should probably keep an eye on Kukai and Na-chan." he says, sternly, but with a half smile.

"Stuff it, Kiseki." Tadase says, but he's gone from being despairing to just being angry - and angry is something Kiseki can work with.

"Well, lets ruin whatever dumb plan they have today, then." Kiseki says, and Tadase nods, hands raising up to his chest."

    "My heart: Unlock!"

"Character Transformation: Platinum Royale!"    

And when Platinum Royale appears, he's got his scepter ready. He's the last to arrive, partially because he stops dead in his tracks when Amu's transformation becomes apparent. He doesn't leap into action this time, he just sort've... confusedly walks up behind Amu. Temari was one thing, but YORU?

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Utau and DL have long gone by now, no doubt..And yet the X-eggs are still there, murmuring like a lost horde of black sheep..That is, until a big black van screeches into view, its windows tinted dark enough that one cannot see who is inside.

    Out steps a devilish looking girl, clad in a red leather dress accentuated with bats - including a wicked pair of black bat wings. Amethyst eyes narrow upon the little group of superheroes that have gathered. She was hoping that the operation would go without a hitch, that they could grab the X-eggs before they noticed, before they transformed. And she was not expecting there to be so damned many superheroes to confront.

    Honestly, Lunatic Charm does not wish to be here, does not wish to fight these heroes - especially not Kukai - but it can't be helped. If she is to ensure Ikuto's safety...

    With a sigh, she steps up to the stage to face the heroes, this time not as the superstar idol Utau Hoshino, but as the Super Villainess, Lunatic Charm. Yukari has given her her orders, even openned the trunk of the van so she can start loading it with X-eggs. Alright, she should be getting some back up soon. Hopefully. For now, she focuses upon the X-eggs, determined to herd as many into the van as she can, and with any luck, she'll clip some of the super heroes while she's at it!

    "Nightmare...Lorelei!!!" She calls out, summoning a swarm of bats to attempt to herd the confused X-eggs towards the black van. Some of the bats veer off towards the Guardians and their newfound allies, focused upon distracting them, scattering, whatever it takes to get them out of the way so that Utau can capture as many X-eggs as possible.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai sees his friends performing their character transformations and is right behind them, cursing himself for getting caught up in the show when he KNEW there was going to be some sort of awfulness there. He raises one hand up to his chest and nods. "OK Daichi! I didn't want this to happen but we've got no choice!"

"My Heart: Unlock! Character Transform: Sky Jack!"

There is a shimmering light that engulfs him, and when it fades Sky Jack has appeared, already mounted on his hovering skateboard, moving up to join his friends. He looks over at Royale and swoops over for a second, poking his shoulder. "Hey, pay attention! We've got a fight!"

And then on stage, there's ... No, not Utau. The Lunatic. Jack growls in the back of his throat, an angry sound, and moves up forward to yell at her. "HEY, LUNATIC! I told you the next time I was gonna be serious, and~" He doesn't get a chance to finish before Nightmare Lorelei is unleashed, and he falls back, soccer balls appearing in front of him and being charged with hope and joy and electricity as he punts them into the oncoming wave!

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto had been heading for the van as well. Outside the view of those in the stands, one of the suited backstage stops Ikuto from getting in. "Director-san wants you to support your sister." A pause. "Commence Operation Death Rebel."

The response is instantaneous. His still-glowing violin is lifted, and a drop of pure darkness falls from it. It doesn't hit the ground thouhg; it stops, and floats up to his chest, the area around it glowing fiercely, a purple aura that seems to contain static.

"....Ore no kokoro... unlock...'

The egg sinks into his chest, and a vortex of bright purple energy appears round him. Feathers seem to swirl around in this vortex, and then burst outwards to reveal a very different person. A long black coat with feathers at the collar, a black suit underneath, purple tie, and a chain wrapped around his torso.

There's a spark of dark energy at his temples, and a birdlike visor/mask appears over his face. And then the violin seems to change, to elongate, until it's a gleaming, wickedly-curved scythe.

CHARA NARI: DEATH REBEL

This might not be visible, but those who have the capability to sense dark energy... can suddenly sense a massive uptick in the amount that's there...

