A/N: Well, here it is, the final chapter. I don't know if anyone was expecting this ending but if you were -thumbs up- Enjoy!

Thanks to all the wonderful reviewers throughout the entire story, you guys really kept me going. This isn't my most popular fic but seeing that at least a few people enjoyed it made me happy enough to continue to the end!

Chapter 7: A World Worth Dying For

The dry ground crumbled beneath Natsuki's foot as she brought herself to a halt at the end of the bridge. Three hybrids and three wolves looked at the sight before them. The water's mist mixed with the wind and blew across their cheeks while they waited for the navy-haired girl to take the next step forward. Across the bridge stood the tower-like building they had sought. Everything they had lived for was this day.

With a deep breath Natsuki strode forward slowly, followed closely by the others. For most of the journey she had remained silent, taking each step as if it were a step back into her past. She marched onwards, arms hanging stiffly at her sides. Shizuru was next in line, carefully watching Natsuki's expression.

You're ready... She thought to herself with a smile as they neared the other side of the bridge.

Again Natsuki stopped and looked the building up and down before speaking to the redheaded woman furthest back.

"You can take the lead from here. Show us the way to Kanzaki."

"With pleasure," Midori responded as she stepped forward, "Don't go doing anything irrational. There's too many soldiers in there for us to fight. Follow my lead to the executives and cut them down."

The rest nodded and moved closer slowly at first, then picked up their pace to a full run. Their immediate destination was the roof of the garage area. After leaping onto that they were now three stories above the ground and level with a panel of windows. One elbow smash from Natsuki shattered it across the floor.

"You'd think the glass here would be bullet proof..." she said suspiciously as Midori passed her and stepped inside.

"It is," the woman replied with a smirk while looking both ways down the hall, "Here they come."

The group stood cautiously when a team of soldiers rushed towards them. They were no more than your average First District fighter: light armour with a short sword and shield. The three humans continued to charge in a flat line formation; they clearly were not trained for this. In a flash the three hybrids appeared behind them standing as calmly as they were before and looked over the fallen men on the floor. In that instant each of them had their necks cut open; the first of much blood had been spilled.

Without a word, the six ran down the hall where the soldiers had come from. Together they got into an elevator and Midori punched in what she remembered of a code she'd seen Mikoto enter when heading up. Everything was quiet for a brief while before a thud was heard above them.

More soldiers?

Worse. The elevator lights flickered only a split second before the box began falling. Screaming at the top of their lungs, the three hybrids quickly transformed and tore through the metal sides and then into the wall beyond to slow them to a stop.

"What the hell!?" Natsuki exclaimed using all her strength to hold their weight.

"This is the work of one person!" replied Shizuru.

"Yeah! And I know who!" with that Midori blasted a slicing wind into the elevator doors, revealing the way to the floor above them if they could fit through the small gap, "Go! I'll handle this!"

"But!"

"Just go! Find another elevator or something! Get to the fiftieth floor that's all that matters!"

The wolves had climbed out and were now waiting for the others.

"Hurry!" called Nao from the other side.

Natsuki grit her teeth and motioned for Shizuru to get out first which she did. The weight increased on the arms of the two werewolves.

"Can you hold this on your own?"

"Not for long but I don't intend to."

Just then an obsidian claymore stabbed through the top of the elevator. As quickly as possible Natsuki retracted her arms and dashed through the opening. Her tail barely made it before the elevator fell further down. She stared in shock but it quickly turned to a frown, her body reverting back into human form to conserve energy.

"Let's go, Midori can handle her ex-owner."

--0--

Meanwhile in the falling elevator Midori struggled to dodge the sword. It didn't take long for her to use gravity to her advantage and jump straight up, breaking through the metal and gripping the wall. As she held on she watched Mikoto fall further down, but knew the woman was too wily to escape this. Like she expected, Mikoto jabbed her blade in the wall and held onto the hilt to keep herself from falling. With a strong push she flipped herself around to crouch on the weapon for a second before leaping up with cat-like agility.

Midori knew she couldn't escape upwards, as that would lead the woman straight to Natsuki and the others. There wasn't much time left, Mikoto was jumping from wall to wall in the enclosed space, shortening the gap between them quickly. In the last of her spare time the auburn werewolf jumped down onto the landing by the doors of the nearest floor. She opened them just in time to roll out of the way of Mikoto's incoming attack; while the black haired woman made it out in time to avoid the explosion from below when the elevator crashed, sending a column of rising flame as the backdrop behind her heaving body as she glared at the hybrid before her.

"You should have known I'd come back for you..." Midori snarled, "You took everything from me! You and your brother!"

"Of course I knew, that's why I wanted to settle things personally. I let the others get away."

"Even if it meant your brother's death?"

"It won't. They will be stopped."

"If they're stopped," Midori scoffed as she rose to her feet, "It certainly won't be by you!" she roared, sending a wave of wind at the woman.

--0--

Now we're five...Natsuki thought, scowling as she led the way up to the forty-eighth floor. She kicked open the door at the top of the stairs.

"Damn this place!" she cursed aloud for the fact that from the twenty-fifth floor upwards it was like a maze to get to the next staircase. As expected, security was tighter the higher they went. The group stood at the edge of the doorway trying to decide which way to go this time.

