Author's Note: Well, it's a good chapter through and through, but I'll let you readers be the judge of that.

Black Rock Shooter and co. belongs to Huke.


"New Skin" - FAKE?


She could feel the ground below her feet as she ran, trying to get away from whatever was chasing her, fear creeping through her body as heart hammered heavily. No, she didn't have a heart, but it certainly felt like it as she could feel the ground rumble, a heavy sign that whatever was after her was getting closer, and it wouldn't be long before she wound up dead. Her thoughts paused for a moment as she went over what she just thought, wondering how she even knows about death, but that got pushed aside as she tripped over her feet, dropping to the ground. She could feel her body scraping along the ground before she tried getting up, but as she tried getting to her feet, she saw the shadow surrounding her and a good part of the ground. Turning around, she could feel her body reacting against her thoughts as she backed away from the creature before her, her eyes widening slightly as she felt the hood draped over her head dropping.

She could see her reflection coming from the creature's demonic yellow eyes, its massive black body tensing as if it was preparing to attack at any given moment, waiting for a sight of movement coming from her. For some reason, she thought it was an overgrown mutt, but brought herself back to the present, getting up from the ground and running as quickly as she could as the hound came down as snapped at her. She couldn't stop herself from running as she felt the thundering footsteps coming from the beast that's right behind her, its eyes locked on her as she felt her hair hitting her across her face. It was intense: the adrenaline coursing through her seemingly powerless body, and for some reason, there was a sense of pride associated with it as she stopped running and turned around. She couldn't stop herself from smiling as her eyes lit up with anticipation, but that didn't make any sense to her, she wasn't one to react like this, especially with the problems going on in her life.

But then the feeling came back, and everything didn't matter.

[Goodbye...]

Something wasn't making sense, things weren't clicking with her as she started thinking about what just happened over the past several minutes, but her thought process got overshadowed by what came next. As the hound neared her, with only several feet remaining between them, it took a giant leap towards her, only to get bisected as blood spewed out, splashing down to the ground. The two halves went by her on different sides, a pool of black blood racing down the ground as it started covering her feet, and despite the scene, she felt nothing more than happy and relief. Hearing the platter of footsteps nearing her, she turned around quickly and looked up, her eyes narrowing from the glare of the sun that obscured the image of whoever it was that neared her. For some reason, she felt her body stepping back, and for a moment, she wasn't sure why did that until she felt the presence coming from the person before her, and the thought seemed to cause her body to step back a couple more steps.

"I'm quite surprised that an other self like you has such destructive power, especially since you haven't 'matured' yet," The person said, the tone soothing, with a hint of interest, "How is it that someone like you got brought into this world..?"

[Who are you..?]

"I am... a mere observer," The person said before raising her head to look at something from the horizon.

Wondering what it was that caught the observer's attention, the girl turned around, only to see people like her running away from something, their hoods covering their heads without falling off due to the wind. It was what is beyond them that caught their attention; dust was circulating and nearing them, and the ground rumbled as an earthquake set in, cracks forming as the earth below then started ripping itself apart. Without hesitation, the observer grabbed the girl and jumped to the air, spotting the lush forest as she landed on the ground and bolted towards it, managing to see from the corner of her right eye the destruction the earthquake was causing as other selves started dying, dropping into the cracks formed or getting blown away by the sandstorm. The girl tried to look at the person that was carrying her, but all she could spot was black and white clothing, and instead of getting a better image, she decided to look forward as they descended into the forest. They could feel the leaves as they passed through the trees before the observer dashed off, causing the girl to try to see where they were going as the sandstorm that was several kilometers was reaching the forest.

"Remain patient, we'll get away from it, trust me..." The observer told her.

The girl wasn't sure what the older other self was talking about, but silently obeyed as they traversed throughout the forest, getting away from the sandstorm that was apparently ripping the trees from the ground. For a moment, there was something at the back of the girl's mind that told her that everything that's going on shouldn't make any sense, but that voice wasn't getting through, like there's a barrier between them. Snapping back to reality, the girl noticed that she got shoved to another other self's grasp, with an opening appearing through the earth-made wall. She looked back and noticed a peculiar hat rested on top of the observer's head, the person gripping something in her right hand. The sound of chimes reached her ears as the other self started moving towards the opening, dragging her body along while her eyes locked on the massive sandstorm, a silhouette hidden behind it. As the girl passed through the hole, she could see five lights that glowed intensely, the power emanating from the light resonating with the air as one word life the lips of the observer.

"Annihilate..!"


"Where the hell.. am I..?"

The moment those words left Kanna's lips, she could feel her eyes instinctively narrowing at the ceiling's dilapidated appearance, causing more questions to pop up in her head. All she could remember was bits from the past day or so after being assaulted by Icicle, but she was sure that she saw Geshumaru one night, and that's when her muddled thoughts slowly cleared up and started making sense. Getting up, Kanna placed a hand on her back as pain coursed though it, irritating her as she slid around the barely stable table and felt her feet touch the floor, rubble digging into her feet. Gritting her teeth she rose one foot while hopping over to a wall, brushing the rubble off her feet before doing the same to her other foot, her eyebrows furrowing in irritation as her memories came back to her. She could remember the burning sensation that occurred when she tried resisting Icicle's control, and the thoughts caused her to grimace as she put her foot down and started walking out of the room, unaware of the image her reflection was different from what she knows.

Kanna stepped into thew hallway, looking both ways as she examined the condition, "What happened after... what..?"

Despite her memory coming back to her, there was still a hole between the last thing she could remember to when she just woke up a moment ago, and the answer wasn't coming to her easily. Turning towards the right, she walked down the hallway, trying to make sense of what she could remember and the events that took place while she fought for her control against Icicle. The mere thought of the malevolent other self only caused Kanna to grit her teeth in anger, just as she remembered the red-orange eyes that appears to pierce through souls, leaving nothing but a hollowed-out husk of a body that was once a person. She knew that Icicle was responsible for getting her mother to know Geshumaru's identity, and she knew in the back of her mind that what Icicle did to her was the same thing that happened to her mother. For a moment, Kanna thought she was going to throw up from the thoughts that was assaulting her until she heard the faint sound of two things clashing echoing throughout the hallway.

"Wait, are there others here..?" Kanna said to herself as she tried to follow the sound.

Kanna didn't pay attention to the turns she was making, but it didn't matter as she saw a metal railing a had some rust on it, and the sound was definitely more clear than when she was further along in the hallway. Rushing out of the hallway, she stepped on the platform and looked around the vast room, the machines bolted to the floor obscuring some of her view as she tried to find the source of the sound. Looking around, she spotted a stairway and headed towards it, feeling the step dig a bit into her feet as she hurried to the floor, mindful of the glass shards that laid there. Stepping to the floor, Kanna navigated her way across as she tried to find the sound, the noise becoming distinct as the thought of swords clashing came to her mind, which caused her to pause mid-step as she tried to understand how the thought crossed her mind. Snapping away from her thoughts, Kanna focused back on the sound while looking around, trying to find something that she could use to defend herself until her eyes rested on a pipe lying on the floor.

Kanna stared at it blankly until she head the sound nearing her, which caused her to sigh internally, "Well, what else do I have to lose..?"

Heading over to the pipe, she picked it up and moved it around a bit, testing its weight before hiding behind one of the machines as she heard the clashing coming not too far from where she is. Kanna could hear the footsteps that accompanied the clashing, which caused her to think that two people were fighting each other, which also caused her to get shivers down her spine as the last thing she wants now is to get caught up in a fight. Not will to make a sudden move and ambush whoever were fighting, Kanna peeked around the machine, her eyes widening as she recognized Geshumaru, who was fighting against someone she hasn't seen before. She watched them clashed again, and then immediately regretted doing so as a shock-wave occurred from them clashing their swords together, their powers leaking out a bit. Moving her head away from the corner of the machine, Kanna closed her eyes and took deep breaths as she thought that it would be best to take action after the fight between the two ended, and she hoped that Geshumaru was the one who won because she definitely doesn't want to do something reckless, which was something her common sense was trying to fight for against her protective instincts as a sister.

While Kanna was trying to mentally prepare herself, Geshumaru jumped away from B RS's horizontal slash, "Damn, almost got me, but just out of curiosity, when did we start using our powers..?"

"It doesn't matter, I rather enjoy the moment," B RS told her, as she crouched down before taking off.

