Another ice spike shot up from the ground denting Jiro''s armor. Yuuki''s body became coated in ice armor. The Ice Bakemono charged Jiro with an ice spear I his hand. "You killed everyone im my village!"


    "As if I care." Jiro quickly leaped back then fired out a blast from his cannon arm. He then ran up to Yuuki ready to slam his fist into the boy''s face. When his attack made contact it hit someone else''s forehead it was larger than Yuuki''s.


    "So then. You''re Jiro?" Sato questioned while Yuuki collapsed behind him.


    Jiro nodded, "Indeed. It''s nice to finally meet you in person, Sato."


    Sato looked over at Sakura. "Sakura."


    ?


    A thirteen year old girl front flips of the golem''s back, where she was standing on top of and lands in front of Satoshi. Sato noticed how short she was while she was dusting some dirt off of her pink sundress. Sato stares in awe at her cherry blossom pink eyes. And her pink hair flowing in the wind. She then stands with her arms crossed and tapping her blue tennis shoes with pink laces. Staring sternly at Sato, clearly insulted.


    "I''m not sure how it knows your name. But us crazy looking things prefer to be called Bakemono. Nice to meet you. I''m Sakura."


    ?


    "Yeah, no kidding." But how come you don''t look all crazy-like. I mean you look like an ordinary thirteen year old girl.


    "I know. Ever since I was a little girl I was abandoned because my parents called me ugly and thought I was a pathetic excuse for a Bakemono, since I had none of their features. No horns, like my father, or demon wings like mother. I''m a disgrace!" Sakura starts to bawl.


    "I fail to see just how that''s ugly. Hey, hey. Come on, don''t cry. You''re not ugly at all.


    "You…you really think so?" Sakura starts to wipe away her tears.


    "Yeah of course I do. Sure, I bet if you went to my school, you fit right in."


    Sakura starts crying again


    "What''s wrong? Now why are you crying? Sato asks confused.


    "You said that I would fit in at your school. But I''m not a human. So you think I look like a human to? I should be ashamed to have this Bakemono blood coursing through veins!?


    "Geez, this chick sure is one heck of drama queen." Sato says to himself. "Hey Sakura! Stop crying would ya? Geez, sure you look like a human and all. But you shouldn''t be ashamed of who you are. And if you were born a Bakemono. Well, I don''t see any reason you can''t be a proud Bakemono!"


    "Sato…thank you.


    ?


    Sato and Sakura are moving cautiously in a grassy plain. "Sakura there it is!" Sato points to the left and Sakura runs over to Elephant Bakemono with a lizard tongue and a razor sharp nose. She jumps onto it and grabs ahold of its neck, holding it in place.


    "Sato now!" Sakura shouts while struggling to keep the Elephant Bakemono still.


    "I''m on it!" Sato takes out his rope and ties one side to a tree and the other to the Elephant Bakemono.


    Sato and Sakura walk back to where they had set up camp earlier, where Ai was waiting for them.


    Sato tosses up the raw elephant meat into the sky and catches it in the palm of his hand. "Food''s here."


    "Idiot! Stop messing around, that''s our dinner you know!" Sakura scolds Sato.


    Sato sighs, "Geez, relax, I was just having some fun."


    ?


    Sakura starts walking, "Come on Ai. Let''s go.


    "But I wanna go in the hot springs with big brother." Ai whines.


    Sato becomes flustered, "What are you talking about?! You can''t bathe with me!"


    "Why, why not?" Ai starts to cry.


    "Shame on you Sato. You just made poor little Ai cry. Do just hate kids or something?" Sakura jokes.


    "Hey! You know that''s not true!" Sato retorts.


    "Whatever. Come on Ai, leave the big meanie alone." Sakura walks off with Ai.


    ?


    "Why do you hate this town so much, Sakura?" Sato wonders.


    "Remember when we first met, Sato?" Sakura responds.


    Sato nods, "How could I forget."


    "So then you should remember how I told you that my parents abandoned me when I was a little.'' An expression of sadness shadows over Sakura''s face. "So I ran away. And Greydale Town, this town. Is where I ran away from."


    "Sakura!" Her Dad runs up to hug her. "I missed you my baby."


    "Shun, what''s going on?" Sakura''s Mom comes out of the house. "Sakura!" She runs up to hug Sakura as well.


    "Isn''t it amazing Yuki?" Shun starts. "Our lovely daughter has returned to us!"


    "Hey Sakura." Are you sure everything you told me about your parents was true?" Sato questions rubbing his head. "Because they seem to love you."


    Arashi nods his head in agreement, "Yeah."


    "Now that you''re back. Go get my beer for me you ugly asshole!" Shun commands.


    Sakura scowls, "Yep, there it is."


    Yuki looks over at Sato. "I see you''ve found someone in your league surprisingly. "He actually almost looks more human than you."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Yeah! Way to use your head, Sakura!" Sato cheers.