While standing in silence, Natsuki's sharp ears picked up a disturbing sound. She turned her head in the direction of a set of large iron doors. It sounded wild and vicious. The girl was about to go towards it when the other grabbed her arm.

"Wait," Shizuru cautioned, "We can get them after, but they're more likely our enemy than ally so letting then out would be suicide."

Natsuki solemnly looked at the floor but understood. Unfortunately, despite having just been warned not to open the doors, they seemed to rise on their own; or rather as a command from someone higher. Before it was even fully opened there were claws and teeth snapping through the growing gap in an attempt to escape.

"Get out of here!" Nao yelled, seeing that dead look in the eyes of several ferocious hybrids breaking out, "Move it you idiot!"

"This is no time to play hero Natsuki!" Shizuru yelled, already heading in the opposite direction, "Just have faith in them."

The blunette stared ahead at the three wolves, preparing themselves for the near twenty hybrid soldiers coming for them.

"We're wolves, we're not afraid to die!" Akira said.

Nao remained still for another second.

"Don't worry..." she turned her head around, "They won't be able to follow you."

She took the moment Natsuki stood still to process the situation to stand up against the wall and use her paw to pull down a security release, causing a wall to come crashing down between them. The girl had no time to jump inside; a shocked expression exploded across her features.

"They... don't stand a chance..." she choked out still wide-eyed at the blockade. She could hear the growling and smashing faintly on the other side.

"Natsuki let's go, don't let their sacrifice be in vain. They're giving us a chance to get to Kanzaki we have to take it."

The girl blinked away her tears and turned running back the way they came. The hallway had split a ways back; one way led to the staircase leading downstairs, the other was unknown. The two girls ran ahead in silence, concentrated on their task, getting emotional now could get them killed. They were splitting off faster than Natsuki feared, but she had to have faith in all of them.

Soon enough they found it, the stairway up. They climbed higher in the building and rammed through the door at the top. To their surprise this floor had no walls; it was one large arena-like room with a balcony around the edge and a doorway beyond.

The blunette's eyes narrowed at the figure standing in their way at the other end of the room. The blonde woman stood confidently, though alone, with her arms folded across her chest.

It all started with her... Everything... I was hunting her...Natsuki's fist began to shake as she locked eyes with Haruka. She remembered that night two years ago, everything was so vivid. The steam from the broken car engine, the rain, the pain in her side when she was shot... the pain in her heart when Shizuru became a hostage.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" she roared as she ran at the woman, materializing her sword and armour plates.

Haruka's smug expression remained intact while she stood still, watching Natsuki charge.

Why isn't she moving?! The girl screamed in her mind, but couldn't bring herself to stop. Just as her blade was about to make contact, the ground below her broke apart. A cloud of debris filled the area for a moment before Natsuki came flying out of it faster than she was moving in.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru jumped up to catch the girl in mid air, "What happened?"

The blunette's eyes fluttered open before she slowly sat up and wiped the blood from her mouth. The girls heaved their breaths while looking into the clearing dust.

"Who's that?"

"I've never seen her before."

The brown and grey floated apart to reveal a small girl with wolf ears and tail. Haruka merely smirked at them while Yukino glared with a never before seen expression. It was almost sinister. It was the same as that night during dinner when Reito had insulted Haruka. Her generally calm and shy personality snapped, showing how serious she would be when the woman was in danger.

Even Natsuki, who had seen many cold looks in her life, was surprised by this. She got to her feet and straightened her back as her wounds healed. The more pressing matter was what just happened. Natsuki knew she hadn't been directly hit. She had no cuts from claws not to mention the girl was not fully transformed. It was more like a forceful blow to the stomach; but then how did she appear? And why did it cause such an explosion?

Shizuru was about to charge out of rage for hurting Natsuki when the younger girl held her back.

"Wait a minute," she took a step forward, enduring the frigid stare. She opened her arms passively, "Why are you fighting for her?"

The brunette smirked and looked back at Haruka for a moment before returning her gaze to the other girl.

" 'If it's for my dearest one, I will do anything.' ...Do you think like that?"

Natsuki stopped in her tracks. Those same words she had heard so often from the one she loved the same words she herself wished to use. They were two sides of the same coin. They had the same motives, and felt the same emotions, but were opposed in the end. The girl's moment of thought was cut short. Yukino didn't even have to read Natsuki's mind to figure it out, it was written all over her face.

"Yes, my thoughts exactly," was her quiet reply to the blunette's expression.

Before she knew it, the girl before her began to levitate; using one her extra "arms" to lift herself while extending another in the direction of the sandy-haired girl. There was no way for either of them to tell what would happen next. These arms were invisible after all. In an instant Natsuki was watching Shizuru being hurled to the side, and in the subsequent instant, she ran at Yukino sword drawn.

Feint attack to the right, leap above, and attack from behind.The brunette noted to herself as Natsuki's actions played out. It was just as she heard inside the girl's mind. Having predicted the movements, Yukino raised her third and final arm to smash the blunette into the wall behind her with such force the armour cracked to pieces.

Natsuki was winded from the strike and dropped her sword; it clanged for a second on the ground before dispersing. Despite being held tightly the girl managed to open her eyes and see Yukino turning in the air to face her with a wicked grin.

"You probably can figure out this much," Haruka started, "But my Yukino is a unique hybrid. In turn for being unable to transform into a physical anomaly like you, her power manifests in what we've named "vectors": Invisible, extendable, supernaturally strong arms. In addition to that, she is telepathic; which is why anything you try to plan to counter her will also be useless."

