When Klaus first caught sight of Aria, his first assumption was that she was following his example. But her fists were free of bruises. Other than the blood spattered across her face and clothes, she seemed unharmed.

The trees around her shook so hard that the leaves were rustling. The wind was strong - it ripped through Aria's coat, blowing it around her with such ferocity he thought it was going to throw her back. The branches creaked and the wind blew and Aria looked like she wanted to scream.

Concern pricked at him. He thought about calling out her name, but couldn't tell if she wanted to be alone.

When Aria saw him staring, her face smoothed into something blank. "You're here," she said.

"Where else would I be?"

"Doing whatever it is that you do before you come home bloody."

Fair point. He was just about to head out and do exactly that. Maybe Alex and Eli would get off his back if he sparred with Aria instead of going out, but it wasn't enough for what he needed.

Klaus couldn't get the look he saw on her face before out of his mind and sat down on the porch, gesturing for her to join him. She did, quiet, and letting Klaus laugh at her when the wind decided to throw her hair about until it looked like a nest. Either she didn't mind it or she was too tired to care.

Klaus wiped his eyes after he stopped laughing, letting them sit in silence for a few moments before asking what was on her mind.

"Tell me about the Elites, Klaus."

Klaus' mouth opened in surprise. He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't that. "What about them?"

"Everything you know."

"Ah, well, I got dragged into it when Alex found me. I was a wreck back then. The doctors who were experimenting on me figured I was a lost cause and threw me out to die. I wasn't showing them any results, I was just getting sick, so they thought I was dying anyway. Alex thought I was Enhanced and took me for the Elites for a healer."

Klaus couldn't remember who tried healing him or the scene he later found out he made, just the memory of feeling like he was going to burn alive.

"Knox was the one who identified me. They found out I was from the labs and kept me there for a while."

"What did they do?" she asked, and though her voice was calm, Klaus could hear the undercurrent of anger.

Klaus smiled, touched. "Nothing. Eventually, I exploded."

"Exploded?"

"You'll see eventually. But I seemed useful, so they decided to keep me around. They rarely make use of me though. More trouble than I'm worth, usually. If they find out you're alive, they'll probably want you in hiding until they decide they want to use you."

"Am I just supposed to run and hide until I'm useful enough to die for the cause too?"

Klaus wasn't sure how to answer. He couldn't deny it. It would be a lie if he did since he knew that was exactly what Eli was waiting for.

"Did they give you a choice, Klaus?"

"No," Klaus confessed.

"Do you want out?"

"I do," he said, "but I don't know what else I would do even if I was out."

"Maybe you could do what we tried to do before."

"That's not possible alone."

"So we find others," Aria said, like it was obvious. "Are there others who were forced into the Elites?"

"No," Klaus said. "I'm a special case. Everyone else joined because they wanted to."

Klaus was always torn when he thought about that. It seemed unfair to be forced to be there on his own when everyone else was there willingly. His position wasn't a secret either. All the Elites were aware that he had no choice and something about it was isolating, even if he did have Alex and Eli.

"What do you do when you're not here?" she asked suddenly, sounding lost and tired.

Klaus looked at her for a moment longer - the way her shoulders were slumped forward and the strange look in her eye. Maybe she needed the same thing. "Want to see?"

✘

Matches were generally a lot more packed. Too many bodies crowded around steel netting, cheering on a brawling pair. It was not as loud as usual, but it was still noisy.

The location shifted for every meeting - the fights were never held at the same place twice.

Klaus wondered what drew the others in. The money from bets, maybe. He had trouble believing that such a large amount of people were seeking violence in a world already full of it. Klaus wasn't sure what he liked about it himself.

It got bloody, and it got cruel, but when he was inside that cage, he felt a little better than he did outside of it.

Klaus wanted to throw himself in, but he didn't want to leave Aria alone so soon. Instead, he pulled her along with him as he made his way to the middle of the room, closer to the ongoing fight.

The fight was fierce and brutal. blows were exchanged back and forth, and neither fighter was giving an inch. The crowd was howling with excitement, egging the fighters on. They made it in time for one of the two men to knock the other out with a strike so strong that blood spilled out of his mouth.

"What do you think?" Klaus asked her.

"I think you're stupid," she muttered, one hand holding onto his sleeve. "Are all these people Enhanced?"

"Yeah. It's not as full because of the raid yesterday. Guess people are being careful."

"Are you going in there?"

"Maybe toward the end."

Aria didn't say anything more for a while, her attention occasionally switching from the matches to the crowd and back again. As the evening drew to a close, Klaus straightened and offered himself up for the next match, grinning crookedly at Aria when he was called forward. Her face was expressionless, but she didn't seem pleased.

When the bell rang, the fight began and everything outside the net was forgotten.