Geshumaru watched B RS near her and decided to change her grip on her katana so her right hand was dominant, raising the sword not a second too soon to block B RS's attack before countering with a kick, hitting B RS around the left side of her waist. B RS felt herself flying a few kilometers to the right and flipped so she could land safely, planting her feet into the floor to slow herself, but that didn't stop her from having her body impact the machine that was behind her, the metal digging into her body. Geshumaru cringed a bit, noting how powerful the kick was and trying to adjust her power so it doesn't happen again; spars don't normally have you trying to blast a person through a machine, and despite their existence and supernatural abilities, this wasn't something either one of them want to get turned into a fight. B RS pulled herself out from the machine and narrowed her eyes at Geshumaru, who merely shrugged before jumping away from the assault B RS unleashed, causing her to go on the defensive. Geshumaru knew that she pushed a limit and broke, so she switched hands again so her left hand was dominant, ready to go on the offensive as she pushed B RS away and charged towards her, starting her own assault with a stab.

B RS jumped back before blocking the slash that came from her right, "You'll regret kicking me into the machine..!"

"I'm already regretting it, but lets see what you got planned," Geshumaru told her, narrowing her eyes.

B RS pushed away Geshumaru's katana with her Black Blade before reaching over and grabbing Geshumaru by to collar, her eyes glimmering before she pulled her ally in. Geshumaru wasn't sure to expect with the few seconds she got pulled in, but when she saw B RS drop her Black Blade, the answer became painfully obvious as B RS punched her across the face before delivering an uppercut, causing Geshumaru to fly up to the air. Geshumaru flipped mid-air and slashed towards the ground, releasing a wave of pure energy towards B RS, who rushed forward before rolling underneath the attack and getting back to her feet as she hurried to intercept Geshumaru. The descending blue-eyed Anomaly watched her counterpart neared her and arced her katana over her right shoulder, the two of them nearing the same spot. They were within mere inches of each other as Geshumaru slashed at B RS, only to watched stupefied as B RS grabbed the blade and kneed her in the gut before grabbing the back of her shirt.

"Ugh, now what..?" Geshumaru thought as she watched everything be at a standstill.

That momentary standstill didn't last for long as she saw the floor racing until she felt a sharp pain in her back, her body hitting the ground hard as her eyes locked on the ceiling up above, a few glowing orbs crossing her line of vision. The view Geshumaru was seeing didn't last for long as she watched B RS stand before her line of sight, blue eyes locking with another set of blue eyes, but that didn't stop Geshumaru from trying to attack. She swung with her left hand, but realized her katana wasn't in her hands as her fist merely hit B RS in the thigh, which caused the Anomaly to frown down upon her counterpart. Geshumaru could only stare as B RS raised her katana to the tip of Geshumaru's nose and left it hanging there, a small smirk appearing on her face as Geshumaru sighed in a mixed of aggravation and relief, a combination that left a bit of a hollow feeling in her gut. It's one thing to beat your opponent with all the skills that you have at your disposal, it's an insult to your opponent when you finish the fight with their weapon and not deliver the last blow, the only thing that change the feeling is that it never was a true fight.

"Yes, you won, I get it," Geshumaru said, irritation seeping into her voice, "Now, do you care to help me up..?"

B RS cocked her head to one side, "I don't know, just let me savor the moment..."

"If this was an actual fight, neither one of us would act like this, if only because we'll worn each other out," Geshumaru deadpanned.

"Well, guess that's something we'll wonder for the- ow!"

For a moment, Geshumaru thought time slowed down for this moment as she watched B RS move to the left, stumbling before falling to the floor, her hands covering the right side of her head. The only thing that caused Geshumaru out of that moment was Kanna was the one who struck B RS on the side of the head with a pipe, the older person gritting her teeth as she stood in front of Geshumaru while keeping her eyes locked on B RS. While the situation and actions were a bit of a cliche, they were certainly funny, but two things prevented Geshumaru from laughing at B RS's predicament: the first being that Kanna was the one who attack B RS, and the second being a 'what if' scenario if Dragon Slayer appeared aggravated and did that to her. Either way, Geshumaru allowed the shock to settle itself before getting up and placing a hand on Kanna, who looked like she was about to have an aneurism from that instantaneous moment of, while amazing, reckless and idiotic. Looking between B RS and Kanna, Geshumaru was about to say something until she saw her sister open her mouth, which prompted her to shut her mouth and listen carefully to whatever comes out of Kanna's mouth.

"Who the hell are you, why were you attacking my sister, and are you working for that bitch?!" Kanna interrogated, narrowing her eyes at B RS.

"Okay, I can safely assume Kanna is back to normal," Geshumaru thought as she walked around Kanna, stopping right before her, "Hey Kanna, glad you're back, but please listen to me, you got this-"

"We will talk later, I need to deal with this," Kanna said as she marched towards B RS, aiming the pipe at her, "Well, got anything to say?!"

"Ow.. what was..?" B RS groaned out, which caused Kanna to narrow her eyes.

"Alright then," Kanna said as she raised the pipe over her head, causing Geshumaru to rush over to stop her.

[I'm surprised you real selves don't stop to think that what's seen can get blown out of proportion...]

Kanna froze and looked around, her eyes widening as she tried to find the voice that just said that, the reaction eliciting an arched eyebrow from Geshumaru, who stopped trying to prevent Kanna from bashing B RS's head open. Geshumaru wasn't sure what exactly was going on as she watched Kanna dart her head around until she heard something shatter and a string of curses coming from Kanna's lips before they got silenced, a curious expression appearing on the woman's face. Looking towards the glass, Geshumaru could see the familiar smirk that was on Dragon Slayer, who has taken place as Kanna's reflection instead of the usual reflection that appears when looking at mirrors. That smirk was enough to set off alarms in Geshumaru's head, but she also knew that trying to explain to Kanna what was happening was as far of a stretch than it was explaining about the Otherworld. In short, Geshumaru could help Kanna if she wanted to and that Dragon Slayer was going to enjoy what came next, so the blue-eyed Anomaly decided to help out her downed comrade and expect whatever comes next due to the amber-eyed Anomaly's actions.

[Oh, don't act like that because you just heard me speak to you, besides, I'm easy to spot...]

"Then... where are you..?" Kanna asked the disembodied voice, her eyes slightly widening.

[Look down...]

Kanna blinked for a moment before looking down at the floor, taking noticed of the shards laying on the floor as a figure stood in place of her own reflection, causing her eyes to widen as she watched Dragon Slayer merely smile at her. Geshumaru sighed, fully aware that Dragon Slayer was taking a direct approach in introducing herself to Kanna, but that leaves only a bad moment to occur, with the possibilities being endless in regards to that. Getting B RS back up on her own two feet, they watched the woman make different expressions to coincide with her confusion at what was going on. If that wasn't enough, Dragon Slayer looked like she was laughing at Kanna's reaction, and it's definitely humorous, if it wasn't for the fact that it's the amber-eyed Anomaly's fault. Calming down, Dragon Slayer waved at Kanna, causing the woman to stare at her for a moment before taking noticed that her left hand was up to mirror the action, which caused Kanna to drop the pipe to the floor.

"Hello there," Dragon Slayer said through Kanna's mouth, the woman's eyes widening at the different voice escaping her lips.

Geshumaru laughed slightly and uncomfortably, "Uh, Kanna... I can explain this, just don't..."

Geshumaru's words fell on deaf ears as Kanna backed away from the shards laying on the floor, her body twitching slightly as she did the only thing that crossed her mind at that moment: she fainted.


Kanna looked miffed as Geshumaru finished her explanation, "Let me get this straight, The person I whacked over the head was Black Rock Shooter, who is just like you, and the person who gave me the biggest fright of my life is Dragon Slayer: your mentor, observer, and pragmatic witch who is also like you, but has more experience..?"

"Yep," Geshumaru confirmed, withering slightly at Kanna's stare.

"And the three of you are here in the 'real world' to hunt down Icicle, who is the big bad that managed to get practically everyone under her control, especially your friends who also have other selves," Kanna continued, frowning as she went on, "And for all of you to fight on equal terms with her and her subordinates, Dragon Slayer decided to possess my body and become my other self so she can appear in the real world, which is apparently merging with the Otherworld, and help you two take down the megalomaniac..?"

[Technically, you became my real self so I can exist in the real world, but the rest is correct...]