Yukino called back her vectors for the time being, letting Natsuki fall to the ground with a thud. She walked over to the blonde who pet her ears. The atmosphere changed again. With the other two hybrids on the ground, they were no longer threatening. The brunette smiled and giggled at the affectionate gesture, leaving both Shizuru and Natsuki to gape mentally in disturbance at how quickly the girl's personality could alter... and how she could appreciate the woman's touch.

"Natsuki! Leave now!"

The blunette turned to Shizuru who was slowly transforming.

"Are you nuts!? The disadvantage is already too great!"

"Exactly! So much so that you being here will not make a difference," the werewolf rose and moved into the gap between Yukino and Natsuki.

"Well... if you want to fight Yukino alone I don't care. The only reason we're here is because I knew we were also a target, am I wrong?"

The two hybrids kept up their serious expressions.

"I don't give a damn about Kanzaki, whether you kill him or not makes no difference. We're fighting for our own survival, since you won't let us go. Considering when this is done with I plan on reviving his goals for myself."

Natsuki's gaze moved to Shizuru's back, it had taken until now to realize.

She's... serious about this...

"No! I'm not leaving you behind! We fight together!" she pleaded, her eyes dripping with tears in response to the elder one's stoic position, "Don't do this!"

"Natsuki... my parents were killed before yours, and before I met you. Before that I was like you now: angry and vengeful. I thought I could rid this world of Kanzaki... but then you appeared. I knew it after having met you, that it wasn't my place to lead us into salvation."

The girl's pupils began to shake and her breaths shortened.

"You've waited for the moment to kill Kanzaki since before you even knew his name... He's escaping now surely, it would be wrong of me to keep the honour of killing him from you."

"But!"

"The same way it would be wrong of you to keep from me the honour of protecting you."

She was silent. It made sense in her head, but her heart couldn't let go. Somewhere deep down she knew it too though, the best way to make this a success was for them to split up. Neither Haruka nor Reito could be allowed to escape.

"Natsuki... If you fight here you will die!" she turned, her serious -almost angry- expression fading into a calm smile, "I love you Natsuki, so please... take your place as the knight meant to save the world."

The girl couldn't believe it. Of everyone that had fought, Shizuru was never the one to start it. Every time she was the victim for protecting Natsuki.

But... to her... that is her purpose...

Natsuki stood up and took one last shivering breath. Her eyes clenched shut as she turned on a dime down the dark hallway. She couldn't bring herself to say goodbye, all she could do was run. There was a time Natsuki would have fought to the end alongside her comrades, even if all odds were against them. But she had thrown away her pride in exchange for reason; that is what kept her legs moving at this very moment.

I'll come back for you Shizuru! I promise! I will kill Kanzaki and come back to save you!

Meanwhile the tan hybrid watched as the love of her life faded away into the abyss. A sense of fulfillment pierced her heart, knowing that the girl would face her own destiny; the same way she planned on facing hers. Shizuru looked back at Haruka and Yukino, the latter had already returned dark upon hearing the threatening thoughts.

"Well then," the hybrid formed her crimson pole arm and began to crackle with electricity, "I too have gotten my wish: to protect Natsuki with my life."

With that she bolted towards the brunette. As reckless as it seemed, it had a reason. As always there was a method to Shizuru's madness, one which involved high risk, but if executed properly would ensure her victory.

--0--

Metal against metal clanged as Mikoto stared deep into Midori's eyes. Her claymore was blocked by a set of two falchions gripped tightly in the werewolf's hands. With a roar and a push, Midori threw Mikoto back. Sparks flew as the black haired woman landed, screeching her blade against the tiles.

"I bet you thought being my teacher meant you knew everything about me," the hybrid smirked while fiddling with her hold on the blades, "You haven't seen anything yet!"

Midori then threw her two weapons at the woman, all while maintaining her confident composure. As they flew cleanly through the air, a chain materialized on the edge of each falchion's hilt; furthermore the chains wrapped tightly around her arms and hands, allowing her to wield them like whips. In a series of chaotic movements Midori began to spin and pivot, bringing her weapons with her. Mikoto could barely defend against the unpredictable directions at which the falchions were now coming at her.

The woman continued to swing her large sword as fast as she could, but it was not enough to avoid a double slash from the side. Midori had drawn first blood in this fight, the gashes in Mikoto's arm giving her a distinct advantage. She grinned while reeling her blades in, grabbing onto the hilts.

"I always wondered how you managed to wield a weapon of that size. After a while of fighting with you I started to get it, you use your control of wind to lift the blade as you need right?"

The woman furrowed her brows in frustration.

"From there I realized that no matter how you look at it, wind can only blow in one direction at a time. So how is it that my attack landed and you couldn't defend?"

Again Midori let loose her falchions, gripping the chain at the necessary distance. She swung them across each other with Mikoto in the centre. The woman was victim to yet another slice, but not the last in this combination. Midori's arms were now over each other, which wasn't a suitable position for a fight, so in one swift cleave she opened them, then brought her wrists back together. She spun wildly in the air, each rotation pushing Mikoto further back until Midori's blades were charged enough to be slammed into the floor, causing a shockwave to not only damage the woman but send her so far back she now hung by her arms out of the broken window.

