Chapter 8: The End of the Struggle


I stood on the edge of what appeared to be an enormous clock tower, staring out over a large town with the fading horizon in the distance. The world had distorted my apparel to a large black cloak complete with black leather gloves, pants, and boots. Taking a few steps back so as not to fall from the large structure, I reclined against one of its support pillars and sighed in regret. 'E' was more likely than not to be a horrifying monster in this world like she was in the last, and I was almost entirely to blame. If only I could remember her name…remember that time from the long past where things were different, where we were happily and hopelessly in love. Yes…the two of us were in love. We as closely bonded as anyone could be. I knew for certain that was true. I found myself reflecting on my so called sister, and how I had acted toward her in the previous life. True, she had caused much if not all of the misfortune that befell me and the others, and her actions became the catalyst for 'E''s outburst, but it seemed that she truly believed she was doing what was best. Somehow, I couldn't help but feel that Hisana would act like this without an extremely important reason. Something, or perhaps someone might have been forcing her to act this way. Someone who was desperate to keep me and 'E' apart.

"Well, try as I might…" I sighed to myself. "I'll never figure anything out just by sitting here."

Having restored my focus, I stood up. I had to find 'E' and try to fix things between us. The mere thought of what her sorrow and anger might make her do was enough to cause me to immediately bolt to what looked like an exit. No sooner had I reached it, however, than a familiar silver haired woman burst through it. She was dressed in similar attire to myself, and looked incredibly distraught and defeated, as though she too had suffered a deep emotional wound recently. Upon laying her darkened grey eyes upon me, her expression became something between absolute fury and what seemed like...jealousy. Before I could even try to speak, she grabbed me by my collar and threw me back into the center of the platform.

"You…it was you, wasn't it? It was you who made her lose control!" she snarled at me, stomping toward where I lay in stunned confusion.

"I didn't mean to hurt her! I tried to make her understand that the feelings between us still exist, that I was still hers, but…I failed. I couldn't remember her name."

The silver haired woman's anger seemed to rise at this, and she picked me up again so she could glare straight into my eyes.

"Ever since you came into our lives, you've caused nothing but trouble for me and her majesty! Every hour of every day, she was obsessing over you, always thinking of you, a mere human who didn't even deserve to be graced with her presence! Because she loved you, she was constantly in danger, she was always risking everything just so she could be with you! And because you shared her feelings, because you became the sole object of her concern…"

Tears began to stream rapidly down her face as her voice became hoarse with suffering.

"Because of that…I lost the only thing I ever wanted. You stole her from me, you made her blind to my true feelings, you made it impossible for her to think of me as anything other than a friend. You destroyed my dreams, ruined my happiness. Damn you, human! Damn you for making me lose it all!"

The truth behind her words made the guilt I felt almost double in size.

"You love her…" I whispered.

She didn't bother to look me in the eye. I knew purely from her downcast expression and the vast amount of tears flowing from her eyes that I had spoken the truth. All the strength seemed to leave her arm, and she dropped me back onto the ground.

"I tried to steal her back…" the silver haired woman said quietly. "I thought that if I used the meddler's potion, if I made myself look like you, then she could finally love me instead. But even though it was a facade, she never lost sight of her feelings for you. I wanted to be hers…I wanted so badly to be the one closest to her heart…but I couldn't do it. I couldn't betray her like that, when I knew that it would never be I with whom she would share her happiness. So I told her the truth, and was relieved of both my position…and our friendship. I did this, because even though I despise you and your bitch of a sister with every fiber of my being…"

Despite the sorrow in her voice, she managed to force a small smile at me.

"I know in my heart that the two of you are meant to be together. So I ask you, human," she shook her head. "No, I beg of you, Shinzo. Please save her majesty. You're the only one who can free us from this cycle, you're the only one who can put her heart at ease."

I stood there before her, awestruck at her confession. Feeling tears of my own begin to form, I solemnly nodded in acceptance.

"I promise, I will do whatever it takes to regain my memory and save her. But, what about you? How can I ever make up for all the hurt I've caused you?"

She shook her head at me.

"My life no longer matters. If I do manage to return to my homeland, then I will have to forge a new future. It will not be easy…400 years of unrequited love is a pain that will not quietly disappear. But that is not your concern. All that matters now is ending this blasted cycle and reuniting you with her majesty."

"I couldn't agree more."

The next thing I knew, I was covered in a large spray of blood that did not belong to me. The silver haired woman's gaze slowly fell upon the oddly shaped blade protruding from her chest. Behind her, 'E' stood with an aura of pure darkness surrounding her, the only thing visible was her amber eyes that now shone with rage on place of passion.

"I should have known you'd try to take Shinzo from me as well, Fumeiyona. You've already proven to me how great your jealousy and displeasure of her is. But, luckily for me, I was able to put a stop to you before any more damage could be done. Now, get out of my way."

With that, 'E' flung the silver haired woman from her blade, leaving her to collapse in a lifeless heap. As I stared at the corpse I horror, I heard her laugh in an unusually sinister tone.

"Such a sad little girl. Always wanting what she can never have. Well, now she won't stand between us any longer. She can rot in hell with Hisana."