Kanna groaned in exasperation as she brought her head down upon her arms, feeling a headache forming in her head as Geshumaru stared at her in complete pity, well aware of how Dragon Slayer can turn someone's brain into a puddle with a few choice words. This was what Geshumaru didn't want for Kanna, but Dragon Slayer had to take command and shoot back at her for revealing the Otherworld to someone completely unaware. If they all managed to pull out of this alive, Dragon Slayer won't let her live this down, but that's the least of her concerns as the blue-eyed Anomaly wonders if Kanna will still be that same after everything ends. Geshumaru was about to reach over and rest a comforting hand on Kanna's shoulder when she heard footsteps near the room, Mato entering the room while rubbing the right side of her head from when the eldest of the three attacked B RS. Seeing Mato rubbing the side of her head reminded Geshumaru of how painfully mortal her, B RS, and Dragon Slayer were in the real world, despite their powers, but the blue-eyed Anomaly elected to voice her concerns for a later time, there were other things that they needed to get through.

"Hey Mato, feeling alright..?" Geshumaru asked, slightly concerned.

"How would you feel if you got control of your body back, only to suffer pain from something that you didn't expect..?" Mato inquired, slightly irritated.

Geshumaru held back a chuckle, "I guess you're alright..."

Kanna looked at Mato and arched an eyebrow, "Who are you?"

"Uh, I'm Kuroi Mato, I'm a friend of Geshumaru," Mato said, only to realize that Kanna still had a confused expression, "My other self is the one you whacked over the head"

"Oh, sorry about that, I didn't know her and Geshumaru were just sparring," Kanna said before shooting and accusing glare at Geshumaru, who chuckled nervously, "I obviously wouldn't know that since it didn't sound like a spar..!"

"Yeah, you can blame that on us," Geshumaru said while chuckling, trying to calm herself down, "Alright, sorry, but we need to focus on what's important"

[Geshumaru is correct, now that we've already introduced ourselves, let's focus on the issue that's before us...]

Kanna shivered like someone dropped a cube of ice down her spine, and none of them would blame her as they saw Dragon Slayer appearing in a large piece of mirror that Geshumaru found after getting them to what they believe is the break room. Kanna looked at the mirror and could see Dragon Slayer sitting down on a chair in a similar pose, and the woman took note of how she could see B RS taking the place of Mato's reflection which Geshumaru remained that same. Shelving away what she saw for later, Kanna looked around and noticed that both Geshumaru and Mato remained focused upon Dragon Slayer, and the shift in the atmosphere that surrounded the room. All things considered, this was beyond weird since she never expected to get caught up in a supernatural war between two realities that's connected in a twisted sense, and even put it in that sort of sense was weird in ways she couldn't explain. Before she could delve deeper into her thoughts, Kanna felt someone trying to burn a hole through her head and looked towards the mirror, only to lock eyes with an irritated Dragon Slayer.

[Now that I regained all of your attention, our situation became complicated with how Icicle can now flaunt her power, but that doesn't change our goal...]

Kanna arched an eyebrow, "Look, sorry for being naïve about all of this, but how is it going to happen..?"

"Well, it's not straight forward since Icicle is practically the ruler of all darkness in every concept of the word," Geshumaru stated, adjusting her body in her seat, "Besides, her aim is to destroy both the real world and the Otherworld, and that's complicated, regardless of whatever she's done to both realities"

"Wouldn't she need everyone in the world under her control..?" Mato tossed out, causing Dragon Slayer to arch an eyebrow.

[Theoretically, yes, but that would take time, which I believe she doesn't have, unless she tries to delay us...]

"What about a doomsday weapon?" Kanna asked, causing everyone to look at her.

"Really, you know how cliche that really sounds, this isn't some video game or an anime," Geshumaru said, her eyelids drooping a bit.

Kanna frowned, "Well, sorry for tossing out an idea behind it, besides, you all, except for me and.. Mato, come from the Otherworld," Kanna said, raking through her hair, "Isn't it possible to create something like that?"

"Again, there's no possible way to get it done," Geshumaru punctuated.

[Actually, the idea is possible from a conceptual standpoint...]

Geshumaru could feel her mouth drop as Mato stared at Dragon Slayer, "How..?"

[You real selves have created plenty of doomsday weapons that's capable of mass slaughter, not to mention, some of you throughout history tried to commit genocide, but mashing the two can lead to a devastating result...]

"Sorry again, but please elaborate on the doomsday weapons?" Kanna asked, feeling like she back in school, trying to get some answers from her teacher.

[I'll take it a step further; what I'm referring to are the weapons you real selves call the atomic bomb, a nuke so to say; if I remember correctly, Japan suffered two attacks in the past during World War II...]

Kanna frowned slightly, "Go on..."

[The destruction two can cause is immense, but trying to use more can lead to utter annihilation, which is something that Icicle wants, but how she wants to go about it is different; she wants a complete erasure of both realities...]

"Which is why I'm saying that it isn't possible," Geshumaru stated, frustrated.

[But a doomsday weapon that combines the knowledge of the past in the real world, with the unnatural capabilities we have in the Otherworld, whether it's other selves or our weapons, is.. didn't think of that, did you..?]

Seeing Geshumaru with her head down brought a smile to Dragon Slayer's lips, but the seriousness of their predicament made it disappear as quickly as it had appeared, the idea that Kanna tossed out causing her to think logically. She didn't want to use her past experiences to help them, primarily since she doesn't want them to know about her in a time that is unfortunate for all of them. In fact, While they can assume that Icicle is building a doomsday weapon, they have no knowledge of what its appearance will be, nor how it will go about completing the malevolent other self's goal, since the mere thought of a weapon capable of destroying the world is still many years away from being a reality. Plus, if they wanted to complete their task, they would also have to hunt down spots that the weapon could be at, but that would mean they need a map of the city since the only ones who have a general idea of the city's layout was Mato, Geshumaru, and Kanna. Dragon Slayer smirked as a plan slowly formed in her head, one that would allow them some chance at some exploration while performing a covert operation under Icicle's watchful eyes.

[Let's head back into the city...]

Everyone became silent as they stared at Dragon Slayer, Geshumaru speaking up for them all, "Please tell me you haven't gone senile..?"

[Well, after the fight we all had, would relaxation do wonders for Kanna's body since she's unused to the abuse an Anomaly can put on a real self's body..?]

"There's an ulterior motive in there, I know it," Geshumaru deadpanned, narrowing her eyes at the amber-eyed Anomaly.

[Yes, we also require some maps of the city, some.. writing utensils, food, and anything else I can't list...]

"Isn't that suicidal," Mato nearly shouted, causing Kana to cringe slightly, "We got a whole city under Icicle's control, our families are her puppets, and our friends can turn into their other selves and fight against us with no restrictions on their part..!"

[Which part of that was going to turn me away from my idea..?]

Kanna watched Mato slam her head on the table, "Ugh..."

"Look, maybe she has a point, we do need some stuff if we want to figure out where Icicle is hiding this weapon of hers," Kanna told them, her expression showing slight concern, "Besides... I think we all can use a relaxing bath before getting some of those supplies, right..?"

Geshumaru looked at Kanna, then at Dragon Slayer, "I swear... forget it, so how is this going to go down..?"

[That's when you come into play Geshumaru...]

The blue-eyed Anomaly blinked in confusion, wondering what Dragon Slayer meant while feeling her gut hollow out at the sight of the radiant smile the amber-eyed Anomaly was giving her.


Geshumaru huffed as she continued to stare at the woman before her, her blue eyes glowing with raw power, "Of all the things..!"

Kanna stared in awe as she watched Geshumaru manipulate the person behind the counter's mind, trying to make it seem like they were three separate people who don't look like they do and were about to take a bath. Before they even tried entering the city, Kanna got the pleasure, which was actually shock, of seeing B RS take Mato's place in the real world, which Dragon Slayer stated as a security measure if they wound up getting into a fight. Getting to the city was a whole attempt in itself since Dragon Slayer destroyed the only mode of transportation they had, but in her defense, she stated that leaping in the air would allow them to cover their tracks, since there was no way anyone could find out where they are residing. That's when she experienced what happened to Mato as Dragon Slayer took control and had them swap places until they reached the city, which caught Kanna off guard as she didn't expect to wound up in a hazy, amber-colored current. The view that she got when Dragon Slayer was jumping from tree tops until they reached the city was breathtaking, but she didn't let that deter her from remembering what comes next after their relaxing bath, if they could get one.

Walking over to the woman's lockers, Kanna let out a sigh, feeling her back ache a bit, "So this is my life... great..."

[For now, once everything gets settled, your life can go on as it used to...]

"Oh yeah, you're in me, so even my own personal thoughts aren't safe," Kanna frowned, communicating with Dragon Slayer mentally was an odd experience, "I will kill you if you dig deep into my head..!"