The flame-furred werewolf stepped over the shards of glass and crouched down to be closer to the woman.

"The question is how much have you realized in this fight?"

Mikoto was silent except for groaning as she tried to hold on.

"In this place, you've already used up every source of spirit particles. The only one left... is me."

The woman's eyes widened in shock.

"You couldn't use wind throughout our duel, because I wouldn't let you. All spirit particles came from my body and were under my control."

She dismissed her weapons and leaned down even further, as if to whisper in her former master's ear.

"So in the end, you couldn't beat me because of the fundamental difference between us. I am a wolf, and you are a human!"

Mikoto's eyes clenched shut as Midori's fangs sunk into her shoulder and threw her far out of reach of any building. The hybrid didn't wait to hear the thud on the ground nearly thirty stories below, she merely picked up the claymore and tossed it out after the woman.

"That, a piece of metal, is all you will ever own..."

The flame-furred hybrid rushed up the stairs stopping when she saw a metal wall bent out of shape. Midori eyed it suspisciously before hearing the yelps and growls on the other side. She tried tearing her way in, but that proved useless when no matter how she tried it would only dent, never break. The werewolf cursed and looked around, there had to be another way. Then it hit her: the floor. Midori smirked and raised her foot before smashing it through the tiles. Following with a punch to it, she fell through to the level below where she kicked off, whipped her chained falchions into the ceiling and used then to lift herself up, feet-first, into it.

On Nao's end, she and the others braced themselves when they felt the ground shake, and leapt back when it burst open to reveal the red hybrid incoming from below. The three wolves ducked when Midori used the momentum from her entrance to spin, slashing her blades into their enemies. She jumped back to gain distance and recoiled the chains around her arms before looking over her shoulder.

"Sorry it took me a while to catch up."

"Kanzaki's sister?" Akira questioned.

"Dead. Unless she survived being thrown from that high, which is unlikely considering her body is still only human."

"Good. Now let's get through the rest of these guys!" Nao cheered as she rushed forward. All of them were wounded, but they wouldn't stop, not until things were safe enough for them to leave.

Natsuki had her purpose, they had theirs. Together the wolves and Midori charged at the controlled hybrids, taking down all in their path.

--0--

The ceiling cracked as Shizuru was thrown upwards into it. The breath was forced out of her lungs and she fell back down alongside wall fragments. Again she missed her target and was caught off guard. Blood seeped through her clenched teeth as she forced herself to stand.

I need to get her at all angles... but...

"It's impossible."

The werewolf furrowed her brows at the comment. She looked down at her palm; it was covered in blood.

That's it!

Yukino raised an eyebrow and prepared herself, making sure she understood the tactic Shizuru was going for. With a smirk the golden-brown hybrid charged again. The other's eyes widened.

She found my weakness already!

Yukino didn't have much of a choice in this form of counter. Being vulnerable in the future was better than being vulnerable at this very moment. At least if she struck Shizuru again she would remain slightly ahead by dealing damage.

As Shizuru expected, she was hit by seemingly nothing, but she was prepared for it. Upon contact she reached out in front of her, smearing the blood on her hand over the vector. Though still rolling away from the hit, she grinned at her progress; watching the mark she made float in the air.

"Yukino, what's wrong?"

"She's smart."

"Eh?"

"Her plan may work although," the girl retracted her "arm" into her black, causing the blood marking to be absorbed into her clothing before extending it clean again, "It will take more than tagging my vectors to complete it."

With that a trail of tiles on the floor were broken up as it made its way closer to Shizuru who leapt back high in the air to dodge the attack from below. It was time to go all out. As Yukino knew, the auburn hybrid kicked off the wall to gain speed, but what she hadn't predicted was missing when she shot out her second vector. A blast erupted from the wall where Shizuru had been a split second ago, and then another, and another each time she moved until finally she came close.

In a flash-like movement, Shizuru appeared directly in front of Yukino and swung her arm forward to hit the girl directly in the abdomen. With a yelp the brunette flew through the air and crashed into one of the craters in the wall while Shizuru remained still in her follow-through position breathing deeply.

"Yukino!" cried Haruka as she ran to the girl's side.

"It's... alright..." she groaned while getting to her feet again. As with all hybrids Yukino too had the ability to heal rather quickly, so getting back into battle was not the problem.

"You've realized it now too have you not? There comes a point when knowing where I will move next isn't enough. If you cannot defend, then you will be hit; it's as simple as that. If you know where I will attack, then I know where you will defend and I can use pure ability to change my trajectory."

Haruka gasped when Yukino continued to step forward into the centre of the room.

Unfortunately, moving at such a speed depletes my energy quicker than I planned...

"Do not worry Haruka-chan. She can only do that once more before losing all of her energy, defending will be easy enough this time," the girl grinned as she moved her vectors wrap around her completely.

Even if she is fast enough to hit me, she is not strong enough to break through these arms.

Silence reigned over the room while the two hybrids stared into each other. With her frail body Yukino could not stand to take another hit; and having fought this long, Shizuru lacked the strength to attempt a second assault.

A crackling noise began to emit from Shizuru's body, growing louder and louder until sparks of electricity began to show. Yukino watched as the golden light grew around her opponent, soon coating her body completely. The auburn werewolf let out a snarl with her grin and disappeared.

