((Well that nice!))

"What the? A bank robbery? Woo!, Better stop them!"

Bookmaster flew done from his spot and erected a small dome of see through energy. Now the bank and some of the surrounding area was enclosed. Bookmaster flew down and landed a couple of feet away from the three crooks and their car. After a quick bolt to the tires the blew up so they could not drive away or run him over.

"Stop! Or else I will have to Blow you up. I kinda hope they don't stop...I want to blow something up."

Edit: I messed up...

---

(Actually, Xero isn't a part of COCOA yet.)

Shrinesmaid:

"What?" Shrinesy said, a little confused, Xero...? She then thought, Who's that...? Is he a friend or a foe? She had, of course, not met this Xero person... yet.

"I... don't know this Xero person you talk of..." She then added, regaining her thoughts on the conversation at hand, "but your aura, Mr. Starlord... it seems strange. It seems to be both dark and light... what are you? And... why are you fighting that lady with the curly hair?" She then asked, addressing Aria.

=====================================================================

?????:

The robbers' getaway vehicle slid out of control for a moment... the attack did it's job well. The armored truck then collided with the see-through energy dome and the armored car tipped over onto it's side. The drivers, the robbers of course, fell out unharmed...

The shock was enough to cause them all to open their eyes and shake their heads to clear their... they all looked very confused.

"Wh...what happened?" Asked one.

"I... I don't know..." Replied a woman, "One moment, I was having this strange dream, and then... where is this?"

((I know, but as Xero fills the criteria for 'superhero', he assumes that Xero is part of Cocoa.))

"If you do not know Xero, then I doubt we have reason to begin a fight. As for what I am..." He paused for a moment, collecting his own thoughts on the matter. "I am opposed. Naturally opposed to both the light and the darkness, to both justice and crime. Peace is order and I wish to throw chaos upon this order. I oppose true chaos, as it is not orderly enough." The orbs had appeared in the air, spinning around his body rapidly. "I am the bridge between the orbs of the light and the star." He avoided the question on why he was fighting. The orbs faded from view as they returned to wherever they had come from.

"...I see... what a strange alignment to have. But I guess I understand you, in a way...
But... but if you do anything real bad, I'll have no choice but to stop you, okay?" She then said, though she then lessened the toughness in her voice, a tone of uneasiness replacing it as she clutched her gohei with both hands, "Ummm... just... don't hold it personal... I'd only be doing my job as a superheroine..."

((Waitin' on you there, Sho.))

---

Yuki smiled warmly at Shino. "Thank you....I'll take it from here." She then closed her eyes, and placed her hands on Xero's chest. A black aura appeared around him, and he rose into the air. Yuki smiled, and took him in her arms. He weighed about as much as a small cat, thanks to her spell. She flew into the air, carrying Xero with her. "Thank you, Shino...." She took off, flying back towards Xero's lab. When she got there, she stumbled into his room. "Xero.....He....." She laid him down on his bed. "H-how do I do this.....?" she mumbled. She finally gave up, and muttered a short spell under her breath. Xero's armor suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared nearby. "Xero....." She smiled. "You're safe now. You can rest in peace.....Err, not like that!" She blushed, flustered.

---

"Hah! They hit the barrier! Wait...What do you mean you don't know what you were doing?! You three were robbing a bank! And I just stopped you!"

Well this was odd...It seemed the three robbers had no clue they were robbing a bank...Was something controlling them or were they just hopping he was stupid? Gezz...This was annoying...To capture them or to let them go?....

---

Xero let out a small chuckle. "Rest in peace, eh? Don't put up my gravestone just yet," he teased. "Besides, it's far from over... Mephiles will be back." He turned serious again. "He just won't ever give up... but I'm going to destroy him if it's the last thing I do..." He sighed. "I tried to keep you here to make sure you were safe, Yuki."

---

"Safe? Xero, I'm safest when I'm fighting....I can protect myself just fine...." She smiled. "I'm really strong, you know that? I've been through so much.....And even though it was horrible, I wouldn't take it back for anything." Yuki laughed. "Xero...I'm glad you're okay."

---

"Strength is not a factor in my worries, Yuki," he said as he slightly smiled. "Even if you were the strongest fighter on this planet, I would worry about you." He looked over at her, reached his left arm up and touched her cheek gently. "And I'm glad you're okay. I guess I'll need to explain to the professor what it was that you used, but in the end, everything turned out okay, right?" He smiled softly at her.

---

"Xero...." Yuki smiled. "You ARE one of the best fighters in the world, and I still worry about you....." She blushed faintly. "You're the best thing I could ever ask for.....The only friend I've had in a while...." She giggled. "Yes, I don't believe my spell will have any ill effects on your armor. It's just a simple teleportation. Everything should be okay." She smiled warmly. "Anything you need, Xero?" She brushed a strand of hair out of his face.