[There's nothing there that would interest me, unless we come across a certain situation, then I'll probably dig something out from your memories...]

B RS stepped into the locker room, only to see Kanna fuming, "Do I want to know..?"

"Ugh, how do you deal with another voice in your head?" Kanna inquired before remembering that she was asking B RS.

"If Dragon Slayer really is that troubling, then ignore her," Geshumaru said as she stepped into the room, looking at Kanna, "She's going to sleep unless we get ambushed, so don't worry"

"Right, it's not like our lives aren't at risk at every corner," Kanna said as she opened an unoccupied locker, ready to take off her shirt until she noticed B RS staring at her, "What..?"

Geshumaru noticed this and stared at B RS, "You know, let Mato take control for now, when we're done bathing, you can take her place again"

Kanna didn't pay attention as she felt a swirl of energy occurring behind her, Mato reclaiming her place in the limbo world, sputtering and fumbling words as she tried to calm down. It wasn't her of Geshumaru's fault that Dragon Slayer rather have B RS out and about when their situation is still complicated, but Kanna didn't exactly know what started this little feud between Mato and the amber-eyed Anomaly residing inside the woman, nor does she want to know. She already has a lot on her plate that she had to swallow before dealing with any other problems that's going on, and the feud was certainly one of them. Kanna reached behind her and unclasped her bra, her body running on automatic until she felt a pair of eyes staring at her, causing her back to shiver as she looked to her left. Mato had her pants and shirt off, but that didn't stop her from keeping her eyes locked on Kanna's body, the girl's eyes expression slightly shock and wonderment that was odd, and that was all Kanna needed to figure out what the girl was staring at.

"What the.. why are you staring at my breasts, you pervert?!" Kanna said, her tone indicating she was joking, but only slightly.

"What, no, just.. no, no..!" Mato fumbled, her face slowly heating up in embarrassment.

Geshumaru looked at them and arched an eyebrow as Kanna continued, "Wow, I mean, you are at an age were you become curious about certain things, but I didn't this you'd be focused on such womanly assets.. or even swing that way"

"Well, you're no Saya.. or Gold Saw for that matter," Geshumaru thought as she watched Mato's face light up like a red light bulb, "But still, taking advantage of a curious Mato by joking.. that's a low blow, so is it wrong that I can see Kanna getting along with Dragon Slayer..?"

Geshumaru ignored Kanna's teasing as she remained focused on putting her clothes in the locker, her mind preoccupied with just taking a bath, with relaxation as an added bonus. Grabbing the bucket that she picked up around the front desk, Geshumaru closed her locker's door and hoisted the towel in front of her body, mindful of the two behind her that were finishing up. For a moment, Geshumaru squished the bucket between her ribs and bicep as she reached for sliding door, her mind wandering until it dropped down to reality as she felt her body tensing instinctively, as if she was going to get attacked from out of nowhere. Groaning a bit, Geshumaru felt her power surging as she slid the door open, all the woman who were in the bathing room locking eyes with her, which was a mistake on their part as Geshumaru started feeding false information, manipulating their minds as she stepped inside, Kanna and Mato following shortly behind her. Kanna watched all the woman look away from them, but the feeling of trepidation didn't pass, in fact, she could say that it only intensified because Geshumaru had to use her powers to save their skins.

Pursing her lips, Kanna walked over to a faucet and sat down, Geshumaru sitting to her left and Mato to their right, "That was... something..."

"Well, when you feel like someone is ready to attack you without provocation, especially in a situation like we're in, manipulating their minds works best," Geshumaru stated before looking away, a strained smile appearing on her face, "Though, there are times when it doesn't work and the commands you give gets overblown..."

Kanna arched an eyebrow before she noticed Mato frowning for some reason, and that was enough to connect the two dots, "So, did Geshumaru tampered with your mind?"

"No, but one of my friends, almost got me killed that way," Mato grumbled, scratching her hair as she spread the shampoo around.

"Oh, well... that's.. bad," Kanna said, unsure of what to make of that statement.

"It was about a month ago Mato, I thought we're over that..?" Geshumaru wondered, well aware that the moment she just mentioned wasn't something neither of them will forget.

Mato sighed, "I don't know, after all, you were out for blood at the time"

"Okay, I don't know what happened with you two," Kanna started as she raked through her hair while making use of the shower head, "But drop it, it's in the past, and I rather focus on what's ahead of us so we don't die, or wound up getting mind-raped..!"

Mato and Geshumaru flinched at Kanna's words, not even expecting her to use that kind of tone with them, especially since she seems perturbed with what they are talking about. They couldn't blame her for it though, they have more experience with anything that pertains to the Otherworld, and especially means incidents that drags the real world into it. Grabbing her filled bucket, Kanna raised it over her head and dropped water on top of her head, shivering slightly as she got up from the stool and headed towards the bathtub, the aura that surrounded her radiating a tense atmosphere that also had the brainwashed woman shivering as she passed them. Not willing to let time pass them by when they got other things to get to, Mato and Geshumaru quickly finished up and made their way to the bathtub, where Kanna was resting up against the wall with her eyes closed. They entered the bathtub and neared Kanna; while Mato pulled her knees close to her body, Geshumaru seemed content with closing her eyes, though that didn't explain why her face got slightly pink as she slowly sank into the tub, her head and neck visible.

Mato sat in the tub in silence until Kanna spoke up, "What kind of history do you have with Geshumaru, I mean, judging by what I know, it seems shaky..?"

"You can say that, there's a lot of things that happened between us," Mato said, looking up at Kanna, "From her killing Roc- uh, B RS, to her manipulating one of my friends, to hunting me down, there's a lot that happened, but that's all because of something that's not really related to me or B RS..."

"Oh, and that is..?" Kanna asked, her interest caught.

"It's probably best if you ask Geshumaru... or Dragon Slayer about it, they know more than I do," Mato told Kanna, scratching the back of her head.

"Right, I'll do that," Kanna said before getting up, making her way out of the tub, "I'm gonna go change and talk to Dragon Slayer about where we can get some supplies, take your time... and make sure Geshumaru doesn't drown..."

Mato blinked as she watched Kanna making her way back to the locker room, dry herself off as her last words tried to register themselves in the back of Mato's head, which happens as she noticed the bubbles rising from where Geshumaru was. Mato could feel her eyes widening as she reached over and helped Geshumaru get back up, the blue-eyed Anomaly's face flushed as she tried to regain her breath, scolding herself for getting too deep in relaxation mode. They were unaware of Kanna looking back at them as the woman slid the sliding door open and entered the locker room, heading straight to her locker as her body shivered, but not from the shift in temperature hitting her skin. Not even wasting time, Kanna opened her locker and immediately started putting on her underwear, pulling up her panties first before focusing on her bra. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she shivered again, but ignored it as she started putting on her clothes, her eyes closing as she could feel Dragon Slayer stirring from within her.

"You can feel that, right..?" Kanna inquired, reaching inside the locker and pulling out her glasses.

[There's no denying it, especially when your paranoia is preventing me from sleeping, but it was for the best if I didn't...]

"How did..?" Kanna trailed off, her mind trying to build different scenarios.

[Just because they can't see you for who you really are, that doesn't change your voices, and anything you say...]

"Shit..!" Kanna cursed as she watched Mato and Geshumaru enter the locker room, the latter trying to cool down.

"I really should hold back, but that felt so good..." Geshumaru said, her voice taking a dreamy tone.

Mato groaned in exasperation, staring at Geshumaru like she just grown another head, "Then why didn't yo- no, I not even gonna try..!"

"Mato, Geshumaru," Kanna called them, causing the two girls to look at her, "Change quickly, we need to get the supplies, not waste time talking about how relaxing a bath can become"

Geshumaru stared at Kanna for a while, her hazy mind trying to make sense of itself before she felt her body shivering, and that when she understood what the eldest of the three was saying. Shooting Mato a look that was a mix of determination and apprehension, the message got translated quickly as they head to their lockers and started changing into their clothes, not wasting any time as the trio headed to the shoe lockers and took their shoes out. They didn't bother staying to put them on as she rushed out, pausing and hopping a bit as they put on their shoes before rushing through the streets, trying to blend in with the nighttime crowd. Mato and Geshumaru didn't have to guess who it was that was keeping an eye on them, the only thing they can hope, along with Kanna, was reach a place where they didn't have to fight, if only so they can buy themselves some time and get what they need. After all, if Icicle managed to find them, then no doubt that Gold Saw is bound to hunt them down like a bloodhound, and the last thing they want is a conflict in a populated area.