Yukino was breathing deeply with her eyes shut tightly. Shizuru was moving so quickly it was hurting her head to listen to where she would go next; the mental sentence was barely finished before it changed. As long as she stood firmly in one position and took the hit she would win by default.

"I'm not stupid," a voice said in her mind, "You haven't attacked me, so I know your arms are defending you, but that still leaves one opening for me."

The girl's eyes shot open in fear.

"Haruka-chan!" Yukino cried out as she instinctively extended her vectors towards the blonde woman to protect her from an incoming attack.

For an instant Yukino thought she made it in time, as Haruka was not hit. That was until she felt her insides tear apart and skin burn. It was as if Shizuru had run straight through her, transferring her powerful lightning current into the smaller girl.

The blonde watched as Shizuru appeared behind Yukino, both falling to their knees. The electricity still gave off small bursts from the latter's body as she collapsed onto the floor. The golden hybrid merely stared blankly forward, having used up everything she had in that last attack. She knew attacking the woman would open the hybrid's defence, who was her target all along; but that of course required an extra boost to run in more directions. Her breaths started slowing.

"Yukino!" Haruka ran up to the fallen girl and lifted her up in her arms, "No! Don't go! You can live I know it!"

"...They get their memories back the moment before the die you know..." Shizuru warned from behind.

Haruka's eyes widened.

No... she'll die hating me... she'll...

"Haruka...chan..." Yukino muttered as her eyes half opened.

The woman looked at her with tears in her eyes, gripping tightly to the hybrid's body.

"I'm... I'm so sorry!" she yelled out.

A hand touched her cheek.

"I remember... Haruka-chan..." the woman froze, "I wasn't always with you... but... I'm glad that I was..."

Haruka couldn't believe what she was hearing. What about Reito's words before? That it was only because of the serum having been overdosed on her that she could possibly have these feelings. That was only speculation though, what she did know was true was that when hybrids begin to die, they regain their true selves. The girl in her arms started to fade. Her fingers grew closer together to form her original paws while her body structure shifted into that of a wolf. Haruka stared down at her beloved, not matter what shape she was in, she still loved her.

"I... love you..." Yukino whispered between her teeth before gently smiling and closing her eyes.

"It... wasn't the serum..." Haruka stuttered, her body shaking with both sadness and rage. She stood up quickly glaring at Shizuru's back, "She loved me and you killed her!" she roared, rushing forward while materializing her spiked club with the remnants to Yukino's essence.

The hybrid turned with a tired expression but snapped into realization when she was hit with the weapon. The metal pierced through her chest and she was face to face with the woman. They were so close to each other. Though exhausted, Shizuru reached out and dug her claws into Haruka's shoulders. Then with a painful groan pulled the woman towards her, impaling her with the spikes of her own weapon

The blonde's club began to dissipate from between them, creating a gap in both their bodies for blood to flow out. Shizuru let go of the body and fell onto her hands. She looked around at the spinning room and dizzily crawled over to the nearest wall. She winced and breathed deeply while flipping herself over to lean her back against the pile of debris left from the fight. The werewolf looked down at her wounds, but didn't even have the strength to lift her arms. Shizuru glanced at her hands as her fingers slowly pressed themselves together to form paws. She looked over at the two corpses and closed her eyes.

I don't feel like moving anymore either...

With a gentle smile her body's weight took over, smearing blood across the wall as Shizuru fell onto her side.

--0--

Natsuki's footsteps echoed through the empty hall, something told her this was the right way. Suddenly she felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. She wanted so badly to turn and go back, but chose to follow Shizuru's orders. She kept running, gritting her teeth as her gaze fell to the side as if to try looking behind her. It took all of the girl's willpower to lift her head high again and face forward. Just as she had sensed, the hallway came to an abrupt stop, though the room she entered was dimly lit.

Natsuki stopped and turned in every direction, looking intensely for the man.

"Hello Natsuki-chan," came the deep voice from across the room.

The girl spun around and froze as the figure stepped further into the light, a quiet clacking sound accompanying his steps. Her mouth fell agape while looking into those golden eyes. Her heart raced, but she still couldn't move. There was no doubt that this was Reito but...

"How... How did you become a wolf?!"

Indeed the being standing in front of her was coated in shining obsidian fur. He walked closer, swaying his tail proudly, as if to mock the hybrid. More tears began to well up in Natsuki's eyes. Reito had become what she wished to be, what she had lost hope in ever returning to, he had done it.

"...Why?"

"Now that's a silly question. You should know what being a wolf means."

Her fists clenched, indeed she did know what he meant.

"As I've said before, hybrids were merely experiments in preparation for this. Being able to reverse the transformation was easier than testing it on humans directly, and as you can see, it worked."

"So... in the end it was all for you," she growled, "All so you could try making yourself a god..."

"'Try'? Look at me Natsuki-chan, I am a wolf now. I have just as much a right as you to restart the cycle. Clearly this world needs it."

"That is exactly why I won't let you do that. Even if your body would give you the right, you still have the mind of a human and would bring this world to ruin again! You killed so many! Wrecked so many lives with your selfishness! If it weren't for you overusing the life of this world it wouldn't be destroyed!"

"You have the first half, but not the second. Someone will end the world soon, there is not enough life left. I simply want it to be me so that I will reign supreme in the next world; call it "atoning for my mistakes" if you wish. I will be the one to restore life to this world by ending its suffering."