---

Xero felt himself blush a bit when Yuki messed with a strand of his hair. "No, I don't think I'll need anything... all I want, though, is for you to be safe. If you need me, don't hesitate to come down in here. Although I doubt I'll be here as much as I will be trying to figure out what's going on..."

---

Meanwhile, monitoring this from an unseen fly on a garbage can in the alley was a man holed within a small bungalow hidden in a forest path... he slams his fist down on his control panel and growls angrily.

"Curses!! That... that damned guy... who does he think he is, casting magic spells like he thinks he's all cool or something!?" The man grumbled... "Well, he can go right on ahead and strut around like he's tough for now..."

The man wore a black hood that concealed much of his face except for the lower front portion of his face and his eyes... and a bulky purple and gold trenchcoat. He also wore matching black gloves and boots. He harumped to himself as he pulled away from the computer monitor, "I could have used that money to further my research... now it seems I'll have to make other plans... they all shunned me as Alloysus Duran when I made my breakthroughs on dreams... but they won't dare to shun me as Dr. Dream, once I get my hands on more... useful resources.
Perhaps I'll further demonstrate my power a little later and show that so-and-so a thing or two! Look out world, Dr. Dream will put the sandman to shame! Sha sha sha sha sha sha shaaaa~!!"


But for now... it seemed the three citizens were very confused about what was going on.

"W-we were robbing a bank!?" An afro-american man among the three cried, having heard what Bookmaster told them, "Oh man... you know, my dream was where I was a mercenary retrieving stolen plutonium from communists."

"Mine too..." Said the woman.

"Hey... yeah... ha, what a wacky coincidence! My dream started out where I was swimming in tapioca pudding and it was really great, and then it turned into a dream where I was doing the mercenary thing too..."

"Wow, how confusin'. Although swimming in tapioca pudding sounds a little disturbing."

(I probably won't post any further responses till tomarrow... I'm tired and needs to sleep. D:)

Yuki remained silent for a moment. Then she took a deep breath. "....Xero?" she asked hesitantly. "Can I....maybe....stay here?" She blushed. "So I can make sure you don't get hurt...." she added quickly. "Xero...Please?" Sho looked up at him pleadingly.

---

"Hm..." Xero thought for a moment. "I don't honestly see why not. I wouldn't think it'd be a problem if you did." He smiled at her. "Feel free to."

---

Yuki grinned. "Thanks....I feel so much safer now...." She hugged him briefly. "Knowing I can protect you...." She smiled softly. "Xero, thank you." She looked at him intently. "I will make sure nothing hurts you."

---

Xero grinned. "Nothing can get in here. We're actually as snug as a bug in this room and dome, forgive the pun," he chuckled. "Just be careful with things around here; the professor doesn't like his equipment messed with. It can damage the electricity in the dome."

---

"Alright!" Yuki grinned. "So....where can I sleep?" She smiled, and shifted, suddenly realizing she was sitting on a guy's bed....

---

"You can have the bed if you want," offered Xero. "I could sleep on the floor, or also on the bed, or in another room, whichever you prefer," he teased part-way through.

---

Yuki's face reddened. "Ehh....." She blinked a couple times, and cleared her throat. "Whichever you'd have, Xero...."

---

Xero chuckled. "If you want, I'll sleep on the floor." He smiled softly at her. "I was just teasing you, Yuki."

((Lawd, short posts ahoy.))

---

"Oh....Okay....." Yuki's face was still bright red. She managed a small smile. "Of course! I was just playing along...."

Yuki! It's Xero! XERO. He's your best friend!

But he's also a guy.....Yuki.....

He's XERO! God! You need a friend! And that's all he is.....

For now....Yuki, he knows you more than anything. You two.....

SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!

---

Xero saw Yuki looking like she was lost in thought for a moment. "Hey, are you alright?" He put his hand on her shoulder lightly, attempting to get her attention. "You seem lost in thought... what's wrong? You can tell me."

---

Yuki shuddered. "No, it's nothing...." She smiled weakly. "Nothing...." Nothing I can tell you, at least.....

---

Xero frowned. "Are you sure? You can tell me anything. I'd hate for something to trouble you with no outlet..." He looked her in the eyes. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

---

"Xero.....I don't want to tell you. I'm sorry....I really can't" She looked at her feet. "It's nothing important, anyway." Nothing important? Ha! You love him, Yuki. Don't deny it. Yuki clenched her fists.

---

Xero sat down beside her, put his arm around her and gave her a small comforting side-hug. "Okay, then. I won't force you to tell me if you don't want to. Just remember that if you ever need to tell me, I'm here. Okay?"

---

"Alright....Thanks." She smiled. Then she let out a huge yawn. "Oops! Sorry about that...." She yawned again. "I think I'm going to sleep now....if that's okay with you, of course."