Klaus' opponent wasn't too much bigger than himself, but he was capable of knocking people out with a single blow. He was inhumanly strong. While it wasn't against the rules to use abilities in a fight, Klaus didn't in order to keep word of his activities reaching the Elites. That left him at a disadvantage when up against opponents like this.

The man struck first, hand hurtling toward Klaus's face like a meteor, but it was easy to dodge. Adrenaline rushed into Klaus' veins and instinct took over. His body knew what to do without thought - dodging and striking and redirecting and they were both sweating wrecks with bloodied fists.

His lungs burned and his body ached where blows had landed, but he felt good.

At least he did until there was a blinding flash of light and a loud bang!

Klaus fell over, back smacking into the net behind him. A hand reached through one of the gaps to give him a shake while he tried to gather his wits. He looked back and saw two blurry Arias saying something he couldn't make sense of through the ringing in his ears. Figures in uniform were swarming in.

Klaus wasn't the only one disoriented - much of the crowd was either on the ground or scrambling in a panic. He stumbled out of the cage, trying to make his way to Aria but losing her in the panic.

Gunfire rang out along with screams and demands to cease resisting. Lead flew everywhere. Enhanced were dropping like flies, blood pooling on the floor like a fresh coat of paint. Some tried to find cover while others tried to fight back, throwing things and using their abilities where they could. The disorganization only made it all the more chaotic.

Every step Klaus took was a gamble - he didn't know where to go with the exit blocked by soldiers and wasn't sure if he should make use of his abilities to push through. He couldn't leave without Aria. In the mess, Klaus somehow caught the sound of her voice. He followed it, trying to stay low to avoid bullets.

Aria stood a couple of feet away from a pair of Enhanced, one of them obviously injured. "What do you think you're doing? She isn't a shield!"

The man held a younger woman in front of him, unapologetic as she bled. There was another body on the ground beside him, more bullet wounds than flesh. "She isn't making it out anyway!" he shouted. "Think of it this way! There's honor in protecting others, right?"

Understanding dawned on Klaus and he had the sudden urge to vomit. Sometimes Klaus forgot how quickly people would turn on their own kind. He wondered how many of those who were injured had been shoved into the line of fire by other Enhanced.

Aria laughed, low and bitter. "You stand in your people's blood and speak of honor as if you have any."

"It's survival, sweetheart. Get out of my way now, unless you want to be my next shield!"

Klaus lunged forward with a shout, molten hot rage bursting through his pores like an explosion held back too long. The flames grew - moving across his skin, crawling up the over his hands and up his arms. Not once did he flinch. He didn't even bat an eye. The smell of burning flesh didn't fill the air as he thought it would, nor did he scream in pain. Flames moved across his flesh in a dance, and when he grabbed the man, they clung to him, burning through his clothes and his flesh like starving beasts.

Aria tore the young woman away from the fire.

Klaus moved forward toward where another soldier was, striding toward a cowering group of Enhanced. Klaus met the soldier halfway, the immense amount of energy flowing through him almost impossible to contain. They resumed their shooting, and with a yell, Klaus threw out his arms, feeling fire flicker to life. It grew and grew behind him - heat spreading over his skin. He saw his shadow on the ground - the fire looked like a set of hellish wings that had sprung from his back, like a phoenix rising toward the ceiling.

He stepped between the Enhanced and the soldier. Every time a bullet came close, the devilish phoenix would close its wings around Klaus, cooking the bullets and firing them back as they burst.

The bullets suddenly stopped coming.

The remaining soldiers were scrambling back at the sight of him. He let his flames reach out as far as they wanted to go, chasing after them and burning them hot and fast. Their bodies began to join the mess on the floor.

At the sound of a man's scream, Klaus jumped, losing focus, and the fire began to spread with a mind of its own. The ground was under his cheek and it took a moment to realize it. He didn't remember falling, just that his head had gone light. He tried to recover from the excessive amount of energy he'd used.

Those he tried helping scrambled for the exit, only for a large beam to come hurtling down and block the exit.

Fire didn't hurt Klaus, but he wondered vaguely if he would be left to suffocate in the smoke. He forced himself up, stomach roiling and lungs seizing as he coughed. The heat was so intense that it felt as though his skin would melt off.

It was easy to spot Aria this time. She stood between a few soldiers and a few Enhanced, firing off bullets one by one. A few of the Enhanced around her took the chance to flee while others scrambled for the fallen soldiers' weapons to defend themselves.

Klaus tried to summon up the energy to control the fire around them, but he had burned himself out. The power of the fire was consuming everything in its path. Idiot, he thought, head filled with guilt and smoke in equal parts.

Aria fired her gun again and the bullet pierced through a woman's heart. She fell over, dropping the weapon she was using to sneak up on an Enhanced a few feet away.

The young man who'd just been saved stared at Aria for a moment. "I know a way out!" he shouted over the crackle of the flames. "The human matchstick is free to follow us."

Those who had heard him rushed in his direction, but the man didn't move.