"Like hell you want to atone! You knew what you were doing when you began using spirit particles!"

"Ah true, you caught me, but," he grinned through his teeth, "I had to ruin this world first before I could rule the next, correct?"

Natsuki gulped down her fears. It all seemed so unreal; to think that all along Reito had a goal of this proportion. More so it scared her to think of the future. This would no longer be a fight for revenge; but to protect the world. There was a reason why humans could never rule, they would only bring destruction. Natsuki knew Reito was wrong about one thing though: this world would not end so soon, not if she had anything to say about it. It could still be saved.

The girl took in a deep breath and stared into the wolf's eyes. Her seriousness caught his attention.

"It looks like you didn't listen to my warning from last time we fought..."

"Hmm?"

"Know your place!" Natsuki cried as she extended both of her arms to the side, "You filthy creature!" and she drew up two copies of her greatsword along with full body armour, ready for battle.

"There's no way the likes of you will destroy my world... let alone rule it in the next cycle!" she roared while charging forward, swinging both of her blades in rapid succession, only to have them hit the floor.

Natsuki turned around sharply to face the wolf who had moved behind her effortlessly at such speed. She cursed while watching Reito look back at her. To her surprise she actually had managed to land a hit; though it was small and only on his arm. The girl wasted no time in continuing her onslaught, darting around and slashing at him again, only this time she continued with each step.

Unfortunately, she had been attacking emptiness and only realized when Reito jumped on her back. If it hadn't been for her frantic movements she would have been bit, but instead Natsuki tripped and rolled with it. She planted her forearms firmly on the ground and lifted herself into a hand stand position before throwing her full body on the floor with the wolf beneath her. With Reito winded for a moment it gave Natsuki the chance to get up and jump back; taking a neutral stance.

Her balance was centered in her core. Her left arm was extended in front of her, with her sword alligned horizontally and aimed at Reito while her right lifted the second sword into the air pointing at the ceiling. The girl took deep breaths and continued to stare down the silent wolf, but this too had it's purpose.

A piercing chilled mist began to circulate through the room, emitting from Natsuki's body. Soon the entire room was coated in a dew-like substance, causing the swords to glimmer in the reflection when she bent her elbows in a ready position.

Taking this as an offer to make the first move, Reito charged, but to his surprise Natsuki made no attempt to move. Even though it wasn't her primary style, getting close to him at the moment was not a good idea, so as planned she remained at a distance. Suddenly, the wolf had to dash quickly to the side when the ground below him erupted a spike of ice. Natsuki grinned as the floor was now a thin slippery sheet of the substance; his claws were not enough to hold him in place.

Just as he was about to slide into a wall, that too exploded with a glacial form. Two wolf heads stemmed from the side, trailing long necks behind them to stay anchored while they snapped at Reito. The black wolf snarled at the blue ones coming for him, leaping as best he could to bite into one's neck.

It's over...

The girl spoke softly in her mind. With Reito attached to her ice figures, she commanded them to rise at full speed. Bringing the fake wolf with them, the two of ice broke through the ceiling, intertwining with each other in their ascent. With all her strength, Natsuki leapt up after her creations, using the falling blocks of concrete to jump higher, while slashing apart all those in her way. She kept herself focused above her, watching Reito still holding onto one of the ice wolves.

The girl's eyes widened as he vanished, disappearing for only a split second before reappearing in front of her face. Natsuki barely had enough time to lift up her swords in defense, and when she did, she was shocked again. Reito had dove at her ready to bite and got a mouthful of metal instead, even so, he smirked while biting down and shattered the blades.

Natsuki gasped as she fell back under his weight onto a pile of debris. When she opened her eyes she saw Reito on top of her under his human illusionary figure. While it looked like he was holding onto her wrist with his hand, Natsuki could feel the truth behind it; his fangs were slowly digging in deeper. She blinked to avoid the blood dripping down onto her cheek as she held him back. The girl grit her teeth before giving one final push to end the struggle. Using all her strength she flipped Reito onto his side and got up to quickly create more distance between them. The force of the hit broke his illusion for a second but when he rolled himself up into a crouch he had already placed it on his form again.

He broke both swords in one bite... how can a fake be so strong?

"Funny isn't it? Destiny would always have this battle be wolf versus human... But to think we would end up on opposite sides," he chuckled, "You, a human, trying to kill me, a wolf! And of course, the wolf is winning this battle as fate has always wanted," his illusion vanished.

"So there was another reason for the hybrids! You wanted to turn us all into humans thinking you could win no matter what in a fight with us!"

Natsuki roared back at him, baring her growing teeth while letting her tail grow from the base of her spine. She opened both of her fists, cracking her fingers in the process of transformation. In some way she was glad that Reito broke both of her swords so easily. There was no way she would forgive herself if she had killed him with a human ability, much less the one that started this whole ordeal. With a smirk the werewolf shattered her armour, letting it fall to the floor with a clatter before fading into thin air.

"You still think you've really become a wolf? Prove it to me!" she cried while leaning down onto all fours.

With a smirk the two ran towards each other. Just as they were nearly side by side, they leapt forward snarling; each biting into the other's leg for a second before ripping what they could and landing back on the ground. They moved like true relfections, each running a few metres in their original direction before turning clockwise and beginning to circle one another. Ignoring the gashes in their legs, Natsuki and Reito started to shrink the circle. Again as they drew closer they launched their bodies off the ground, snapping their jaws into the other's side.