    Hikaru walks up, "What on earth happened here? Didn''t I tell you kids to behave!" Hikaru scolds them all.


    "But, Mr. Hikaru." Ai starts. "Sakura''s meanie parents were trying to take her away from us." The Magic Bakemono explains.


    "Sakura''s parents?'' Hikaru raises his eyebrow curiously.


    "Yeah. Over there." Arashi pointed towards where the battle had taken place.


    Hikaru ran over to Sakura. "Sakura! Why would you do this to your parents?"


    Sakura makes a rude spiting noise. "Please, they''ve done way worse things to me."


    Hikaru nods, "I see. Well you do look quite human."


    Sakura glares "Don''t bring it up."


    "But Sakura." Sato interrupts, "I just want you to know, you might''ve been alone in the past. But now If you ever need anyone to talk or cry to. You''ll always have me, Ai, Hikaru. And even pyro over there."


    Sakura hugs Sato as she cries tears of happiness, "Sato, thank you."


    ?


    "Kill Yamagata Satoshi!" The Scorpion shoots a bolt of lightning at Sakura from its mouth. Sakura quickly leaps out of the way. She lifts up a tree out of the ground, roots and all.


    "You''re going down!" Sakura swings the tree at the scorpion Bakemono flipping it over. "Take this!" The Pink haired girl slams the tree onto the Scorpion Bakemono''s belly.


    The Scorpion releases a discharge of lightning and disappears. Sakura gasps, "It''s gone! Where''d it go?" The Scorpion Bakemono sneaks up behind Sakura ready to stab its electrically charged tail at her when an airborne lance cuts it off. Sato jumps in front of the Scorpion Bakemono. His silver sword ready."


    Sakura turns around, "Sato!"


    Sato smirks, "Well, it looks I saved your life this time, Sakura." Sato leaps into the air thrusting his sword at the Scorpion''s Bakemono''s head. He lands on his feet and quickly dashes for another attack. He hops from left to right dodging its tail while climbing up the Scorpion Bakemono.


    "Kill Yamagata Satoshi!" It screeched.


    Sato sighs, "Not this one too." He stabbed the Scorpions back with his blade, its blood spurting out." Phew! Finished." Sato jumps down from its back. "Sakura, need some help?" Sato lends Sakura hi hand to help her up.


    Sakura takes Sato''s hand, "Thanks, Sato. You really saved me there. You''ve gotten a lot stronger."


    ?


    Sakura was on the couch with Sato''s mom. Both of them were flipping through a picture book. "And here''s Sato at his fifth birthday party opening his fire truck." Sato''s Mom shows Sakura.


    Sakura chuckled, "Cute."


    Sato runs over to them and slams the book shut. "Mom! What are you doing?! Don''t show her those!"


    "Why not? She''s your fiend isn''t she?" His Mom says as he sets the picture book down.


    "It doesn''t matter! She still doesn''t need to see my baby pictures!" Sato retorts.


    Sakura laughs, "Fine then. Let''s dance instead."


    "You mean, you and me?" Sato questions.


    "Well duh! Who else?"


    Sato beams, "Okay. Sakura would you like to dance?"


    Sakura spins around, "Of course I would."


    Sato wraps his arms around Sakura''s waist as she grabs onto his shoulders. The two begin dancing moving from left to right. "Sato, I''m impressed. You''ve gotten a lot stronger and courageous since when I first met you." Sakura says as they continue to dance. ''I don''t think the Sato I used to know would even come close to beating Niji."


    Sato smiled, "Well I owe it all to you. And everyone else. Originally I planned to get out of the Forbidden Book all on my own. But now I realize it would''ve never been possible without all of the help I had."


    ?


    Sato takes the yoyo as Sakura walks up to him.. "Don''t forget me okay?" She gave him a pink pocket mirror."


    Sato grinned, "Come on now. How could I ever forget you, Ms. Skittles?"


    Sakura blinked back her tears and smiled. "You''re a jerk, Sato."


    He laughed "Right back at you, Sakura. All of you, thank you for everything." The purple haired hero said trying not to cry.


    ?


    "Jiro! Give me my friend back!" Sato demanded as he ran towards the armored man. He fired fist forwards as it slammed against Jiro''s palm.


    Jiro sighed, "Sato. You can''t beat me at this level." Jiro elbowed Sato knocking him back causing the teen to slam into a tree.


    "Fine then." Sato flinched as he got up. He took out one of his keys and turned it. "I open my contract with the Spirit of Strength!" Sato dashed across the icy field. He extended his leg firing a powerful kick to Jiro. But Jiro was able to block with his forearm.


    Jiro shot out a blast from his cannon arm at Sato, causing the teen to fall onto the ground blood exploding out of his body. Ai took out all three of her key and turned them. "I open my contracts with the Spirit of Water, the Spirit of Earth and the Spirit of Speed!"