Kanna didn't waste any time placing some snacks and canned food in the basket, she was well aware they were only running on time given to them by playing against Icicle's main weakness. As soon as she, Mato, and Geshumaru entered the convenience store, they didn't waste time and got to work, Geshumaru manipulating the mind of the person behind the cash register. As soon as this happened, Kanna and Mato started picking up some supplies, noting that there were some items that they couldn't get, such as maps, but Kanna shelved an idea to the back of her head, mindful of putting it in so deep that Dragon Slayer couldn't reach it. Stopping for a moment, Kanna checked the items in the basket before hurrying over to Geshumaru, who was keeping her eyes locked on the person so nothing could happen as Kanna went around and pulled out several bags. Noticing Mato heading towards them, Kanna gestured to the girl to had over the basket as the older woman started stuffing the bag with the items, not caring if they get mixed up; survival is the game, and obviously, they will need to conform to Dragon Slayer's disdain for rules and laws if they want to make it through.

"Alright, that's everything that we can get," Kanna said as she grabbed the bags and moved around from the counter, "Let's get going..!"

Geshumaru glanced at her, "What about money..?"

"Geshumaru, we are in a middle of a predicament that's a life and death matter," Kanna scolded, narrowing her eyes as she neared the exit, "Do you really think money is all that important?"

Geshumaru glanced at the dumbfounded person before looking back at Kanna, "Point taken, let's go"

The three of them exited the convenience store and headed to the streets, becoming aware of the stares they were getting as they walked through the streets, moving as quickly as they could. Their cover, or whatever they had of it, was gone, and it became painfully obvious as they could feel a pressure coming down upon them, which left them wondering how it was going to end. They got too caught up in noticing everyone's stares that they didn't know they were going, so the moment that they stopped once the pressure disappeared, they noticed that they wound up at the park, and that was enough to get Geshumaru to put up her guard. At first, Kanna didn't understand why Geshumaru was reacting that way while she felt her body shivering, and that's when the answers came to her as she could feel the stigma that surrounded the area. The moment didn't last for long as she got snapped back to reality as the trio heard a faint humming coming from a nearby bench, where a familiar woman sat, looking up at the sky before looking at them.

"I was wondering when you three were going to show up," Saya said as she got up from the bench, looking at them, "I was getting bored just watching you three run around like mice..."

Kanna arched an eyebrow, unaware of her arms moving on their own, "Uh, sorry, but do I know you..?"

"No, or you might, depending on whoever is the one taking control," Saya said as she walked towards them, "So are you Kimura Kanna, or Dragon Slayer?"

Geshumaru's eyes widened slightly as she and Mato shared a look, all while Kanna kept staring at Saya in mind-numbing silence, trying to understand how everything played out up till now. The silence didn't last for long as Kanna watched Saya switched with Gold Saw, which caused meganekko to appear shocked until anger started settling in, the memory of Gold Saw assaulting her and helping Icicle replaying in her head. Hearing footsteps near them, Kanna looked behind, only to see three other girls that she never met nearing them, and that prompted Geshumaru to change into her Otherworld clothes while Mato switched places with B RS, both Anomalies drawing their weapons as they kept their eyes focused on their opposition. Yomi smiled a bit as her eyes locked on B RS, the smile turning into a smirk as she, along with Yuu and Kagari, surrounded the trio. Kanna frowned as her eyes narrowed slightly, her arms now back under her control as she reached up and took off her glasses, her gaze never straying from Gold Saw.

"I remember you, I guess this is as good as a time to beat some sense into you," Kanna said, the muscles in her arms tensing slightly.

Gold Saw narrowed her eyes, "I'll do whatever is necessary to protect the ones I care about..."

"Guess we share similar goals, but there's something about you that irritates me," Kanna said, the tone in her voice changing, becoming icy, "It might be how you'll follow that Icicle bitch like a stray dog, without any thought put into what you're getting yourself into"

"Watch yourself," Gold Saw warned, her red-eyes glowing with intensity.

"Looks like you're just as hopeless as her, and believe me, when you wake up, you're gonna realize how big of a mistake you've made helping her," Kanna said before letting out a condescending chuckle, "I guess in the cycle of things, you're really just Icicle's bitch..!"

A growl came through from Gold Saw's throat before she dashed towards Kanna with her King saw drawn, uncaring about everything else as she slashed at her, the other self's red eyes glowing with hatred. Before Kanna could understand what happened within the following seconds, her appearance changed into that of Dragon Slayer, leaving a surprised expression on her face as she wound up blocking Gold Saw's attack with the amber-eyed Anomaly's broadsword, although, she didn't know that Dragon Slayer was responsible for that. Behind her, the two Anomalies dashed off to their own fights: B RS firing away at Dead Master, who merely twirled around, evading the shots, all while Geshumaru slashed at Chariot before turning around to kick at STR. If Kanna never learned about the Otherworld from Geshumaru, she would have considered this situation completely paradoxical compare to the way her life normally went about, but life and fate has a funny way of screwing around with possibilities. Gritting her teeth, Kanna could feel her body getting pushed into the ground from the amount of pressure Gold Saw was placing on her, but she watched as she somehow pushed the other self away with sheer strength, and the brief conversation that followed next explained it all.

[Kanna, this is the first time you've seen us fight, so I'll leave you conscious, only because you don't know how to see what I see if I'm active...]

"Wait, you're taking control of my body, but leaving me active..?" Kanna inquired, appearing incredulous.

[Basically, just take the damn gift, if things gets worse, I'll take full control...]

"Talk about violation getting taken to a new level," Kanna thought to herself as she stared at Gold Saw, who was merely analyzing her.

Gold Saw narrowed her eyes, "Don't expect Dragon Slayer to save you at every opportunity, even she has fault that can get taken advantage of..!"

"Well, don't expect me to go easy on you," Kanna rebuked, though her expression says a different story, "Oh crap, I wonder how the other two are doing..?"

As Kanna readied herself for another go at Gold Saw, who dashed at her without wasting any time, B RS kept on firing at Dead Master, who was weaving around the blasts while keeping her Dead Scythe close to her. The smirk that remained plastered to the green-eyed other self didn't help with B RS's growing frustration, especially as she was nearing the Anomaly. The moment that Dead Master locked eyes with B RS, she tightened her grip on her scythe and angled the weapon as she spun around, the blade slashing through the wide space as it neared B RS, whose eyes widened with a dumbfounded sense of surprise. B RS rolled away from the attack, narrowly avoiding the attack beheading her, which wouldn't do Geshumaru or - to a lesser extent, depending on the situation - Dragon Slayer any favors. Not willing to get too caught up with her thoughts, B RS got back up and swatted an incoming slash at her midsection while keeping her eyes locked at Dead Master, whose smirk merely grew into a carnivorous grin.

"What's wrong, can't keep up with me..?" Dead Master asked, all with a mocking tone that laced itself into every word that exited from her mouth.

B RS gritted her teeth, "Don't say something that you will come to regret..!"

B RS raised her Rock Cannon, ready to fire when Dead Master kicked it into the ground, "What..?"

"Tsk, and to think I expected more from you," Dead Master commented before raising her Dead Scythe, "Oh well, not like it will matter soon"

B RS's eyes widened and she let go of her Rock Cannon as Dead Master stabbed through the massive weapon, the scythe getting planted into the ground as the severed Rock Cannon shattered into blue shards, disappearing into nothingness. Raising her arms slightly, B RS materialized her Black Blade and ax, tightening her grip on both bladed weapons as she dashed towards Dead Master, who twirled around once before slashing at the blue-eyed Anomaly. B RS blocked the attack with her Black Blade before striking Dead Master with her ax, managing to cut into her side a bit before pulling back, waiting for a couple of seconds before launching an assault on the green-eyed other self. The grin that Dead Master was so intent on showing disappeared as she glared at B RS, trying to block the various stabs and slashes her opponent was delivering, a snarl threatening to escape from her throat. Even though B RS was seeing her flurry of attacks as a small victory in itself, it wasn't enough for her to say she's got the advantage, especially since she was only forcing them both into a stalemate, one that even Geshumaru was getting forced into as she back away from Chariot.

