Chase

Running wasn't supposed to be this difficult. 

Noa pounded down the road, breathing hard enough to taste copper in the back of his throat. He wasn't the fastest person he knew, but he wasn't slow. The adults behind him should have been struggling to keep up. 

But whenever he paused, he heard footsteps behind him. 

How are they still following me? And why? 

Was he loud? He thought they kept losing sight of him for a few seconds, but not long enough to really find a place to hide. 

Besides, right now it was a struggle just to avoid falling down, and he was already lost. He was heading away from the event grounds, but that was all he knew. 

He took another turn, wary of the side streets that might turn into dead ends. He could see lights on the horizon, but wasn't sure how to get to them. This street was so quiet—

"Noa-kun?" 

Noa flinched and almost tripped over his own two feet as he spun around. The voice had come from above him—

Miyori fluttered down. "What's going on?" she demanded. Her face was oddly blurry. 

Noa tried to answer and almost choked on his own breath instead. "They're after me," he said. "They did…something. It was—" 

Three people rounded the corner at a sprint, skidded to a halt, and caught sight of him. "There you are," one of them called. They held up—was that some sort of wand? "Now hold still." 

That was a spell again. Noa's muscles tried to lock into place, but he was already moving, pushing himself into a run. 

"Leave him alone!" Miyori shouted behind him. He didn't have the breath to spare to tell her to save her own. But at least she had the aerial advantage—and she wasn't the one they were chasing.

They'd done something to him. He could usually run faster than this, especially when he was scared. But his legs didn't want to obey him and his feet kept trying to trip. He turned a corner to see an actual, working street lamp—and two lights swung over his head. 

Dizzy. He was dizzy and his legs were heavy, and they were doing—

Blood magic. 

Feet still pounding the pavement, he gritted his teeth. That was what this was—it had to be. A needle enchanted to move on its own, drawing the blood of…all the volunteers who'd been in that tent. 

Why was Noa the only one who'd fought it? 

He'd left Kenshin back there too, he realized guiltily. He hoped against hope he'd be okay. 

"Noa-kun!" Miyori said from over his head. "This way! Follow my voice!" 

He ran towards her, turning when she yelled, "Here!" 

She'd led him to an alley, long and narrow but clear, with bright lights and the shapes of people passing by on the other side. 

"Thanks," he gasped, and pounded down it. 

He was about halfway down it when he heard a voice from far too close, echoing as if from the wall itself: "I said hold still." 

For just a moment, the alley wall lit up with a bright, familiar symbol. Then Noa's arm—his cursed left arm, the one with the pinprick—was dragged sideways, smacking against the wall and holding fast. 

He saw Miyori change direction in midair. "What the—" 

"That's better." The voice was practically in Noa's ear—Sato, he thought. "You're quick on your feet, boy. But there's no need to panic. Just sit back and relax." 

The magic rang in her voice again, and power surged out from the wall. Noa's vision blurred and his knees weakened. The force pinning his arm to the wall was the only thing keeping him upright. 

Miyori fluttered down to eye level, putting herself between him and the dark end of the alley. The three adults approached at a walk. 

"Now, then," said one of them—a man, Noa thought, though he couldn't see his face at this distance. "What are you doing here, missy?" 

Miyori's voice came out high and sharp—she wasn't panicking yet, Noa thought, but she was close. "Leave my friend alone!" 

"Your friend," came a voice down the alley, "is in no danger from us, not to worry. We just want to clear up a misunderstanding." 

They walked down the alley towards Miyori, single-file. Noa got his legs back under him and started trying to pull free of the wall. 

"What misunderstanding?" he spat. "That was clearly blood magic. What did you think was going to happen?" 

"It was a harmless party trick," Sato said. He could just make out her eyes now, glinting in the light of the distant street. "All prepared with an anesthetic to cover our tracks and avoid any awkward questions. What I want to know is, why didn't it work on you?" 

Anesthetic. Well, the leaden feeling pulling down his limbs was rather painless, Noa supposed. Even the prick in his arm didn't hurt, and the needle—

The needle. He was sure, suddenly, that her clenched right hand was holding that needle, even if she was still too far away for him to see it. 

A needle that carried a part of him—even a tiny drip of a part. 

The principle of analogy. If she had access to a little of his blood, so she could use her power to try to affect the rest of it. 

But if his blood was part of him—

Noa dragged his hand upwards—his left hand, his cursed hand, his good hand—and called to the blood that was still on the needle. 

Sato cried out, and something silvery shot towards him. 

The needle came to rest in Noa's palm. Acting on an instinct he didn't understand, he pinched it between his fingers—at the head, so the drop of his blood remained clotted on the tip. 

He brought it to his lips, which were suddenly buzzing with magic. "Go."

It zipped from him like an arrow from a bow—but unlike an arrow, he found he could control its trajectory. 

Sato dropped first. Then the man to her left, and then the figure to her right. Three adults toppled over quietly in the alleyway. 

Noa felt himself lose the needle as his blood on it was washed away, but it didn't matter. The people who'd been chasing him were down for the count—taken out by their own spell. 

Miyori stared between them and him, looking bewildered. "What…what did you do?" 

He breathed deep—no longer drop-dead weary, just winded. "Turned their spell back on them," he said. "They'll be fine. Probably." 

She hovered in front of him, then blurted, "You didn't say you were going to be here." 

"I didn't know." He paused. "Weren't you with—" 

"Shizuka-chan, yes. I just…" Miyori swallowed, suddenly looking very young. "I just left her. I should—I need to explain…" 

She trailed off, lost. 

At the very least, Noa had put her in an awkward position. At worst, she'd given up her secret to try and help him. 

"Get her out of there as quick as you can," he said. "It isn't safe. And—your cousin, Kenshin-san, was working with me. Keep an eye out for him, will you? I think he got hit with this"—he gestured at the adults—"but I can't go back to check. I'm heading home first."  

"Okay," Miyori said. "Hopefully they're both fine, but I'll check. Will you be okay getting home?" 

"Yeah." He managed a smile. "Thanks for helping me." 

"Anytime." 

He didn't deserve a friend like her, he thought as Miyori drifted back towards the fireworks display and Noa headed for the well-lit street. But he was grateful for her all the same.