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto and Hikari take advantage of the crowd's movement to make their way to the stadium's restooms, where a quick flash of magic heralds the young magess' Barrier Jacket activating. With the classy white outfit replaced with Hagane's familiar blue suit, she returns to the stands with sword in hand...

...and now, with the crowd cleared, the song-magic done, she can pick up the huge crowd of X-Eggs. That's worth a scowl all by itself, but the arrival of Lunatic Charm on the stage makes it a full-on glare.

((~Right, Hikari-chan, start herding as many eggs as you can back to the stadium. I'll wager Amu and her lot aren't far off. If you see them, help hem out.~))

((~I'm on it, Mistress~! Not a one of 'em gonna get by me~!))

Mage and Familiar both focus for a long moment... and that's when the Barrier goes up, surrounding the stadium, shifting everything (and everyone) magical inside it slightly out of phase - including the eggs.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Prism Keeper Orange looks out as the X-eggs begin to get gathered by the forces of evil--- via bats. Okay now she gets it. Darn, maybe that sheepdog koi was totall right about it- while she thinks this- it appears and sticks it's tounge out- before dissapearing again.

She frowns as she throws out koi to intercept bats----

Then she's sending out koi to try to herd X-eggs away from the others--- come on koi, push those eggs- swim with all your might!---or try to.

She uses most of her power to try to herd eggs and most of her wherewitall to try to dodge bats.

She sort of winces a bit-- nrg another dark energy flare. Things are getting serious here aren't they?

Tadase Hotori has posed:
There's a storm of bats in the air, and Platinum Royale is swatting at a few of them with his scepter. If they were all focused on him, that'd be one thing, but they're mostly trying to herd the x-eggs towards the van - barrier or not, he notes - and that can't be allowed to happen.

But with so many people here, Tadase decides to try to do something different. Whatever's going on, it's not good, and he's sure Easter has something to do it - especially once he feels that flare of dark power. Or, rather, Kiseki feels it, and Platinum Royale feels it through him.

Rather than cover Amu (which might be a surprising development for a lot of people involved) he makes his way through the swarm as best he can, and levels his scepter at Lunatic Charm. "I don't know what Easter's got in mind, but these eggs are going back to the people they belong to, so that they can fufil their dreams!" he says. And there's a glowing light at the edge of his scepter, golden and powerful.

At the last moment, though, he sweeps it sideways and aims it at the front of the van!

"REGAL BLAST!" Platinum Royale calls as a beam of energy, smaller than his Crown attack, lasers out from his scepter and aims for the front of the van. Hard to make a getaway without a getaway vehicle.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Eru whimpers, tugging at Sky Jack's sleeve. She doesnt really know or trust any of the others here, but she kinda bonded with Sky Jack and Daichi back when she helped them in D-point, on Utau's orders. Now..Now that she's done this, will Utau be upset with her?

    still, gotta do what's right..Right? "Kukai-san..Please don't harm Utau-chan! She really is a good person, she's just being manipulated!" she sniffles, staying close to the athletic boy for now, whether he likes it or not. Who knows what whill happen to her when this is all over though?

    As for Lunatic Charm, she is focused primarily on herding the eggs, hoping to grab as many of them before the heroes get in the way. With a spread of her massive dark wings, she takes to the skies chasing after the X-eggs, summoning her nightmare trident to swing in the air in front of them, keeping them in line like a shepherd herding sheep.

    Her mystical bats continue to swarm around the sides, directing the X-eggs towards the van..Before they are interrupted by Sky Jack's mystical soccer balls. Many of the X-eggs are knocked off-course, veering away from the steady stream leading towards the van, but some of them are captured, trapped in the van's trunk below.

    She spies Jack and there's a flicker of sadness in her eyes. Utau had truly hoped they could be friends, even though she knew it could never happen. Even so.."And I told you not to interfere. There's still time for you to leave before you get hurt, but I know that's not what you would do.." Eyes narrow upon Eru, "And it seems you've managed to turn one of my own against me..How typical of you.." She should probably swat him away, like any other Guardian, but instead she just rushes after the X-eggs, continuing to herd them down to the van. Orange then begins cutting off some of HER X-eggs, herding them away with koi and she frowns. "I dont think so..." She summons another wave of bats, this time attempting to destroy the Koi that lead her X-eggs astray.