Geshumaru huffed for a moment, trying to catch her breath before she started moving wildly again, avoiding the punches that STR was trying to nail down, the missed attacks leaving nothing but dents in the ground and shattered trees. Geshumaru didn't know where she was backing up to until she felt her back touch the tree, and seeing STR head towards her wasn't helping her get some time for herself, so the blue-eyed Anomaly buckled her knees as she planted her feet to the ground. STR could feel a grin threatening to appear, but that disappeared as Geshumaru jumped on top on STR's right Ogre Arm, the attack demolishing the tree that was behind the blue-eyed Anomaly. STR tried to catch her, but Geshumaru hopped up into the trees, disappearing within the various branches and remaining foliage, her eyes locked on STR. Getting on top of a sturdy branch, Geshumaru leaned back as she tried to catch her breath, well aware that keeping up with them was catching up to her as her body was - and still is - human, and being in a limbo world wasn't giving her any leeway of any sort.

"Shit, if we were in the Otherworld, I wouldn't have this problem," Geshumaru thought as she looked back at where she came from, "Shooter and Dragon Slayer are lucky they don't really have this drawback, but they will get exhausted if this wounds up dragging on..."

Geshumaru brought out her katana again, remembering when STR started firing off bullets, which forced her to put away her favorite weapon to avoid the assault. She could only think about possibly using her powers to purify them, but the way things are going and how they are reacting, the chances of getting it done was slimming quickly. Feeling her heart calming down, Geshumaru got up and was about to hop around from tree to tree when something blazed through her line of sight, forcing her to look down at Chariot, who was merely smirking at her. Geshumaru could only arch an eyebrow at her before she felt something knock the wind out of her lungs as she flew from the treetops, all the way back to the open area as she skidded across the ground. Geshumaru looked back and watched Chariot and STR exited the field of trees, but her attention got shifted to B RS, who jumped away from Dead Master's slash, her jacket showing slight tears from the relentlessness the green-eyed other self was making use of.

"They sure aren't acting like this is anything new," B RS said, looking back at Geshumaru, "Got any ideas..?"

Geshumaru grunted as she got up from the ground, rolling her shoulders as she could hear her spine cracking slightly, "Can you give me a few seconds?"

"I don't think we got that kind of time," B RS said as she looked past Geshumaru, watching Chariot and STR spread out so they can surround them in a three-prong position.

Geshumaru bit her lip for a moment before her eyes widened, an idea forming, "Willing to switch?"

"If it gets me away from her, then yeah," B RS said, turning slightly with Geshumaru.

They watched as the three that surrounded them ready themselves, prepared for another assault until B RS and Geshumaru dashed off, the former heading towards both Chariot and STR, while the latter took out her katana and slashed at Dead Master. B RS wished she could see Dead Master's expression, but instead, she poured all of her attention to Chariot and STR, batting away STR's attacks with her ax, all while countering Chariot's strikes with her Black Blade. Kanna took a glance at them, feeling relived that they are getting through their own problems before she refocused on Gold Saw, feeling her body move in every way Dragon Slayer wanted it to as they clashed blades again, sparks flying and disappearing before even hitting the ground. The red-eyed other self wasn't giving away opportunities that Dragon Slayer could make use of, and Kanna was trying to come up with a plan to take down Gold Saw, but even then, she would have to balance that out with comprehending how the fight was playing out. Kanna could only watch as she got pushed back by Gold Saw, but that allowed her to feel a slight breeze hit the clothing as her bolero jacket fluttered slightly before settling.

"Bingo, thanks for the idea," Kanna thought to herself before focusing on Dragon Slayer, "Hey, I got an idea..!"

[Oh, care to share it..?]

"Actually..." Kanna left hanging as Dragon Slayer started to figure out what she is getting to.

Gold Saw furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what was going on before brushing those thoughts away, focused on beating Dragon Slayer, despite being fully aware that the one that was still active was Kanna. Rushing towards Kanna, she watched as her target planted the sword into the ground and immediately took off her bolero jacket, gripping it as tightly as she could managed while she inhaled, preparing herself. Gold Saw didn't expect what happened next as it happened in an instant, starting with Kanna making use of Dragon Slayer's abilities by jumping over her, all while using the jacket to obscure her view of everything for a moment; Kanna couldn't help but feel proud of her plan. Once landing, Dragon Slayer seized back control and removing her broadsword from the ground, turning her upper body to the left as she lined up the blade with Gold Saw's neck. Gold Saw managed to remove the jacket from her head, but she only had a couple of seconds to register the attack that was making its way to her, which caused her to slash to her right, which caused a rift to open up for a moment as she escaped into it.

The attack made its full swing, but that didn't stop Kanna from frowning, "Ah fuck, almost had her..!"

[I rather avoid killing our future allies, especially in situations where both parties can't do much of anything...]

"Right, if we can get them on our side..." Kanna said to Dragon Slayer, the frown remaining on her face.

[At least, if Gold Saw does show up again, that will allow me a bit more freedom with my repertoire of abilities...]

Kanna sighed before looking to where B RS and Geshumaru are at, "Well, we better go help- Gah..!"

Kanna could feel her body stiffen at the familiar sensation she was getting as the temperature around her started dropping below what's usual in November, and she can hazard a guess who was doing this. A rift opened up and Gold Saw exited, ready to attack Kanna, but that possibility disappeared as she noticed Icicle standing behind Kanna, digging her left hand inside the young woman. Despite the opportunity being taken away from her superior, Gold Saw decided it was best to wait it out and kept her guard up for anything suspicious, taking notice of Kanna's eyes glazing over as black marking started creeping up her neck. Icicle narrowed her eyes as she watched the marks growing upon Kanna's skin, and she was ready to infiltrate her mind and reclaim her, but what occurred next caught the malevolent other self off guard. Before she could understand what was happening, she and Kanna wound up in a desolate area with an sunset-like sky above them, which caused Icicle to look around so she can kill the source of the event.

"Such petty tricks, but they won't stop me..." Icicle mumbled to herself as she noticed the black markings reaching Kanna's face.

Before Icicle could seize control of Kanna, she noticed something floating near her from the corner of her right eye, a floating plane of glass from what she could make of it. Looking towards it, Icicle could only arch an eyebrow at the object, wondering what was so unique about a breakable plane made from glass as it finally stopped a few feet from her. Icicle's focus was on the object, to the point that she was unaware of the marking on Kanna receding slowly, but it didn't matter as the glass object turned around, showing a reflection. The reflection ability that the glass had wasn't remarkable in any way, but what it showed caused Icicle's eyes to widened as she looked to her left. A second later, all the malevolent other self could feel was her left arm being sliced off from the elbow as she pulled away from Kanna, the black marking disappearing from her, but that wasn't what got Icicle's attention.

What did was the image of Dragon Slayer wielding her broadsword, soaked in pure red blood as it dripped to the ground, the amber-eyed Anomaly's eyes holding no emotion but a hollow and worn out hatred.

"You..!" The curse remained on Icicle's lips as she disappeared with her severed forearm, the area shifting back to the park as she did so.

Gold Saw narrowed her eyes and rushed towards Kanna, only to noticed the gaze on her eyes was different from before, and the momentary pause that accompanied it caused her to wound up getting her head caught in a bone crunching grasp. Gold Saw couldn't defend herself as she felt her King Saw being taken away from her grasp, with a powerful knee being delivered to her gut. She could feel the wind leaving her before everything rushed all around her, only to end in darkness as she felt her head get smashed to the ground. She knew that she was barely conscious as she could feel the grasp around her ankles, but the grasp loosen up before disappearing altogether, causing an odd sense of dread to crawl up within her. With a sharp tug, Gold Saw nearly cried out in pain from her hair being pulled at, but that changed when the grip shifted to her head, all before the ground met it perfectly as she finally blacked out.

[Holy shit, Dragon Slayer, wha..?]

"Sorry Kanna, I had to seize control immediately, otherwise, we would have problems with Icicle," Dragon Slayer said, rolling her right wrist as she looked back at the other two Anomalies, "And as you said, we better help them..."

[Dragon Slayer, how did you..?]

"Just be grateful that I stopped it before it could become worse," Dragon Slayer mumbled before dashing off towards the others.

Geshumaru only managed to catch brief glances of Kanna's fight, and she could have sworn that she saw Icicle, because if Icicle really did show up and got the best of the amber-eyed Anomaly, then she and B RS were in trouble. That all changed when after she managed to knock Dead Master down, she was able to spot Dragon Slayer knocking STR right off her feet, all before she started ripping apart STR's Ogre Arms. It's obvious that they finally regained the advantage, since now Dragon Slayer was helping them, B RS was about to focus on Chariot and put her into a bind as they managed to lock blades with each other, only for B RS to shatter Chariot's sword through sheer force. Grinning slightly as Dead Master started getting back up, Geshumaru jumped back as Dragon Slayer and B RS did the same, their eyes locked on their respected opponents, victory almost within their grasp. Now all that was left was for them to take them down, which would be a time killer for them all, but what Dragon Slayer suggested - much less commanded - next caused them to wonder if she was insane.

