At Noel's call, Azrath darted forward, then immediately froze as Buster came rushing at him like a Bezelthie, arms taut and close to his body.

He could see the boy's potential movement immediately in the way his shoulders dropped, so when Buster let out two knife-sharp jabs, they only pierced the air. Even though he saw them coming, he was not as far away as he hoped.

The boy was fast and ready for more. Out came a hook from his left, which Azrath swooped below only to be met by an uppercut from Buster's right. Azrath pushed forward and tucked in his legs and wings. He allowed his body to fall against the edge of the knuckles, using his round body to his advantage so that he rolled down Buster's arm as the uppercut launched past.

Still, it was enough to push Azrath upward as he spun in the air head-over-foot. His eyes were shut to prevent dizziness from overwhelming him, but he could sense Buster's retaliation. He was not too high to escape his opponent's range, especially if he went for another uppercut.

He had to time things carefully, or Azrath would lose on the spot. It was difficult to tell up from down as his body continued to spin. He felt the boy's energy building in his fist, which gave away his position and, more importantly, told him where the ground was.

As the power grew in Buster's punch, Azrath opened his eyes simultaneously with his wings so that he steadied himself, face parallel to the ground, just in time to stare down at the giant fist that hurdled up at him. Without hesitation, Azrath flapped his wings forward and caught the powerful air current generated by the uppercut, sending him high into the sky.

Higher and higher he rose, watching Buster shrink as he stared back at him in awe. I'll reach the apex of my launch in three…two…one… Azrath's body slowed to a stop for only a split second before he pressed his wings back and dropped straight back down into an effortless divebomb.

The wind penetrated his fur enough for it to whistle past his ears as he built up speed. The shape of his body was not as aerodynamic as it had once been as a humanoid, but it was enough for what he needed as he shifted a wing and sent himself into a horizontal spiral. Buster was ready for him as he raised his fists once more and threw out a flurry of jabs once Azrath was close enough. But Azrath was ready as well.

The first of the blows were nowhere near hitting him as Azrath managed to squeeze between them, though just barely, while maintaining his spin. However, Buster tightened his attacks and narrowed Azrath's means of escape. Azrath did not want to escape. In fact, the boy was helping him by creating a small opening in the center of his barrage. Azrath just needed the means to reach that opening.

It only took another two punches for Azrath to see his chance. He allowed the next jab to skim his fur and used his careful spiral to ride along Buster's forearm again. Only this time, it was inside Buster's guard.

Azrath dug his claws into the Ahngreel's rough skin and used it as a base to launch himself toward Buster's chest. Remembering what Buster had requested, Azrath directed his momentum upward and cleared the boy's head, but not before skimming a claw across his hair and snatching a few strands along the way.

He flew a few feet away before turning back to grin down at Buster. He raised the talon that held the Ahngreel's dark hair. "Dynamic Drift." Was all he said before letting the hairs fall from his grasp.

Buster's eyes followed the fluttering hairs for a moment before they returned to Azrath. His mouth had tightened into an O at some point, and Azrath almost expected Buster to bare his teeth in anger. Instead, he threw back his head and laughed.

"Yes! What did I say? Isn't it just the best?" When his eyes returned to Azrath, there was still joy in them, but there was also an intensity to his gaze that had not been there before. "But if you think I'm finished, you've got another thing comin', Teach. I've got your number now." Buster proceeded to resume his slight hopping, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Then he took a sudden step forward, putting all the weight from his back leg into his front. As he did, Buster swung his fist behind him and threw it forward and down—the opposite of an uppercut.

The attack had a surprising range and was enough to get near Azrath, but it was still not enough to hit him. He did not understand the purpose of this wild attack until it was too late. Before he realized it, the massive wind created by the blow sucked Azrath downward before his tiny body could react.

"Gotcha!" said Buster as he repeated his drop step. This allowed him to close the gap between Azrath and himself. Azrath managed to catch himself and fly up, but not before Buster's next jab connected with his leg.

The attack had no power, unlike the rest of the punches, which told Azrath that Buster had pulled back on purpose because he knew that this one would hit. His intuition was as sharp as his punches.

Buster grinned, "One punch is all it'll take for you, little guy."

What was he talking about? Azrath had no clue until Buster's face began to swim. He found that he was overcome with a sudden bout of dizziness. Azrath's mind was clouding over.

What was this? Bile began to rise in his stomach, along with nausea. All this from one punch? Buster had not even hit him in a vital spot. It was a simple tap to his scaly leg.

This must have been his Ahngreel power.

Azrath tried to resist his sickness. If he couldn't move, this match would be over.

 He couldn't quite focus on Buster with his eyes, so he relied on his other senses to detect his movements. Azrath could tell that the boy was approaching fast with another killer jab.