    Utau is only faintly aware of Death Rebel having appeared below, but she does hear Yukari screaming into her headphone as Platinum aims an energy bolt at the van. "Yukari.." eyes widen and she's momentarily distracted, until she sees Death Rebel heading towards the van as well.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Speed, speed speed! It seems Speed is one of the things Amulet Kitten is best at. Moving at an almost breakneck speed, the catgirl bounces in among the X-Eggs, collecting one after another as she herds them in direct opposition to Lunatic Charm.

Amulet Kitten stops after a few moments, standing on a ledge by herself. She takes a deep breath, then glances around at all the eggs. "We're not going to be fast enough-nya," she notes with a sad expression, little kitty ears dropping down to either side.

"I think we need to take her on directly," she notes, glancing towards Lunatic Charm.

And then without warning, she dashes towards the figure of Lunatic charm, getting right in her face as she slashes with her paw, "Slash Paw!" she calls as she tries to slash at Lunatic Charm, drawing two lines of red energy through the air.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Indeed, there is a black blur heading towards that van. From his higher vantage point, Nagihiko might see it first. It'll seem like it's only a split second before that blur stops, between the van and Tadase's blast. And there he is. Death Rebel. He says nothing, but takes the blast full in the chest, his body jolting back slightly as it impacts. He makes no sound.

He does however raise his hand. The eggs start to glow, their squeaking growing louder, and starting to glow. The blade of Death Rebel's scythe also begins to glow. And then he finally speaks.

"Dark Night Storm."

He swings his scythe downward, and several crescents of dark purple energy fly from the blade. He's aiming at Tadase, but he's not really being too terribly careful about where those energy crescents go. Particularly not when they start whirling around like a tornado of dark energy...

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
Nagihiko's found his higher ground, hiding near a canvas poster.

He's watching everything he can, but it's all chaos.

Whoever that is now is aiming for Nagihiko's oldest friend and--

Well, Temari comes by her reckless naturally.

He swings down, using the poster as a makeshift rope, and is aiming for the new player on the field.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Jack feels the tugging on his sleeve and looks over, seeing the worried angel. He reaches over, pulling her in and grasping her protectively, pointing the tip of his board up and leaping into a rapid horizontal spin to deflect an oncoming rush of bats and landing.

He grins down at Eru. "Don't worry, I won't hurt her, but I'm not going easy on her like I did before!" He pops open his jacket pocket and deposits Eru into it, patting her head gently, trying to dispel her fears, before returning to the fight.

Another quick glance around - Nagihiko has found a nearby railing and is climbing for the catwalks above - and Jack is back online. He hears Utau talking, telling him not to interfere, and grits his teeth. It's only a moment later before Amu is down and in front of her, slashing at Utau!

Jack races down to get in between Utau's escape. He points a hand at her as Royale's blast goes past. "LUNATIC! Last time we fought you told me not to go easy on you! I finally figured out what you meant. If I can beat you, Easter won't have any more use for you! At that point we can start fighting the real enemy, your controllers at Easter! So here I come, me and all of my friends! ... I'm so sorry!"

Suddenly there are a half a dozen soccer balls all around him, and with several rapid movements all of them are launched at Lunatic Charm, just as the sound of wind picks up behind him to tornado speeds...

Sora Hisakata has posed:
As the fighting starts, the Shadow Witch creeped into the shadows to watch a moment before acting. Shiniko notices that Utau is trying to herd the eggs into a van; presumably untending to take them away inside that. She could help, part of her is tempted to assist the girl and get some points that way, but she can get the sense that what is going on is bad, and that means she has to act.

She flips through her book as she approaches the van, "Shadow's Grasp" She calls out the spell she's enacting, calling it an attack would be a stretch.

Several hands made out of solid shadow form on the ground near the van, long, fiendish looking claws at the end. They attempt to wrap their way around the wheels of that vehicle, forming, in essence, four magical wheellocks.