Unlike the previous clash, this time they both hung on tightly, falling to the ground with a thud and landing in a wrestling match. Both gripped the broken tiles with their claws, struggling to stay standing; and though Natsuki was the larger of the two, Reito had dug deep enough to break one of her ribs with his bite, causing the navy hybrid to howl out in pain and fumble control of herself. She fell onto her back with Reito above her once again, having removed his fangs from her wound in an attempt to snap at her from a more favourable angle.

Despite her injured torso, Natsuki strained her body away from the incoming attack. She rolled back into her queadrupedal state, remaining quite close to Reito, enough to land the fatal hit she had wanted. A quick extention of her neck allowed the werewolf to latch her teeth onto the fake wolf's neck. His eyes widened and darted to the figure at his side, who immediately took advantage of his weakened state to pin him down with her paw-like hands.

They remained still like this for a moment as visions of those she was fighting for flooded Natsuki's mind. Her body shook with rage as she couldn't help but dip her toes in darkness; holding him in a cruel position like this made her feel better than she would have liked to imagine. Reito on the other hand could feel the vibrations from the growl in her throat pulsate through his own neck, instigating a fear unlike any other he had ever experienced. He tried to breathe deeply, but his large lungs were being pressed on with such force he could barely manage a gasp.

Torture him..., A voice spoke to Natsuki, This moment will only happen once, pour everything you've ever wanted into his death, no one would blame you. He deserves humiliation!

For a second the hybrid began to slowly increase the pressure, and with it the pain. That was until a thought even more important than this entered her consciousness.

Shizuru is waiting for me!

Reito stared, shocked, at Natsuki who removed her fangs from his neck. She looked over him with a serious, but not dead, expression. In his fading vision she looked more like a wolf now than ever. Her silhouette of pointed, dominant ears and two powerful forearms compensated for her knees bent so far they almost touched the ground. This was too important for Natsuki to do in any other position.

"No matter what physical form you take, the truth is in your soul... You are still one of divinity's failed creautes."

The obsidian wolf made a weak attempt at escaping the hold, but failed. Natsuki's jaw clamped around his spinal column and in one, simple flexion of muscles, snapped it. A sigh of relief followed as the hybrid took a step back and stood up over the corpse. As expected, the body morphed back into that of a black-haired human. She glared at it for no more than a second before scoffing and abandoning the room. The moment she waited nearly her entire life for had been placed before her, and she didn't care. As soon as Kanzaki was out of the picture, she had completed what Shizuru had asked of her, she was free to return to her side, which was all Natsuki wanted right now.

She skid to a halt as she approached the room from earlier. Natsuki glanced quickly through the debris, the fight had ended but where was the victor? The girl choked when she saw the smear of blood along the wall over the fallen tan wolf.

"Shizuru!" she cried, rushing over at full speed to hold the animal tightly in her arms. Natsuki's eyes flooded with tears as she continued to howl her name.

"Why!? Why did I listen to you!? Why was my revenge more important than you!?" she roared, pounding her fist into the wall so hard it shattered, "I promised to never let you get hurt! I..." she began to choke, "I really do love you more than myself... so why... why did this happen?"

Natsuki continued to cry out all of her pain, not holding back in the slightest. Something changed then. It started slowly, but the building around the pair began to glow a pale green. It started at the top and crawled lower and lower before refracting into smaller pieces and floating away.

"Natsuki!" called a familliar voice from the opposite doorway, also starting to fade. Nao and the others tried to break the girl out of her hysteria but to no avail.

The ominous power flowed through the building, then to the city, then even further into the world. Soon nothing was left untouched, everything shone brightly: buildings, trees, humans, and the wolves alike.

"Natsuki! What are you doing?" Midori yelled out, stumbling on the crumbling building's shaky foundation.

The girl in question looked back at them sadly as the jade energy from the building began to swirl around her and become absorbed into her body.

"I'm restarting..." she said with a meek smile.

Nao's eyes widened.

"You mean...?!"

Natsuki nodded, as now their bodies started to shimmer as well.

"I'm sorry... I wanted to save this world... but... I have no reason to without..."

"We understand," Nao said softly, "Natsuki, we're immortal remember? We've done this before..."

The others nodded, slowly dispersing into the air and flying away with the breeze.

"See you soon," she said with a grin the second before fading completely.

Now, the only beings left in this world were Shizuru and Natsuki, the final two to leave. The blunette softly pet the wolf's side, watching her falling tears turn to green dust on contact with the body in her arms.

"I'll take better care next time... I won't run from my destiny... you'll help me with that alright?" she pulled her close, "Your life is mixed with the rest of the world now so I don't know if you're close enough to hear me but... I'll find you again soon, and we can live the life we were supposed to... I let this world become uneven... the distribution of life became concentrated in the wrong areas while leaving others empty... Soon everything will be level again... I love you..."

In a gentle gust of wind, the two were swept away into the ocean of spirit particles. It flowed though the world, growing as it consumed more dissipating entities. It wasn't long before it covered the planet, taking it's time in flatening evenly before beginning its new creation.

First the water an land masses formed, life had not yet surfaced. All was silent when small snowflakes floated down from the sky, slowly piling together into distinct forms. They remained still and white briefly as the snow stopped falling and the clouds above broke apart to reveal a midnight starlit sky.