"Shooter, use that extra power and knock them down," Dragon Slayer told her.

"What, I could wound up killing them," B RS rebuked, appalled at the suggestion, "Besides, Mato makes up the second half, and if you haven't noticed, we aren't exactly agreeing to everything..!"

"Much better than to have them delay us until Icicle comes back and makes this more complicated, hm?" Dragon Slayer inquired, taking noticed of STR's Ogre Arms, and Chariot's sword reforming.

"As much as I can understand you two, I'm willing to risk using a secret weapon to save our skins," Geshumaru commented as she watched the three near them, "So I suggest you do it quick Shooter, otherwise, Dragon Slayer's scenario becomes real!"

B RS took noticed of what's happening and pushed aside any complaint she had forming in her head as she closed her eyes and tried to find that power she had when she and Mato managed to trash the Spirit Eater after a merciless onslaught from the machine. Dragon Slayer pointed her sword at STR and charged a ball full of energy at the tip of her broadsword, firing it before doing the same to Chariot. Noticing what Dragon Slayer was doing, Geshumaru started releasing waves of energy from each slash she delivered, helping out Dragon Slayer as they try to buy B RS some time to find that power that Dragon Slayer ordered her to use. Dead Master weaved her way through as she slashed away at the attacks that got fired at her, her green eyes glowing with anger as she was being kept away from her own personal goal, and she won't let them get in her way as she started doing the same to Geshumaru. Geshumaru gritted her teeth as she blocked Dead Master's attack, watching the wave dissipate as Dead Master started nearing her, cutting the distance between them within seconds.

"Crap..!" Geshumaru shouted, her eyes widening slightly as she prepared herself to block whatever comes at her.

Dragon Slayer narrowed her eyes as she stopped firing, "Great..!"

STR narrowed her eyes and raised her Ogre Arms, gesturing to Chariot to get out of her way as the large, metal hands transformed into machine guns, the mechanisms within roaring to life. Dragon Slayer's eyes widened slightly at her recklessness for stopping fire as metal casings dropped to the ground as bullets flew, nearing them all at neck-breaking speed. STR grinned as she waited to see the bullets pierce through them, but it never happened as a giant wave of energy circled around and annihilated the bullets before knocking her, Chariot, and Dead Master away harshly, the attack sending them several kilometers away from where they are. STR could feel her body hit the ground hard before skidding to a stop, but Chariot and Dead Master got the worse of the attack as they broke through a couple of trees before their backs slammed hard against one, their bodies dropping to the grass. As the wave disappeared, both Geshumaru and Dragon Slayer looked towards B RS, whose flame was burning brightly as she tightened her grip on a transparent broadsword, a blue crown resting around her head.

"Well, God save the queen..." Geshumaru said, eying the transparent blue crown.

Dragon Slayer frowned for a moment at Geshumaru joke, but change it into a smirk, "Well, this is the power that you used, right..?"

"Only a fraction, I don't really feel as strong like that time," B RS said as the flame receded, "I told you, Mato makes up the second half..."

Dragon Slayer's smirk merely turned carnivorous, "Then you'll just have to take it from her then, after all, it's yours and a power like that at the hands of a real self as some destructive possibilities laid out..."

B RS took a couple of steps away from Dragon Slayer, "And how do you..?"

Geshumaru noticed something was behind B RS, something that caused her eyes to widen, "Shooter, behind you..!"

Before B RS could even look behind her, Icicle reappeared and stabbed through B RS with both of her hands, the crown and broadsword disappearing into mere fragments of light as Icicle turned her hands around, palms facing out. Icicle narrowed her eyes at Dragon Slayer as she appeared to toss B RS to her left, discarding the Anomaly before turning into a mass of black wisps. Dragon Slayer and Geshumaru raised their weapons, ready for a fight, but the giant black wisp raced around the park, taking away Dead Master, Gold Saw, Chariot, and STR before disappearing into the night sky. Lowering their swords, Geshumaru and Dragon Slayer rushed towards B RS, examining her as she groaned in pain, her blue eyes staring up at the faint checkerboard sky as she tried to understand what just happened. She's surprised that Icicle didn't attempt to corrupt her like she did with the others, and almost managed again with Kanna, but why was it that she feels hollow inside, as if something was missing?

"Shooter, are you alright..?" Dragon Slayer asked, her eyebrows scrunched up in worry.

"Yeah.. at least, I think I am..." B RS said, unsure as that hollow feeling is confusing her.

Geshumaru looked back, making sure that Icicle is really gone, "What was she aiming for this time, what she's doing isn't making sense..."

"It does when you think about the time frame, she was going for Shooter's extra power," Dragon Slayer said, her worry getting replaced with anger, "And I'm a fool for even suggesting Shooter makes use of that power"

B RS shook her head, "Don't worry, she didn't get it, it's still in me..."

"Then what did she get?" Dragon Slayer wondered out-loud, her curiosity rising.

"I don't know, but I got a bad feeling about all of this," B RS told them, causing the other two Anomalies to arch an eyebrow at her as she continued, "The only thing is, I don't know if this feeling is for us.. or them"


Saya could only watch as Icicle grabbed a desk and threw it at the window, breaking it before walking up and shattering the rest, her teeth barred as anger boiled deep within her black-stained veins. They had to patch themselves up from the fight, the other three feeling sore from the attack that B RS launched at them, and there lies the source of Icicle's frustration as the other self rested her hands on top of the broken glass, the cuts healing instantly. Saya looked back at Yuu, who merely looked at her with worrying eyes, which prompted the woman to usher Yuu out of the classroom before telling her to wait for a while. Yomi and Kagari already headed home for the day, or rather, Yomi was taking Kagari home to rest while the former meganekko takes the night shift and watches over the city. Either way, none of them were going to rest easy since Icicle was probably thinking of ways to get back at the trio, which was more prominent as she managed to calm herself down before looking at Saya with eyes that spoke volumes about her frustration.

"Saya, I had two possibilities taken from me tonight," Icicle started, raking through her hair, "This is unsettling in the worse way possible..."

Saya managed to show a slight smile, "Well, I wouldn't call it a complete loss..."

Icicle eyes pierced through Saya, silencing her, "Every move made, there are various outcomes to compensate, but it seems I played my chances too soon"

"It was a mere opportunity that we managed to make for you, in some way or another," Saya commented, pointing to the bandage around her forehead, "I don't have this for nothing, but I'm willing to bet you don't care about such trivial things, hm?"

"Very astute, but your sacrifices is well noted," Icicle stated before turning around, her back facing Saya, "It only becomes problematic when something like this happens..."

Saya looked pasted Icicle and frowned, remembering Icicle's frustration and how she took it out before tossing the desk out the window, and even the sight of it was enough to give her the urge to puke. Bound by one chain to the ceiling, I.B RS looked at them, her blood dripping to the floor as her left arm remained extensively chained up, her right arm ripped from its socket before it wound up resting by the windows leading to outside. Black spikes pierced through B RS's counterpart's legs, breaking through the armor and flesh at various angles, like swords being forced through a box. There was no crown resting overturned on her head, but blood streamed down the left side of her face, her hair covering up where her left eye used to rest, and that alone was a statement that Icicle was making. To say what Icicle did was inhumane is correct, but Saya would never, and really couldn't, say that to her unless she wants her life threatened, and the last thing she wants is for Yuu to feel like she got betrayed.

"I admit, I went too far, but considering what I was aiming for..." Icicle trailed off, looking to the side.

"Either way, making her one of us is probably easy, right?" Saya wondered, cocking her head to one side.

Icicle seemed amused by the question, if her reaction was an indication, "I almost broke Mato using her and her fear almost a week ago, but this presents itself as more of a challenge"

Icicle heard some mumbling coming from I.B RS, causing her to walk towards her, "What was that..?"

".. Ki.. ll..." I.B RS mumbled out, her right eye focused on Icicle.

"Hmm, speak up, clearly and precise now," Icicle commanded.

"I want.. to... kill you..." I.B RS let out, managing a glare with her one eye.

"I'm afraid that is nothing more than a dream for you, but you wouldn't know that," Icicle told I.B RS, remaining apathetic on the outside, "But I must admit, your pain tolerance is exceedingly high, even here in the world I put in limbo"

"You have to commend her on her bravado, that's one juggernaut that just won't give up," Saya commented, crossing her arms.