"You think you can take this away without explanation this easily?" She giggles again, this time looking right at Utau, "If you want them, tell me why I should you~"

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Prism Keeper Orange calls out! "I DON'T THINK SO EITHER SO I GUESS WE CAN'T BOTH BE RIGHT!" she calls out.

Koi gets taken out by bats. This inhibits her ability to collect X-eggs.

Amulet Kitten goes to fight Lunatic Charm directly and she winces. She'll use the distraction though, to make more koi to try to gather up more eggs. "Come on eggies, come to auntie orange!

Death Rebel is down there, she calls out. "Royale! Watch out, that guy is serious and really strong..." she warns. She hopes she can be heard.

She's once again, trying to gather eggs, trying to avoid being hit- but now there's some sort of dark torando making this harder.

She flutters up a little higher.

"Commme on, hurry hurry hurry!" she urges her koi on.

But those damn bats!

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Hagane and Hikari follow the stream of eggs out of the stadium, capturing those they can along the way. This is going to be unpleasant. Any magic capable of ripping out that many of them... ((~We can't let them do this, Hikari-chan. If you see Ikuto-kun, grab that kamis-damned fiddle away from him and break it!~))

As the pair head out towards the parking lot, following the eggs, Hagane starts summoning her trademark swarm of Flickers, the near-transparent shards of energy swirling in and out of the stream of eggs.

Finally, they reach the parking lot, just in time to see the scythe-wielder hurling a massive blast at Tadase.

"Down in front!!!"

There's a flicker of blue, and then Hagane lands directly between the little prince and his would-be executioner, sword held high to back the wide-spread spell-glyph that marks the shield she's erected to block the maelstrom of dark energy. "Not this time!"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Platinum Royale is just about to put Holy Crown up in the face of that fierce storm, when Hagane intercepts it with her shield. "Thanks." he manages to comment out, before he looks around. Amulet Kitten is bouncing around, collecting eggs as fast as she can, Sky Jack is putting pressure on this Lunatic Charm person - Orange is helping Kitten, and... there's creepy shadow hands on the van. Okay, that's odd. But it'll do for now.

Platinuim Royale catches the sight of movement from Nagi, and he figures if he sees it, maybe the creepy plague doctor death did too. So he's going to give him something else to look at, as his scepter glows with golden energy. There's no attack call out here, though - just Tadase making a massive leap and swinging the scepter at the guy with the scythe with extreme prejudice. "I prefer to talk things out, but if you're going to be a jerk about it, we can do things the other way! Either way, you're not taking these dreams!"

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Eru whimpers as total chaos erups around her, ducking into Jack's pocket without another word. Lunatic continues to focus on herding the X-eggs into the van, and manages to trap many of them into the van with Yukari's help below. Fortunately, Death Rebel manages to intercept Tadase's attack so that the van doesnt get blasted into, but it seems they have another problem to deal with as Shiniko locks up its wheels!

    "Damn it! Cant move! We need to use some X-eggs!" Utau nods, sending a bullet of X-eggs towards Shinko, hoping to blast her out of the way, and release her hold on the van. Glancing back towards the others, there's not much she can do about the Kois who herd some of the X-eggs away..Might as well flee with what they can.

    When the Amulet Kitten attacks her with a beam of red claws, Utau swiftly brings up her spear, blocking the attack as best as she can, although she still gets slashed across the shoulder, flinching a little. Fortunately it's not a serious wound and she's still quick enough to turn around and face Jack, bringing up an arm as she summons more bats to knock out as many of his soccer balls as she can.

    Seems they're overwhelmed and outnumbered, and Utau yells over her communicator towards Death Rebel and Yukari, "Retreat!" she stumbles a bit as some of Jack's soccer balls smack her, bruising her considerably, but she doesn't even try to fight back. "It's too late to go back, Jack...Besides, I have too much at stake!" For a moment, she looks sad. "I'm sorry, I have things I still need to fight for just as you do! Good bye..."

     And she flees towards the van, snapping shut the trunk before hovering over it, preparing another swarm of bats to try to blast a hole through the barrier before them. She still has some bats left behind, but they no longer focus on herding the remaining X-eggs, instead, swarming the Guardians, attempting to distract them as the Easter agents attempt to make a fast getaway..