Fearful that his body would be too sluggish to obey, Azrath began to move long before the next punch shot out. He was right to do so, as his body took precious seconds to obey. The jab was so close that Azrath could feel the heat that radiated off the fist through his fur.

It did not go past him and instead stopped short exactly where he would have been and not an inch further. The boy had properly gaged his distance and was now starting to control the fight. A second jab was followed by a cross that generated another powerful wind. 

Azrath dodged each and rode the wind back a few feet, breathing heavily all the way. Why was he so hot? It felt like he was melting! He wasn't sure if he was able to sweat anymore, so all he could do was cool himself off by exhaling with fast but controlled breaths. Two short inhales through the nose; one long exhale through the mouth that felt like he was breathing fire.

His vision remained blurred. Even still, he refused to let Buster dictate this fight.

Azrath could not generate as much Eingh as he used to, though he did not know why. However, he did not need that much to maintain Dynamic Drift, especially if it was solely for defense.

With that idea in mind, Azrath held on to what little Eingh he had left and closed his eyes. The world went dark around him as he let out one last exhale. And then, in the darkness, came the shape of Buster, clear as day. His body radiated stored power, which distributed itself into his limbs and hips.

Azrath moved once more, clearing all thoughts and sensations from his mind. He no longer felt his illness. Nor did he feel the heat of the sun or the touch of the wind. It was more than that. He could feel the individual particles of light fall atop his fur. Some bounced away while others melted into him and sent waves of heat to navigate the tangles of his hair. Air ripped past him with a violence far greater than the delicate sunlight.

Gravity pushed down upon him, begging him to return to the Earth to push up against him and restore the balance within his body. But he defied its push and maintained his place in the sky.

And in amongst that crushing rush of gravity, there was Buster and his meteoric punches. Punches that were now as distant as an actual shooting star. By the time the jab reached where he was, Azrath was nowhere near it.

Jab, jab, straight. Jab, jab, hook. Four jabs in a row followed by two more straights. Buster even reversed his stance so that his left hand was dominant.

But that was not enough for Azrath, who wove between all of them before his mind had even processed the attack. Each punch launched a harsh air stream that he danced around, refusing to let one molecule touch his body.

These punches were nowhere near the overwhelming flow of the entire universe.

***

Noel watched the two of them fight with a knot of fear in her chest. The first time Buster had seemingly hit Azrath with an uppercut, only for the puffball to roll down his forearm, she had nearly screamed and clutched her face.

As the fight grew more intense, Noel felt her fingernails dig deeper and deeper into her skin. If Buster weren't careful, he would kill Azrath with one blow.

Still, she kept her eyes locked on them. Even though she wanted to end things right now, she watched them with inexplicable awe.

The way they moved, with Azrath weaving expertly between punches and Buster's darting footwork, was nothing short of beautiful. She associated their fluid grace with dance, only wilder, more intense.

Even when they stopped, it felt like a well-placed rest in song. And when they sped up or slowed down, like when Buster tapped Azrath in the foot, it felt appropriate, though she let out another anxious cry as Azrath wobbled in the air like a drunk as he dodged Buster's attacks.

And then, she blinked, and the puffball vanished. Fearing the worst, she searched the ground for his battered body, only for her eyes to magnetize back to Buster, who was punching the air with a speed unlike any she had ever seen. His eyes burned with fiery glee as he hopped back and forth, smoothly switching from right dominant to southpaw, back to right without missing the beat of his punches.

But what was he trying to hit? Where was Azrath?

Then her eyes caught the grey blur between Buster's arms, moving so fast she could hardly get a proper look. Whatever it was sent Buster into even more of a frenzy as he let out an explosion of punches, which also blurred to vanishing.

Buster gave a wordless yell as his barrage continued for a few seconds more. Then his punches slowed to a crawl. His fists became visible, as did Azrath, who immediately fell out of the air. Noel leapt to her feet, arms outstretched to catch him. However, Buster beat her to it, allowing Azrath to flutter gently into his hands.

"Is he okay?" asked Noel, closing the gap between herself and Buster. She looked down at Azrath. His eyes were closed.

"Yeah," said Buster, though his face wasn't as confident as Noel would have liked. "I didn't give him that much, but he must have passed out from exhaustion. Hang on." Buster pressed a thumb to one of Azrath's talons.

The puffball's eyes popped open. "What happened?"

"You fainted, little guy," said Buster with a sheepish smirk, "My bad. I got a little too into the fight and used an Art on you."

"You did what?!" Azrath squeaked as he struggled to his feet.

"I said it was my bad."

As Azrath's face contorted into adorable fury, Noel gave Buster the side-eye. He had used his powers, had he? An ability that could make someone pass out and revive them with just a touch was quite powerful. But there had to be more to it.

Buster continued like Azrath wasn't staring at him with contempt, "But the fact that I felt like I needed to use it says a lot about your skill, Teach! You are somethin' else! Right, Noel?"