"Yes, I do," Icicle admitted as she stared up at I.B RS, a small smile gracing her lips, "In fact, I would agree with you that tonight isn't a complete loss..."

Saya blinked, never expecting Icicle to say that tonight was a success, despite what she already said, "Wait, what..?"

"She is a juggernaut, so I wonder what will happen if I became something similar," Icicle said.

Saya could feel the room's temperature dropping as Icicle started caressing I.B RS's left cheek, causing the so-called juggernaut to growl at her before being silenced with a single glare. There was something about the rapidly changing mood that unsettled Saya to no end, and she knew this was stemming from Icicle and her attitude change about what she tried to obtained, and what she managed to get. The mood was growing even more unsettling as Icicle started walking around I.B RS, to the point that Yuu could feel it as Icicle merely examined the berserk other self. Icicle stopped staring at I.B RS and looked back at Saya, who was staring at her like something was starting to make sense, but it was still eluding her. It didn't matter though, it will all come to light in a moment, and that moment will shift the dynamic of the upcoming course of events that has yet to take place.

"Saya, sometimes, to know your enemy, you must become like them," Icicle told her, resting a hand upon I.B RS's chest, "What I'm about to show you will shift every future outcome, and make me what has never existed in the Otherworld: a living god..."

Saya could feel her eyes widening at what Icicle just said, "What, but that's impossible..!"

"Not for me," Icicle commented before looking at I.B RS, "What was once a curse, is now a blessing, you'll be the end product of me and the future for this world, shame you won't see it come to light"

"What..?" I.B RS said, confused.

"An existence is what drives other selves and Anomalies, but for you and me, your existence is now voided," Icicle said, "But don't worry, besides, I'll appreciate the new skin, especially if it gets me to break Kuroi Mato, something that you haven't done..."

Before I.B RS could say anything else, she could feel Icicle push her hand inside her, despite the pain that would normally go with it being nonexistent to her, all until she felt the malevolent other self getting closer to her. It didn't feel right, even when the black spikes disappeared from her legs, something wasn't adding up until she noticed that icicle was disappearing. At first, I.B RS didn't think much about it until pain started coursing throughout her body, but there was no physical mark showing what was causing it. Saya's gasp caught I.B RS's attention as she looked at icicle, who was now at eye level with her, her red-orange eyes glowing brightly around her transparent form that started pushing its way into her, and that's when the pain intensified. Icicle's words didn't make sense at first, but I.B RS now knew what she meant by her existence now being voided, her body still has its usefulness, but it's her that isn't needed anymore.

"Oh my..." Saya said as she watched I.B RS's body thrash around.

Saya didn't know what was happening to I.B RS, but it seems that whatever it is, it's more painful than anything Icicle has inflicted so far, and that's putting it mildly given what the malevolent other self is capable of. She could only watch the body thrash around before it all came to a stop, and she wanted to go over and check up on it, but after seeing all that, Saya wasn't sure. A moment later, the chains disappeared and I.B RS's body dropped to the floor, not moving a single bit as Saya shook herself and started walking towards the body. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but that changed as she noticed a finger twitch before the remaining hand closed into a fist, prompting Saya to back away from the body as it slowly got up, the damage that Icicle inflicted healing itself. Saya tripped over her feet as she watched the right eye open, showing a red-orange color to it before it reverted into the trademark violet that was signature to I.B RS alone.

"Devouring her existence was a rather amusing spectacle in itself, but it seems I've gained something new," Icicle's voice came out from I.B RS's lips.

Saya eyes showed fear and slight joy in them, "Icicle..?"

"In the flesh, so to say," Icicle said as she walked towards the severed arm, grabbing it and letting it hover a few inches away from the body.

In an instant, black tendrils pierced into the severed arms before pulling it in, attaching it to the body, "Ah, there we go..."

Saya could only watch Icicle flex her new right arm before speaking, "How, what..?"

"I killed the juggernaut and took her body as my own," Icicle said as she reached out with her right hand, black smoke rising from it, "Destroying existences is what I'm capable of, if I choose to have it done"

Saya could only watch as from the black smoke, an eye rested upon Icicle's hand, which she took a hold of and started planting into the empty socket, pushing it in before parting her hair and rolling the eye around to adjust it before it settled in. Saya was grateful that Icicle was still active, but what she managed to witness placed doubts in her head, doubts that were multiplying as she finally thought about who she was helping out. She got brought out of her thoughts when a shadow loomed over her, Icicle staring at her before grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and pulling her up, her violet eyes glowing with intensity before shifting to Icicle's own red-orange eye color. Saya didn't need to guess what was going through Icicle's mind, considering her expression said it all as she appeared displeased with her, and given how doubts were forming, Saya knew they're related. Icicle let go of Saya's shirt before grabbing both sides of her head, her eyes narrowing as Saya's merely widened in shock and slight disbelief.

"I don't appreciate doubts forming, especially when my strongest solider is having them," Icicle told Saya, her eyes glowing brightly.

Saya gritted her teeth, "How do you expect me to handle something like that, this isn't something I could just ignore if it will affect us as a group?!"

"It won't, not after I'm through with you," Icicle stated, her grip on Saya's head tightening slightly, "From here on out, you will put emotions aside and be my eyes and ears, my own destructive weapon..."

Saya could feel something numbing her head, but fought against it, "N-no.. I... you already have..!"

Icicle growled slightly as she applied a bit more force into her words, "You will become my personal weapon, you will ignore all emotions and devote yourself to me, and no one else.. do you understand..!"

"Gah.. no..." Saya murmured, but that was enough of Icicle to guide one of her hands down and plunge inside Saya.

"This is my command, obey it!" Icicle roared, her power wreaking the classrooms as the shadows smashed anything near her.

A small gasp escaped Saya's lips as black markings raced up her skin, her eyes turning momentarily into that of Gold Saw's as Icicle started rewriting her mind, cooling down somewhat as she slowly retracted her right hand from Saya. Saya couldn't feel anything while Icicle was affecting her, but it didn't matter because as soon as Icicle started the process, it ended with her dropping Saya to the floor with an expression bordering between bordem and satisfaction. Icicle stared down at her before gesturing to Saya with her finger to get up, which the woman did as she opened her eyes, her brown eyes glazed over a bit as she merely stared at her commander. There was something at the back of her mind that she couldn't make sense of, or even understand what it could be, which caught the malevolent other self's attention as her eyes narrowed at her subordinate. With a snap of her fingers, Icicle managed to get Saya's attention back to her, which was all she needed as her eyes glowed, shifting back into their violet color.

"Dispel all thoughts plaguing you," Icicle commanded, which caused Saya to stiffen for a moment.

"Y.. yes, commander," Saya said, her voice monotone compared to how it usual is, "What is next for me..?"

Icicle walked towards the center of the desolate classroom, "Head home with Yuu, but don't showcase the new you, that will only cause speculation to form from within"

"As you command," Saya replied with a bow of her head before heading out of the classroom.

Icicle looked towards the blackboard that managed to withstand a few blows, reaching out with her right hand towards it as electricity coursed up her arm. For a moment, Icicle wondered what she needed to make use of her new powers until she watched the signature weapon to I.B RS, the Insane Cannon Lance to appear, her hand entering it as she grabbed the handle. Tightening her grip, Icicle started slashing away, testing out the massive weapon that she can now wield before pointing it towards the blackboard, her eyes focusing on the dry-erase slate. Hearing a click, she watched as a spread of energized bullets got fired from the weapon, destroying the sides of the classroom before annihilating the wall with the blackboard rested, showing the next room, but Icicle stopped firing before the attack could destroy it too. Icicle stared at the weapon before making it disappear, shards of violet and red-orange fading to the ceiling as she looked back at the destruction, a small smirk gracing her lips as she thought about what she could do now.

"It seems this game of ours will resume, Dragon Slayer," Icicle thought to herself, flexing her right hand, "Except now, I'm the one who's winning..."

Icicle dropped her hand before disappearing in a haze of black smoke, ready to carry on from where self left off almost a half hour ago.


Author's Note: I'm sorry, I really am but nothing will make up for what I did in that last segment. I mean, if you thought that there's no way I could make Icicle more terrifying, then you were wrong, and I might even toss myself into the bunch, if it wasn't for the fact that this idea was already in my head before I even started working on this about my inspiration being Edgar Allen Poe, I'm pushing limits to their maximum potential, all while trying not to cross some invisible fine lines. Either way, this chapter is out and I have a general idea of chapter 8, but I can't spoil anything for you guys. Please review and I will see you all next chapter.