    Ai dashed across the ice floor covering her body in combination of Water and Earth armor. "Jiro, you''re going down!"


    "You''re the girl I forgot to take with me last time I was here. Oh well." Jiro blocked Ai''s attack with his forearm.


    Sato rushed in to help Ai throwing his fist forward but Jiro countered with his free hand. Ai brought out slammed her leg onto Jiro''s shoulder but he just grabbed her leg and spun her around, throwing her to the ground. "You''re both out of your league here."


    Sato grunted, "I''ll show you bastard!" The purple haired teen rushed in firing off punch after punch and kick after kick. But Jiro managed to flawlessly dodger the attacks.


    "Truth hurts. Doesn''t it?" Jiro delivered a crushing blow to Sato''s solar plexus, causing blood to erupt from his mouth. He followed up with another shot from his cannon. Sato''s s black jacket and orange shirt suffered from holes as a result.


    "Jiro." Sato growled. "I''m not stopping until I get Sakura back!"


    Jiro laughed, Fine by me. You won''t last much longer anyway. So let''s make this interesting shall we. Sakura, kill Ai for me." Jiro tossed the Strength Bakemono a dagger


    Sato gasped as Sakura immediately followed her directions and stuck the dagger through Ai''s back. Jiro then shot Sakura in the back with his cannon arm. His eyes widen as the two both fall to the ground blood seeping out from their bodies. "No!"


    Jiro grinned, "Now come on where''s your true power, Sato?"


    Black energy begins to envelop around Sato as his purple eyes change to jet-black black ones. "JIRO! I''ll KILL YOU!" His voice came out harsh and demonic. Sato fired across the ice field sending his fist forward. All of the treesa and hhousesl fell to pieces from the intensity.


    Jiro catches it with his palm again but Sato doesn''t let up and Jiro slowly begins to lose his ground. "Damn. This is far more powerful than I expected."


    Sato''s strike finally manages to break through Jiro''s defense as the armored man''s palm begins to bleed. Sato shoots him across the village causing the man to crash into one of the destroyed houses. "YOU KILLED THE ONLY FRIENDS I HAD LEFT. AND NOW YOU''RE GOING TO PAY!"


    Jiro smirked as he got up. "There. Now we''re evenly matched.


    Sato ignored his comment and extends his leg firing a kick onto Jiro''s helmet causing it to crack a little.


    Jiro quickly threw his fist forwards making contact with Sato''s jaw but the teenager took the hit while remaining in the same position. Sato took out all four of his keys. "Not that I care. But I need more power. So I''m breaking my contracts with the Spirit of Wind, Spirit of Fire, Spirit of Strength and Spirit of Yin-Yang!" The four keys began to shake as they emitted a dark glow. Sato grinned maliciously, "NOW PREPARE TO DIE JIRO!"


    He shot out a pulse of black fire frorm his hand. All of the houses in the village were completely incinerated. But Jiro managed to steer clear of the blast. Jiro sneered, "You have bad aim."


    Sato grunted, "Fine then, let''s see how you handle wind!" He released a blast of black wind which managed to strike Jiro.


    Jiro began choking from the wind that struck him. "Damn you Sato!"


    Sato appeared in front of Jiro slamming his legs down onto his helmet. One half cracked revealing some of Jiro''s messy brown hair. Although some blood was now rung through it.


    A blade of black fire and a blade of black wind formed in Sato''s hands. He swung them continuously at Jiro. "DIE!"


    Jiro tried to doge the attacks but Sato mange to slice him every time., piercing his armor as wisps of blood spurt out. "This isn''t good." Jiro realized. "I have to retreat."


    "BRING MY FRIENDS BACK!" Sato screamed as enormous sphere of darkness enshrouded the village.


    Once the sphere disappeared Sato''s eyes reverted back to normal. All of his wounds were completely healed. Ai began to regain consciousness. Her injuries were all healed as well. "Ai!" Sato ran over to the Magi Bakemono. He put his arm underneath her to help her up. "You''re alive!"


    Ai held her held her head, "Sato?"


    Sato looked around, "But where''s Sakura?"


    Ai pointed to a spacecraft in the sky. "Up there!"


    "Oh no you don''t!" Sato shouted as he chucked his blades of Dark Wind and Dark Fire towards the space vehicle, causing it to crash-land.


    Jiro jumped out while holding onto Sakura and jumped into another spaceship. "It looks like; I''ll just have to find another one of the Cursed Bakemono. Bye for now Sato." Jiro waved as the spaceship flew off into the sky.


    "Damn it!" Sato clenched his fist. "I wasn''t strong enough." The purple haired teen fell to his knees, tears streaming down his bloody face. He shouted to the sky, "Sakura!"