Noel didn't know how to answer that, so she asked, "How are you feeling, Azrath?"

"Hmph! I feel perfectly fine!" he said with a bit of venom. Then his expression relaxed, "Actually, I feel rather refreshed. What did you do to me?" He looked up at Buster curiously.

Buster winked at him, "That's a secret. The Hidaar told me to let you figure it out yourselves."

Noel blinked at that, "What? But you know everything about my powers, don't you?"

"Sure do. You're the healer type with super strength, speed, and durability."

How's that fair?!" said Noel. Then in a small voice, she added, "Can't you give me a hint?"

Buster laughed at that, "You and I both know that I already have!"

Noel fell silent. He was right. She remembered what Buster had done to his shaved ice. There had to be a connection. But what?

"And don't worry," said Buster, "You'll figure it out by the time we fight for real. You're pretty smart, after all."

"I dunno about that," she said.

Azrath interrupted her thoughts by taking flight as he spoke, "So, what did you think of our little demonstration, Noel?"

"Huh?" said Noel pensively, her mind trying to return to the matter of Buster's power, "Oh, it was fine."

"Fine?!" said Buster and Azrath together. Both stared at her with similar expressions of incredulity.

"It was more than fine!" squealed Azrath, "I pushed myself past my limits! I didn't even think I was capable of going that speed in this form!"

"Yeah," said Buster, "That was some amazin' maneuvering, Teach. You totally went into calculated instinct, didn't you?"

"Maybe…" said Azrath with a rather flattered grin. If Noel could see beneath his fur, Azrath would no doubt be beet red. "You were pretty amazing yourself for pushing me to that level. How did you know that the wind from your punch would throw me off balance?"

Buster looked rather pleased with himself as he rubbed a finger under his nose, "Well, it was just a thought I had in the moment. Didn't know if it would work or not."

Noel rolled her eyes. Boys.

One moment, they were the bitterest of enemies, and the next, the best of friends. She would never understand. Nor did she want to. But she couldn't help the feeling of smug satisfaction well up from inside her.

"Aww, look at you two getting along so well!" Her smile was directed toward Azrath, whose face fell as he realized why she was grinning so.

"What are you talking about?" he squeaked as he flew closer to her—or rather, away from Buster. "I was just impressed by his ability to fight. Not that it's anything to celebrate."

"Uh-huh," said Noel as she flashed him her teeth. It was cute how flustered he was getting.

"I'm serious!" said Azrath, "Who would ever appreciate such violence? It goes against everything that Urzuran teaches." But then he sighed.  "Though I suppose that I can see the value of such talent." Azrath smiled at Buster. "You will be an excellent teacher for Noel. I know you'll bring out her full potential."

"I know that we will," said Buster, "It'll take both of us. Rhythm and flow, workin' in tandem. In a month, you'll be a completely different fighter. Not only will you be able to challenge me, but any Ahngreel short of the Equituum."

"The who?" Noel looked to Azrath for help, but he looked just as confused as she felt.

"The top four Ahngreel," Buster explained, "Oriander's the Champion. Or at least he was…" Buster's ears dropped slightly as he looked away in dejection, then immediately perked back up and said, "You'll have to face them before you face the Hidaar, and let me tell you, they are tough. Peak Ahngreel!"

Noel swallowed.

Sensing her fear, Buster placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry! Once you figure out rhythm and flow, the rest will come naturally. Believe it." He smiled. Noel felt his faith in her in that smile, so she smiled back. "I think we got off to a great start!" he said, "How about we stop for today, and you take me to a place where we can get that cake you were talkin' about earlier."

Noel hesitated. Was he still not aware that he was essentially asking her on a date?! She opened her mouth to tell him off again, but then she caught a glimpse of Azrath's mortified face. She could see the desire for her to tell Buster no in his brown eyes.

"All right," said Noel, "I really don't have anything to do. So, why not."

Buster's energy returned to the same level as when he had eaten the shaved ice. "Yes! Cake time!"

Azrath practically melted to the ground at her answer. "B-but Noel…"

"You know how to get back home, don't you, Azrath?"

"Of course I do, but—"

"Don't worry, Teach," said Buster, "I'll make sure she gets back safely, guaranteed." He gave Azrath a thumbs up.

What possible danger could she be in a place like Tokyo? She's seen people leave their bags on the ground without any fear of theft. And it was not dark yet.

Despite this, the memories of the thugs in the alley welled into her mind. They crept up along her spine. Fighting her sudden chill, Noel pushed them back into place. That had apparently been a statistical anomaly.

But some part of her couldn't help but be glad that she wouldn't be alone. Until the last thug, Goro, was caught, Noel didn't think she'd feel totally safe. And then there were the invisible enemies she’d encountered in the park…

She pushed down her doubt and said, "Let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back and stop Azrath from worrying himself to death." She grinned at him, "I'll bring you back a piece."