---

"Of course." Xero got off the bed, made himself a sleeping area on the floor, and got under it. "You can turn the lights off and cover up in the bed whenever you're ready to sleep. ... Goodnight, Yuki."

---

Edward merely watched over Yuki and his other angel. Dispelling the surveillance he had on the both of them, he donned a rather casual attire. A white shirt with a brown leather jacket and blue jeans. Black boots were worn as he wore fingerless gloves. His eyes were then visible, as not to draw attention to himself.
"Justice..." He said while teleporting to the top of COCOA.

---Seigi---
Still wearing his civilian threads, he turned around as Edward appeared before him in a similar attire.
"Eddie. What do I owe this visit to? We're enemies at war, so what do you want?" He said, throwing him a cigarette.
---Edward---
Catching the cig with quick reflexes, he smiled and lit it himself via his powers.
"You told me about a possible chance to redeem my honor, the chance you robbed me of previously has arisen again, you said."
--SK--
He just lit one himself. "Yeah, I did. There's some nasty stuff going on. You might see this as a chance to oust me as strongest fighter, but you'll have to understand that there are different forces at work, working on both our demises. Chaos magic--"
--EB--
Eddie held up a hand while taking a drag.
"Wait. Chaos magic? As in the magic that created the prophesied apocalypse millenia back?" Blowing out smoke in the shape of a ghost, he looked at Seigi with a glare.
"Chaos magic is exclusively for renewal of the times of oppression. I'm no hero, but even I can't stand the idea of that, I'll have to bow down. Like I'm going to do that."
--SK--
"No kidding. But that's not its purpose. I'm doing this because I made a promise. If I can survive taking in the power of Chaos itself, I can finally take my place as a protector of the people from heavenly or hellish oppression. I am in it for true justice. After I've done what I need, you can take the lives of all the gods you want, Ed." Seigi had taken a drag as well, puffing out a massive amount of smoke.
--EB--
"Hold on. A promise? You're not talking about her are you? THAT girl, the one you had to..."
--SK--
"Yeah. I promised to protect all I could with the powers I gained at the cost of her life. She did this for me, and I cannot let her have died in vain, I just can't. I loved her." Seigi tightened a fist. He recalled the times he spent with the woman he loved. The reason why he became a hero of the people. The only reason why he still lives.
--EB--
"Hmph. Still clinging onto the past? I knew you hadn't changed, no matter how long you've lived. I bet you even remember where she died."
--SK--
"Damn freaking right I do!" Seigi smiled, taking another drag. "If I didn't care, I would have forgotten."
--EB--
"Your social antics may change, but you never do. Always the Justice I've known and fought against for years. Always the slayer who sees no remorse." Edward found this amusing. His own enemy was revealing his weaknesses. But it made him think. Is Seigi that powerful? To be able to survive draining the chaos magics that have oppressed the masses for years? If he was, then Edward would be able to as well, then. He huffed some smoke out and looked at Seigi.
"Our final battle'll be in the Shrine of Chaos, won't it..?"
--SK--
"I have no choice. Eddie. I want you to give it your all after you've done your deed. I'll keep my promise to her, even if I have to kill you for it." Seigi then blew out smoke, looking at Eddie with a serious expression on his face.
"We have to settle this. This war has gone on for too long. I've had to watch comrade after comrade die. You had to have seen that sight as well..."
--EB--
"You're talking to someone who KILLS his own comrades for betraying him a single time. What makes you think I can go life without that ugly sight. I have grown bored and annoyed of our war, the war that has been waged in the form of fools who follow the word of those they believe to be their savior. Fools, they are. If I will die without regrets, then by your blade I will go. Only death I can accept. Anyways, thanks for the cigarette, Sei. I'll be sure to keep this promise." Eddie then used the same ability that Seigi did. He walked through a portal that led to his lair. Sitting on his chair deep in thought, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was someone waiting for his doom. If what Seigi said was true, then after their battle there would be someone out to use the chaos magics to oppress everyone on earth... Even though his blood wanted it, he didn't. If anyone was to rule, it would be decided between Seigi and himself. But still, Seigi's conviction was bothering him as well. He still lives because of his ties to her.
"Justice... you've been fighting.. carrying the burden many have crushed under. Because of her. I..."
He just clenched a fist, sighing to calm himself down.
--SK--
"Hm. Eddie, you know me." Was all he said before he put out the cigarette considering it had burned out already. He then turned away after Eddie left.
"She was the only woman to show me love for what I was, despite my bloodstained face and blade. Despite all my battles and ruthless slayings. Understand that even the heart of a killer has a side of compassion." Sighing, he continued to look at the horizon. It resembled the sunset of her death. It only made him look at it more.
"I always will fight for you. Even if I have to die for it... dearest Kurenai."