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amulet Kitten lets out a sharp, "Nyan!" as she's knocked back by the very bats aimed for Sky Jack's sockerballs. She covers her face with her hands to protect herself, then peers out from behind them in confusion as soona s the bats rush away.

"That was scary-nya," she notes unhappily, then glances up towards Reiko. "Orange-chan, good job!" she calls, then leaps quickly atop a car, then onto the roof of the entrance to the stadium so she can get a better angle.

From there, she spots Platinum Royale and Hagane fighting Death Rebel confusedly.

"Who's that?" she asks no one at all. "And why do I have a really bad feeling about him-nya?"

But there are X-eggs to deal with. Amulet Kitten tears her eyes away from the fight and forms her paws in a heart over her chest. "Here I go," she calls out, and then declares, "Negative Heart: Lock On!"

Between her paws, a brilliant pink-golden light begins to form, glowing from the lock dangling from her collar. Amulet Kitten lines up the shot at a massive collection of the eggs, then shoots her arms forward like she could throw all that energy. And throw it she does with an exultant cry of, "OPEN HEART!" The energy explodes outward from between her paws, shining like a brilliant beacon as it spreads outwards to the eggs. She can't quite reach all of them, but she gets a massive chunk in one blast. Reiko can almost assuredly get the rest.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Death Rebel might not have noticed Nagihiko if the other boy had swung downwards a split second earlier. Of course, if Nagihiko had, he'd have been caught up in that tornado. As it is, though, when the other boy swings down, looking for all the world like a smaller Indiana Jones (but sans hat), Death Rebel DOES see him. And this is a bad thing for Nagihiko. Why? Because he swings that scythe at Nagihiko, that's why.

The swing is fast, and impacts with Nagihiko's side, flinging the boy away and to the side. It only struck the other boy on the flat side, though-- no edge was used. Of course, from other angles it might not look quite so non-lethal...

He takes stock of the situation. There are a number of people all attempting to grab the eggs. And there's that barrier to deal with too. A cold, logical mind starts to make plans. Reduce the number of obstacles. Except right about then he gets a scepter in the shoulder! He's tossed away and tumbles. But no, he's not going to be taken out that easily.

He rises to his feet again, looking more like he's being pulled by something than just standing up. Tadase's words draw the visored face to turn towards him. And in response a dull-sounding voice as cold as ice emanates from that visor. It's garbled somehow, sounding deeper than should be appropriate for someone of his build. Almost demonic.

"...Stand aside, or be eliminated."

Eliminate obstacles. Death Rebel faces Mikoto and Tadase directly, as they're the closest to him. The blue-haired, visored scythe-wielder looks towards where the two are, preparing to lunge... and then stops. Instead he leaps back, to where that van is, landing atop the roof. He swings the scythe towards the same place Utau is aiming, only instead of just a simple blast, he emits another one of those tornadoes of dark energy. And he sustains it this time, pushing against that barrier as much as he can.

EASTER TOWER
DIRECTOR'S OFFICE

"His energy output isn't high enough to break that barrier."

The Director, sitting at his desk and watching the events via camera over folded hands, says immediately, "Increase it."

The technician blinks. "Are you sure, sir? If we raise the output too high..."

"I said raise the output."

The technician looks worried but nods. "Yes sir."

EASTER STADIUM

A strange sound emits from Death Rebel, muffled behind his visor... and the dark energy tornado grows in size and strength. A growl begins in his throat, garbled into a bestial, primal sound by whatever strange magics are at work in that visor. And he continues to push against the Barrier with Dark Night Storm.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki has posed:
When his side is struck, a sound is forced from his throat that is unpleasant to hear.

Nagihiko has the grace born of a dancer.

Right now, it's all focused on making sure he doesn't damage his eggs.

He lands, bounces, and skids, and there's really only one thing for certain right now.

He's not going to be dancing for a few days.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Prism Keeper Orange ughs and closes her eyes... she couldn't get them all. But she got enough-- she figures, for her efforts. Maybe she needs to try harder. She let's Amulet Heart do her open heart--and then halfway through Amulet Kitten's own attack she raises her Chroma Wand and circles it around.

