Gakupo's luminous eyes glistened with fresh tears as he watched the horror unfold before him. Luka staggered down the stair well, ignoring her injuries. She was absolutely enthralled with how the whole dilemma panned out. Gumi simply returned her brother's ardent gaze and circled around to face Luka once more, bat in hand.

"I won't let you hurt him." she declared, hefting the steel bat onto her shoulder and wiping blood away from her battered nose with the back of her hand. That solid resolve was what made Luka so ecstatic. She held the machete aloft, close to her lips and sighed, breathing deeply of the copper fragrance that emanated from the blood on its blade.

"Oh, this is the most fun I've had in years..."

Gumi winced, staring back at the older woman with disgust. "H-how many people have you killed?"

"Corpses don't tell secrets." A miniature knife flew away from Luka and whizzed along until it met with the scratchy surface of Gumi's bat, spinning out of control until it crashed into the circuit breaker behind its owner. She glanced over her shoulder and whistled, "You've got quite an arm."

But Gumi was no longer standing directly in front of her. She'd vanished.

"Eat steel, bitch!" The girl hollered from the side, swinging her bat and narrowly missing her legs. Sparks flew from the circuit box and illuminated the battlefield as Gumi scrambled in the opposite direction, narrowly avoiding Luka's sweeping machete. With the celerity of a frightened rabbit, she scaled a tower of old boxes, out of the blade's reach.

Luka growled under her ragged breath, clearly exhausted, "I just can't stand it when people cheat."'

Gasping, Gumi hopped onto the washer as Luka's well-trained leg struck her the base of her refuge, knocking every box into the floor below. Grinning, Luka caught her by the arm before she could escape again, and clamped her hand over the girl's mouth. She dragged her away from the washer by her head and back to their initial position before Gakupo.

A hellish shriek echoed around the cellar as Gumi sank her teeth into her attacker's hand, gnawing and gnashing at her milky skin until blood gushed from the new wound. Scurrying behind Luka, she retrieved the fallen knife near the breaker box and ran to her brother's aid.

"It's okay, aniki. I'll get you out of here..." she whispered and took the knife's serrated blade to his bindings.

Gakupo's eyes widened as Luka drew nearer, her face hot with rage. He screamed through his gag, endeavoring to alert his sibling. But his muffled warning came too late; Luka reached behind the cement pillar and plucked Gumi out by the hair of her head. Grunting, she slung the girl across the room and into the washer. A low giggle reverberated from her throat as she limped across the room, machete high above her head. Gumi struggled to stand up, but couldn't seem to find her footing. By this point, the outcome of their battle became quite clear.

A distant series of snaps resounded in the distance, and Luka quickly brought the machete down upon Gumi's weak, trembling form. It lingered only a few inches from the girl's face as it retracted, compelled by the force of her older brother's strong hands.

"Run, Gumi!" he called over his shoulder and backed Luka away from the washer. He cried out as Luka delivered a sharp blow to his abdomen with her knee, knocking him into the floor. As the huntress glared back at the washer, she noticed that her quarry had disappeared yet again. Glancing down, she caught a fleeting glimpse of her own demise as the girl snaked along the floor and tackled her, full-force, until she crashed into the circuit breaker. Electricity crackled and surged throughout Luka's battered body, and the sheer impact rocketed Gumi across the cellar into the opposite wall. Brilliant hues of blue and gold danced around Luka's skeletal frame as she convulsed and screamed. Her skin charred and wrinkled, her eyes bulged from their sockets and her blood evaporated into dust as she fell to the floor in a miserable, lifeless heap.

Kneeling beside his sister, Gakupo sobbed and gathered her rigid body into his arms. Her little body was riddled with wounds and bruises. He never knew she was capable of enduring so much pain. And it was all his doing. Every scratch and tuft of flesh torn away from her was done so by his hands. Burying his face into her bloody breast, he choked on his next breath, "F-forgive me, Gumi...Forgive me..."

"Ugh..." Gumi's dim, green eyes flickered open. She was lying down, surrounded by a sea of darkness. A whimper fell from her quivering lips, "Am I dead?"

A familiar voice chuckled beside her, "It's about time you woke up."

Turning her head slightly, Gumi's mouth hung open for a moment at the sight that greeted her. Gakupo sat beside her, stroking her hair. He shook his head and leaned over to catch a few stray tears that escaped from her eyes. Finally, she spoke up, "B-but how...?"

"I'm not entirely sure of that myself." Gakupo answered unevenly and glanced back at the roaring flames nestled within the fireplace, warming the atmosphere. His smile returned as he pat his sister's hand and continued in a cheerful manner, "But you're safe and sound. That's what matters."

"And Luka?" came Gumi's hesitant voice.

Gakupo averted his gaze momentarily. "There's no need to worry. She's no longer a threat to anyone."

Silence crept into the family room. Gumi was reluctant to discuss the details of her duel with Luka because of her brother's emotional state. There was guilt in that smile she cherished so, and she felt unable to rid him of it. "Aniki, I..."

"No, please," Gakupo interrupted her, overwhelmed with the sentiment. Turning his back, he stared into the fire and murmured, "I am the one who should be apologizing. This never would have happened if I hadn't brought her here to begin with, and then I didn't even believe you when you tried to warn me. I assumed it was jealousy that forced you to make those bizarre accusations..."

"Well, I was jealous, so stop it already!" Gumi shouted suddenly.

Whipping his head around, Gakupo gasped, "What?"

"It was Luka's fault, not yours. Get that through your head." Grumbling, the girl reached out and touched her brother's face, flicking him in the forehead with a faint giggle. Not soon after, her small giggle prompted Gakupo into a full bout of laughter. His guilt slowly ebbed into the flow of gratitude as he lifted Gumi off the couch and danced around the room like a mad man, laughing all the while. Naturally, his sister protested, "Hey, put me down! You'll run into something, idiot!"

He ignored her pleas and twirled around until his legs became jelly. Upon which he flopped onto the sofa and cradled Gumi in his arms, whispering into her ear, "I'm proud of you, imouto..."

Gumi flushed a vivid shade of pink and replied in a tiny voice, "And I love you, aniki..."


A/N: For the record, this is my FIRST completed story! Huzzah! Ahem, that aside, I do hope that everyone has enjoyed this. Chapter titles were inspired by the Greek myth of "Psyche and Eros." If you didn't leave a review earlier, then now would be the time! Please, please tell me what you thought! About the ending, the characterization or even the 'horror' factor (if you want to call it that.) And, above all, thank you for reading and sticking with me! :D