The six wolves lay on their sides, empty shells for the time being, though one by one their life was once more infused into their bodies. First was Natsuki, the blue wolf touched by the night and most blessed by the moon to have created such a splendid new world. Her fur became dyed in the colour of the night sky, and her newly opened eyes reflected the soft green of the nearby water. She was dazed but got to her feet.

Natsuki smiled, relaxed that she and the others made it safely. This was her wish after all, of course they would all return. In her broken state Natsuki was able to accomidate an incredibly high amount of spirit particles into her body, which is what made her capable of shaping the world as she willed; the so-called "god-like power" one receives after rebirthing the planet.

I remember now... everything... It was always the six of us... The four elements of the physical world with the two sides of time...

She thought to herself as she limply moved to the water to get a much needed drink. Natsuki looked down at her reflection and sighed in relief. She was back now, in her own real body. Suddenly there was a popping and crackling noise from behind her; the wolf flicked her ears at the sound before turning to see flames coating one of the wolves' bodies.

"Oi!" called Nao, the red wolf touched by fire, "You did it! We have our true forms again!"

"You mean our divine forms?"

"Yeah, did you just get your memory back too?"

Natsuki nodded, though clearly unsettled by it.

"How did it all slip away from us last time? I mean... right now when I see you like this, and the way I feel during the night, it seems so natural. How was it that I could have forgotten who we were in the last world?"

Before Nao could answer a forceful wind blew across the field, swarming around one of the snow figures. The flakes rose and took a standing shape, accompanied by the element which allowed the wolf to float a few centimetres off the ground.

"We forgot about each other because Kanzaki took our memories," Midori said as she walked towards the other two, "The most fluid form of spirit particles exists as memories right? When he and his "students," shall we say, started to use them as weapons, the first source was our memories. Then of coruse as time went on it started to be taken from the rest of the world."

"And since we were separated we had no way of knowing who to look for," spoke the quiet voice of Akane as she reformed her body out of the earth below them.

Natsuki continued to stare up at the moon. It had all been real, surely, but also like a dream: so insignificant. That old world was gone, Reito along with it; it really was over. They were all waking up with no way of ever going back to it, only able to move forward and put that past life behind them.

"Now what?" she asked aloud, though partly to herself.

"Now we wait," said Nao, "It always happens in the same order, again, led by you, the first of us to awaken."

The midnight furred wolf turned and looked at the two remaining shining white shells. She wanted Shizuru to wake up now and prove that this new world really was what she wished. However Natsuki knew that waiting was the only option, and also that Shizuru would be the last to wake up. She walked with the other three back to the snow piles and lay down, watching them.

They waited in silence for a few hours until the sky above them started to rumble. Each wolf looked up at the overcast clouds that created a soft violet coloured blanket. A few seconds later, steam hissed from Nao's flames as the rain poured over them. It was time for the fifth to wake up. They watched as the water seeped through the snow wolf form, giving Akira a colour reminiscent of a deep ocean, the wolf of water.

She stood up and shook off the remaining droplets before sitting again with the rest.

"I can't believe we had all of our power drained from us..." she said, half shocked, half annoyed, "We're gods who were reduced to being hunted by humans..."

"If only we could just not make them again," sighed Nao as she rested her head back on her paws.

"They are a necessary evil," Natsuki responded solemnly, still watching Shizuru's body, "As Kanzaki said, the world must be ruined before it can begin anew, and we all know that things can only be made once. Even now the balance will shift, it's the way life is made. We are the only beings made from pure spirit particles, the rest comes from the trees, earth and water, giving fractions of life to each being. The most beautiful of waterfalls are made from earthquakes and fissures."

The four gave a short, "mm" in agreement before turning their gaze to the horizon. It was only a matter of time before the sun would rise; the first time in years they would see it again.

A gentle golden glow suddenly appeared in the distance, instantly catching Natsuki's attention. The others quickly turned to her when she stood up in excitement, watching the large star hover over the land. They watched with anticipation as the light hit the final shell. It was the nature of "day" to be last; the end to the night, but at the same time next to it in the cycle, each playing off each other, bound in eternity to be each other's missing half. Finally deep crimson eyes opened as her coat was gleaming the pale golden brown, the wolf touched by day.

"...Natsuki..."

Natsuki's eyes welled up with tears of joy when Shizuru spoke her name. Even if her mind told her that certainly her memory too would be restored, her heart was always one of doubt. She waited no more than a second after Shizuru gained her balance to run up to her and wrap their necks around each other.

"I'm... I'm sorry... I remember everything now! I've always loved you! It just couldn't remember for most of our lives last time but I remember now!"

"I know," came the soft reply, "I did not mind waiting, as long as we were always together it made no difference if you remembered the past. I too forgot about us."

They broke apart and smiled lovingly at each other. Shizuru looked around at the empty world, they were still the only living creatures around at this moment.

"Shall we begin?"

The four elemental wolves bowed respectively to the pair and took their proper places around them and Natsuki and Shizuru faced each other. They took a deep breath, each knowing the next was ready, and together howled out a song; a song that brought life to the planet.

-The End-

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! If you liked this story you're probably going to like my next one (still haven't found a title though) so keep an eye out for it. It's dramatic, supernatural and romance mostly so yeah. Again thanks to everyone who read this!