---

Aria had leapt cleanly away from the arrow, and while he was distracted, charged up her energy until her eyes glowed gold, and a golden aura surrounded her, then shot a burst of light towards Starlord.

"I'm going to give it all I've got!"
she leapt up into the air as well, her beautiful wings beating up and down in perfect rhythm. Her hair blew about her, whipping her face, but she didn't notice it. She was preparing for her next attack.

Starlord neatly burst up into the air, throwing the Light Orb up ahead of him. he then caught the Orb in the scythe's covered blade and span in rapid circles. the Orb stayed within the blade, gather energy as it expanded it's light and dark energies into a sphere that surrounded the Orb. He then stopped suddenly, and swiped horizontally with the scythe, releasing the sphere of light and dark energy, which became larger and more powerful as it moved. Upon reaching it's target, the sphere would place all of it's energy in a split second, typically sending the opponent off like a rocket or simply disintegrating them.

The Orb remained with Starlord and the scythe, so he placed the Orb where it had been before as he readied his scythe, which was inlaid with a peculiar pattern. Indeed, the only reason the scythe possessed such powers was because Starlord was wielding it, the power of the Orbs enhancing it and giving it unique powers. Starlord awaited the attack from the bird-woman if she survives the Dark-Light Sphere.

Deciding to shake out of his spacing out, he made his way via rooftop toward a fight he sensed a ways away. Witnessing his own allies go at it with someone whose aura seemed familiar, he shifted to Blood Wolf form and observed... especially Mephiles. That one he wanted to watch for a while. Especially considering his darkness-related abilities. Although they were still below Edward's caliber.
"Hmph. I won't fight here yet. I wonder, though. Will these fighters show promise?" He merely grabbed a bag of chips from under his coat and opened it, eating some barbecue flavored potato chips.
"Good thing I brought these oh so awesome chips... Kurenai'd have stolen my bag, though." He then pondered. While he was on the subject, he wondered if she'd actually take his chips when he wasn't looking.

---

"Ah...!"

Shrinesmaid would gasp as Starlord unleashed his attack... what... what a dangerous foe he could be... at least, that was what she felt.

She looked over at Aria... then back at Starlord. She seemed a bit consumed in thought... she wanted to fight too, but... she wouldn't get involved unless she really had to.

Shrinesy thought that if things get worse... if it did get worse... she could intervene, perhaps get Aria to safety if she got seriously injured or so, even though she didn't know her by any means yet. The man didn't explain why he chose to fight her, so it left her sort of wondering what was up...

...did Aria have a connection to Xero? Is that why he's fighting her? What is Starlord's connection to this Xero guy, and who was the latter person, anyway?

"H...hey, mister... you're... not gonna try and hurt her, are you?" She suddenly, however unwittingly, asked... though she didn't know if Starlord was going to take the time to reply to her question or not.

The dark energy of Starlords attack merely disintegrated when confronted with the golden aura, but the light energy - which she hadn't expected - struck her like a physical force, rather like two magnets of the same side forced at one another, throwing her a full 20 metres backwards.

She stumbled to her feet, her limbs screaming in protest as she forced herself to stand. Then she tried to fly, but a terrible searing pain pierced through her shoulder. Her wing had been torn! Most likely it had snagged against some part of the roof as she'd come to land. She swore.

Gathering her energy, for she was in no way finished, a sphere of light surrounded her body, and with barely a second's notice, exploded outwards, covering a 10 metre radius.

Starlord didn't answer the super heroine's question, more focused on dodging Aria's attack - which was done through simply moving out of the radius - and then allowed his actions to speak for him. He took out a second arrow and fitted it into his bow. He then shot a second arrow at Aria, aiming for the damaged wing. He then replaced the bow on his back and pulled the scythe out again.

Aria had been waiting for this, for a repetition of movement. She was gone as soon as Starlord nocked his bow, running with almost inhumane agility, jumping and aiming to strike him upon the face with a golden fist while he was fumbling with the scythe.

((Auto-hit FTL.))

Starlord had had his head turned as Aria struck him, causing him to stumble back slightly. The wound wasn't overly painful, so it was a simple matter for him to ignore it. He then took off vertically, guessing that Aria could not do that with wings, even less able to with a damaged wing. He then fired several arrows down on Aria, once again aiming for her wings. He drew a knife before attempting to put the bow back on his back - he wanted to be able to stick something in Aria's stomach before she could hit him again.

(())

I noticed that right when I read the post. AA, you'll have to edit yours.))
"Ho hum, things are getting interesting... Welp, looks like my good old comrades need me to bail them out.. again."
Throwing the sword to intercept the arrows, it caused an explosion to blind any and everyone with dust and debris right before he jumped off, landing without injury, and landing right behind his sword before he picked it up. Only thing anyone could see then was his eyes, the heterochromia glowing with a gleeful fury.

---