"Chroma Pallette Cleanser...!" she calls out--- before a brilliant beam of white light descends down following Open Heart-- the beam is vibrant, pretty and non-damaging as it encompasses the eggs that Open Heart couldn't get alone!

"That guy is something else... he almost killed Yellow..." she says softly , even though Amu was probably asking rhetorically...

Oh then the dude powers up to smash through the barrier...

"WOAH...." she calls out.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Hikari busies herself herding eggs into the path of Amulet Kitten's Open Heart. A few shields and some mana-chains help this quite a bit. The silver-haired catgirl flashes her pink counterpart a grin. "Looking good-nya!"

Hagane, meanwhile, gasps for breath following her impromptu save, the dark blast having pressed her badly. And then she has to watch while the scythe-wielding jerk tries to blast through her Barrier. "You! Stop that! Right now!"

And a stream of Flicker Shots hurtles down to strike the remaining bats...

Sora Hisakata has posed:
Shiniko has to focus all of her magic on blocking those shots, too slow to get out of the way, not strong enough to simply shrug them off, she has to put hair in front of herself, laced with magically-enhanced shadow. That gives the people behind the wheel of that van the opportunity to kick up the gas and break the hold those hands.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Sky Jack feels the tornado blast zip past him and looks up to see it impact on Hagane's shield. Unfortunately that's all the time Lunatic needs to get to the van and screech towards the barrier.

He catches Utau's last words and grits his teeth, fist balling up as he watches her zip off. He starts to rise up and go after her and the Rebel alone, but he knows he won't win that fight. He might not even come back from it in one piece.

And then he sees Nagihiko, knocked off to one side, rolling across the ground, and yells in anger, spawning more soccer balls and launching them at the retreating van and the Rebel atop it. Some of them bounce off the back doors and skitter across the sides, but most of them, soon, all of them, fall short. "Damn you! Come back here!" He looks at the escaping van, but then rapidly tilts his board and zips over to his fallen friend. "Nagi! Come on, be ok..." He skids to a stop and kneels, reaching over to help Nagihiko get back up...

Tadase Hotori has posed:
"Look, spooky-whoever-you-are scytheboy. If you wanted me out of your way you shouldn't be playing around with Easter, and helping them use the dreams of children for whatever twisted scheme they're planning. As long as you threaten the innocent I will be in your way." he says, jumping between Death Rebel and the shimmering wall of the barrier, scepter outstretched.

But Death Rebel (or, more accurately, his handlers) have other ideas. Platinum Royale can feel that surge of power, can feel the threat in the tornado.

"Holy Crown!" Platinum Royale shouts, the shielding burst of energy between him and the tornado, keeping it from reaching and shattering the barrier...

For a few seconds, before he can't hold back against the power, and he has to turn himself and his ward aside and let the tornado crash into the barrier and dissapate it, lest it crash through Holy Crown and dissapate Tadase.

He curses under his breath, and readies to charge Death Rebel again, but he needs a moment to regain his strength after his broken ward - meaning there's an opening for the villians to attack or escape while he finds it.

Utau Hoshina has posed:
    Eru's eyes widen as Utau bids farewell, and her eyes well up in tears. "Utau-chan..." She murmurs, before hiding back in Jack's pocket as she nearly gets clipped by a bat! But she realizes Jack is wrong and Utau has other reasons for continuing to fight..She must talk to the Guardians! Surely there is a way she can help, so that Utau-chan doesn't have to fight anymore!

    As for Lunatic, she continues to hover around the van, preparing another assault on whoever might dare to follow after them. She hears a howl of pain from Death Rebel, and raises a brow. He sounds like he's in pain..What are they doing to him? This is wrong, but...

    No, she must fight on, for Ikuto's sake, or they will continue to hurt him..She lands next to him, summoning another swarm of energy bats, using all her strength to assist in keeping the barrier open so he doesn't have to pour so much energy into it. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Between the two of them, the blast is hopefully powerful enough to eventually shatter the forcefield completely.

    With that out of the way, Yukari steps on it, and Utau flies in through the back, securing the X-eggs once she's safely inside. Hopefully Death Rebel will follow shortly after them before the enemy retaliates.