Azrath glared at her for a few seconds, then sighed in defeat, "Fine, whatever. You two go have fun." He took flight and started in the direction of the house. Then he turned slightly so that he stared at Noel with an eye that held a mischievous glint. "Enjoy your date."

You little—! Noel wanted to smack him out of the air for saying that, "It's not what you think!" She called after him, but he did not turn around.

Noel was tempted to call the whole thing off and chase after Azrath. She even turned to look at Buster, about to tell him she was leaving, but she changed her mind again at the sight of his excited face.

"We'd better stop by Granny's to drop off her dishes," said Noel, walking to the tree she had left them under and picking them up. "And I guess I need my wallet." At least she'd found something to spend her allowance on. Besides the shoes she could easily get, Noel had nothing else she wanted to buy. She'd been keeping all the bills in her pressing book to keep them as crisp as possible.

Sometimes it paid off to grow up without much money.

"I have some money!" said Buster. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a few crumpled papers, which he then showed her. They were yen!

"What?" she asked in awe, taking a brown banknote in her hand. It was for ¥10,000. "How the heck did you get one of these?" This was the first time in her life she'd held such a valuable bill. Back home, the most she'd seen was a $50 bill.

She found herself intimidated by it. Noel returned it to his hand, with hers shaking slightly.

"Geki Tamayoshi gave it to me after my first day. Called it a reward for my bravery and for working so hard. I didn't really understand what that meant until you explained to me what money was. Can it be used to buy cake?"

"More than cake, you can buy whatever dessert you want with that." Maybe she was exaggerating a bit, but the other bills were four ¥5,000 bills. Buster had been walking around with the approximate equivalent of $200 in his pocket!

Noel felt paranoid if she carried around more than twenty.

"Any dessert?" asked Buster, eyes sparkling.

"Unless you need to buy anything else," said Noel, "It is your money, after all."

"What else would I need to buy? "I have everything I want or need." Buster was being genuine.

That made Noel stop and think. What would an Ahngreel need? Then she shrugged. "No idea."

"Cake it is, then!" said Buster, "Let's go!" He began to march away. Noel walked beside him, trying to keep her smile hidden, especially as Buster began to sing a nonsensical song to the beat of his march:

"I like cake if it's sweet;

If it's sweeter than shaved ice.

Chocolate cake, chocolate cake.

Red shaved ice."

There was barely a melody to it, but an innocence made Noel enjoy listening to it as they walked along the sidewalk back to the Kuboue's house. The bowls and spoons clacked in her hands with each step she took.

"Other sweets are out there.

I wonder if they're tiny,

Hot or cold, hot or cold

Like shaved ice.

 

I'd like them all to eat,

But they can't be as sweet

As Noel, as Noel

Or shaved ice."

Buster stopped singing and said, "Nah, that's not right. I keep tryin' to find the right word to describe you, but sweet doesn't fit. It has to do with how food tastes, doesn't it? And I don't want to eat you. Ahngreel don't do that. Well, there was this one guy who—on second thought, I probably shouldn't tell you that story. Anyway, what do you think, Noel? Noel?"   

He finally realized that Noel was no longer beside him as he turned and looked at her as she stood rooted to the spot several feet behind him, staring at him with a mortified expression on her beet-red face.

Where did he get the nerve to sing about something like that out of nowhere? And right in front of her, too! Azrath was right. This whole thing was a mistake!

Without answering him, Noel's feet carried her forward and past Buster, who looked perplexed at first, then made an audible "Oh" and fell into step beside her.

"Did I go too far again? My bad. It was just on my mind, that's all. There's a word out there that perfectly describes you, but I just can't figure it out."

She ignored him as her walk became a slight jog, the dishes in her hand threatening to break with how much they were bouncing.

"Aw, c'mon, Noel. I thought we were going to get cake together. I was really lookin' forward to it, too."

Noel stopped and sighed. "Just please stop saying weird stuff about me, okay? People are going to get the wrong idea."

"About what?"

"I dunno." She didn't want to plant any ideas in his head. "But if you watch what you say, I can afford to be in public with you."

"Sure!" said Buster, "You just tell me if I've gone too far, and I'll shut my mouth immediately."

That was the best she would get. Buster was now her friend, so she had to give him a little leeway. "Works for me. Then on we go."

"Yes!" said Buster, catching up with her as she began to walk again.

There were a few more moments of silence before Buster spoke again. "Stop me if I'm going to far, but I am curious about something." His tone was tentative.

"Yeah? What?" She eyed him cautiously.

"Something Azrath said," he paused. "What's a dat—"

"Too far!" interrupted Noel in a high-pitched voice. She could feel the color rise in her cheeks already.

And Buster shut his mouth as promised.