Aria squinted, looking around until she met Klaus' eyes. She seemed stunned for a brief moment, but recovered quickly, hurrying over to grab him by the hand and drag him in the direction of the young man.

"Let her through," he demanded, and enough space was made for them to slip closer.

The young man only started to move when Aria had gotten them within spitting distance of him. He led everyone through a narrow, smoldering hall hidden away at the far end of the building.

"Who are you? You some type of siren?" Klaus demanded.

The man drew back with an innocent smile. "No, but I'm flattered you'd think so! I'm told they were supposed to be quite charming."

"What then?"

"Nothing special."

"Then you wouldn't evade the question," Aria said.

"I've been wanting to ask you this, but have we met?" he asked her. "Something about you is familiar."

Klaus just about popped a vein. They were all trapped in a burning building and Aria was visibly exhausted, but this man decided to flirt. "Stop hitting on her."

"It was an honest question," he said, eyes never leaving her. "What should I call you, miss?"

"You shouldn't," she said before Klaus could.

"Fair enough!" he laughed. "You can call me Ian though."

They came to a hidden door in an office. It was concealed beneath a ratty old rug. Ian pulled it open and gestured for Aria to go down, but she stepped aside to allow the others. Klaus stuck by her, glaring at Ian with suspicion. Though the heat and smoke were sapping at everyone's strength, they were still trying to move quickly.

"How did you find this?" Aria asked.

"Oh! I know one of the people involved in picking the fight locations. She tells me about possible exits in case something like this happens."

"Then why didn't you come here as soon as this started?"

Ian smiled at her. "I'll tell you if you hop down."

"After you," she said, suspicion hidden away under a guise of mock politeness.

He shrugged and went down.

Klaus and Aria exchanged looks before following.

It was dark and damp. They seemed to be in some sort of tunnel. The group moved together until the paths branched out. A dozen pairs of eyes fixed on Ian.

He raised his palms. "I have no idea where to go from here, but both paths should lead out in different directions."

It seemed that everyone was too tired to argue. A few decided to sit where they were and rest while others went on ahead. There was minimal discussion. It did not seem like anyone else had come with another.

Ian held out an arm toward Aria. "Let's head out together."

Klaus took it instead, hoping he smelled bad enough of smoke to make him choke. "Sure."

Ian didn't choke or jerk away. If anything, he pretended like Klaus wasn't there are all, starting forward when it was clear that Aria was going to follow.

Klaus let go of his arm to move closer to her. "Did you get hurt?"

"No," she said.

It was difficult to confirm in the darkness of the tunnel, but she smelled as heavily of blood as she did of smoke. She wasn't moving quite as quickly as she usually did, and when he took her hand, it was cold and shaking. Klaus would have offered his jacket if he hadn't burned off the sleeves.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I brought you thinking that you might like it there and..."

Aria just shook her head. "You couldn't have known," she said, sounding every bit as tired as he felt.

"That's true," Ian said. "The whole thing should have been called off since there were raids just yesterday. We were all fools to gather." He slowed down his pace so he could walk at Aria's other side. "Does this mean you don't usually go to these?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"Neither do I!" Although Klaus couldn't see his face. He had the feeling that he was grinning. "Must be fate. But I guess that I probably didn't see you at another one of these fights then," he added, sounding thoughtful. "You were pretty cool, you know."

"You never told us why you didn't leave earlier," Klaus remembered suddenly.

"I said I'd tell the lady," he said, voice quite different from how he spoke to Aria. "But I guess you're right."

Ian stopped walking and leaned down, lips close to Aria's ear as he whispered.

Aria barely reacted. When he straightened up, she just turned on her heel and continued down the path. There was moonlight streaming in through an exit nearby. The sight of it invigorated Klaus enough to make him speed up.

When they were out of the tunnel, cold air rushed into Klaus' lungs. The smell of burning flesh still lingered. He looked back the way they had come and could see smoke rising to the sky not too far away.

Klaus' body seemed to have had enough. He collapsed where he was. If Aria hadn't caught him, he would have fallen face-first into the dirt. Aria managed to keep him upright, but he could feel her struggle under his weight. He shut his eyes for a moment and tried to gather the last of his energy to stand.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"Just tired." When he could muster up the strength, he straightened up, looking back at Ian who was watching them. "We'll split up from here."

Ian started toward Aria. "Any chance you want to come with me?"

Klaus moved to pull Aria behind him and fix the man with a glare. Aria didn't allow it, but instead stared at the man curiously.

"I think you'll find we have much in common," the freak said, like they hadn't only just met.

"I'll have to decline," Aria said.

The man looked at her a moment longer before meeting Klaus' hardened gaze.

"Fuck off."

He smiled, a little amused, then returned his attention to Aria. "I understand. Stay safe, miss. And find me if you need me."

Klaus kept up his glare until Ian was out of sight, only relaxing when he could no longer be seen.

"What a weirdo."

Aria nodded in agreement.