    "Yukari-san..They managed to purify the majority of the X-eggs..We did manage to capture a decent number, however." She sounds exhausted, and she's pretty battered..But at least she knows that with her efforts, Ikuto will be safe a little longer. Or so she hopes.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
As the barrier shatters, Death Rebel suddenly swings around, still blazing with dark energy. Still holding onto that tornado of dark power, he turns to the group at large. And with a loud sound that's half an angry snarl and half a cry of pain....

He releases the tornado at them. It's unfocused and just sort of blasts at the whole area at random. If it misses, it's still liable to create at least an inconvenience!

As much dark energy as Death Rebel is channeling isn't good for anybody. He's just radiating it like a heater turned on high. He follows suit, crawling into the window of the van-- somehow managing to get that massive scythe in, too. And then he collapses in a corner. He's still conscious, though. But Utau might hear his ragged breathing through the visor. There's another problem, too.

...Ikuto is not in the van.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amulet Kitten smiles as the eggs are purified, but then that massive blast of wind catches her by surprise. She shrieks and falls from the building, and then the exhaustion of trying to draw so much energy through someone else's chara hits her.

Half way to the ground, Amu and Yoru separate, and a very ordinary looking girl is now falling in Amulet Kitten's place.

And she's not awake enough to even henshin with Ran and save herself.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
And as Yoru separates from Amu, he too falls out of the air. He's much lighter than Amu, so he's not going to just PLOP onto the ground. Instead he's sort of just floating gently like a leaf. But he is still very small, his eyes are in the shape of Xs, and he's falling towards the ground.

Reiko Touyama has posed:
Prism Keeper Orange smiles. "We did it, Amulet..." then she turns to look at Amulet...

"Amulet!" she calls.

She races to catch her and instead---

ooff!

"Yoru!?" she calls out. Oh dear, the two seperated it seems!

"Oh no....Royale!!!" she calls out.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Platinum Royale is picking himself up off the ground, slowly, from the impact of Dark Night Storm on his ward. Okay, now everything hurts, and that sucks. A lot. But as he's trying to pull himself together, Kiseki alerts him to the fact that not only is Amu falling off a building, but she's doing so without even being in henshin.

In a moment, the injuries and pain are forgotten, and Platinum Royale is moving with all of the speed he can muster.

It's almost getting familiar now, the way Amu's body sits cradled in his arms, he thinks, as he gets his hands underneath her in time to prevent her from impacting pavement instead.

He looks down at her as she rests in his arms, and he looks back at the battlefield. It's not a safe place to leave her - even with the two gone, there's maybe stray x-eggs, the battle itself might draw attention...

He makes a decision somewhat quickly. He rests her on the ground for only long enough to text Kukai.

To Souma-Kun: I've got Amu, you make sure Na-chan gets out okay."

First priority - getting Amu home.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Sky Jack 's pocket - not the one with Eru in it, the other one - buzzes and vibrates. He reaches into it as he supports the half-conscious, fully out-of-it Nagihiko, and reads the message. Wrapping his arms around Nagihiko and resting him on his knee to support him (something that in other circumstances might have made Jack pull up short, but right this instant he's too furious to think about it) he texts Tadase back.

To Tadase-san: I've got Nagi. Yell at Orange on the way out.

He pockets the phone, then considers Nagihiko. With a lift and a solid seating of his shoulder against the purple-haired boy's midsection, Jack stands, supporting him in a fireman's carry. He's up and away a few moments later, heading for Nagihiko's estate, trying not to squeeze him too tightly and hurt him more through one of the few serious furies he's ever had, looking as they leave the area at the vanishing red lights on the back of an escaping van.

Sora Hisakata has posed:
As the barrier breaks, and things seem to be at an end, Shiniko approaches the heroes of the day. She knows some of the faces involved, but most of them are totally alien to her, and she doesn't speak. In fact, she uses shadows to make her stand out just a little less as she watches and listens. In particular, she's looking at Nagihiko, to check whether she thinks he needs urgent aid.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu makes a soft noise of confusion as Tadase catches her. She leans against him and mumbles, "Tadata?" very quietly, then lets out a yawn. "So tired," she admits quietly. "Did we save the fairies from the marshmallows?" Not exactly coherent.