At hearing my sister's name I turned back to her. The moment I did, I saw that nearly all of her clothing was drenched in blood, as was the strange spear with a black heart bearing an 'X' through it as a spearhead in her hand. A sadistic smile spread to her lips as she seemed to recall something undoubtedly cruel committed by her own hands.

"It's strange, really. I never thought I could enjoy hearing someone scream for mercy as much as I did with her. You should have seen the look on her face as I ever so slowly drove this spear through her cold black heart. You'd think she would have expected nothing less from me after the hell she's put us through. Well, it doesn't really matter, because now it's finally just you and me, Shinzo…"

As the darkness that surrounded her intensified with twisted joy, she walked towards me, blood stained hands outstretched and that same wicked smile on her face.

"No one's stopping us now…we can finally be together…I love you so, so much…my sweet Shinzo…"

"No…"

She paused at hearing me, probably not expecting rejection. But I was damned if I was going to let the woman who swore that I was the most precious person to her let her feelings twist her into something so horrible.

"I won't…I won't accept this! This is not you! The person standing in front of me now, soaked in the blood of her closest friend and my foolish sister, is not the person I love!"

'E' furrowed her brows in frustration.

"You dare deny me, after I showed you the power I possess? You refuse my feelings, and yet claim to know them? You would force me to further endure this godforsaken torment, and risk losing you forever? No…I will not allow this…there is no room for your defiance…my time has grown too thin, I cannot afford to lose you now!"

Furiously, she grabbed my hand and took out her wedding ring.

"I told you, did I not? I will force you to come back to me if I must! I can't lose you again! You two are all I have left!"

I didn't have time to ask what she could have meant by 'two'. The moment she tried to force the ring onto my finger, I desperately punched her. The sheer shock of my sudden action caused her to take a few steps back.

"You…you hit me…"

"Get a hold of yourself! This isn't the real you! I don't need my memory to know that the woman who made me her lover would not murder her friend and try to force her feelings on me! I know I have upset you, but unless you calm down and explain things to me, we'll never be able to reunite!"

It seemed my words were reaching her, because the dark aura surrounding 'E' weakened drastically as her gaze turned toward the floor.

"I…I…I just…"

She looked back to me again, now with the light fully restored to her eyes.

"I just want this madness to end! I want to be with you, forever and ever! I want us to be happy! I don't want to do this! I don't want to kill anyone! I hate it! I hate not being able to take you back! I need you to remember me! I can't stand this torture anymore!"

Unceremoniously, she dropped her spear and placed her hands on my arms, staring deep into my eyes.

"Please Shinzo! I'm begging you! I need you! There's no room left for mistakes anymore, there's no time for me to wait for your memories to return! I only have two more chances to get it right! Please!"

I could see the desperation in her gaze, but though I desired nothing more than to end the countless lifetimes of pain and loss contained in those amber eyes, my mind refused to relinquish the memories I needed.

"I'm trying! More than you realize, I'm trying to remember! But something always stops me, something always gets in the way of my recovery. I don't know why, but I just can't remember! I want to, but my mind won't let me! You have to believe me!"

She went so deep into thought at this, that it became impossible for me to figure out whether or not she believed me. We remained standing like this for a time, until at last she spoke.

"You say…that something has been blocking your memory? Preventing you from accessing the parts that are missing?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

"…and you are certain, that you absolutely cannot recover these memories on your own?"

"I have tried everything I can think of. The memories still won't come back."

'E' closed her eyes and hung her head in regret.

"Then there is no alternative…this world will no longer suffice, it lacks the means to aid us. All we can do…is try again in the next one, and hope that we can finally succeed."

Reluctantly, I nodded in agreement. Judging by the sound of things, there would be only one chance left after this next world, and if we failed then…I could only imagine what tragedy might befall us. So as 'E' retrieved her weapon and thrust it through the both of us, I prayed that I would at long last find the truth in the next world.


Where I was, I didn't care. Why there were military personnel walking around me and monitors showing reports of giant monsters labeled 'kaiju', it was of no concern. All I knew was that 'E' was waiting for me at the end of the hall, standing alone next to a strange device. For once, her form was purely human, though her regal authority still hung about her. As I joined her by the device, she acknowledged me with a hopeful smile.

"I've looked into this machine." she said. "It seems it is just what we need in order to recover your memories. Or at least, the next best thing."

"What exactly does this thing do?"

"The humans here use it to train their pilots to form a neural link that allows them to see into each other's minds, thus intermingling their memories. Although how that has anything to do with fighting giant monsters is beyond my comprehension. The point is that even if you can't remember, I can. If we use this device, everything may become clear."

"Are you sure it will work?"

In response, she lifted one of the two headsets connected to the device and held it out to me.

"There's only one way to find out."

Reluctantly, I nodded and put on the headset. She did the same, and we sat down next to each other. 'E' activated the device, and soon enough I began to feel a strange sensation running through my head. I closed my eyes, and focused all my willpower on bridging the gap between her mind and my own. The next thing I knew, the world had completely changed around me. I could see another version of myself, or at least I thought it was me, desperately drawing symbols into a large circle on the floor of what I could only assume was a basement. Upon finishing the circle, the other me stood up and opened a dark book with the same symbols as the circle printed on its cover. After chanting something in a language I didn't understand, a pillar of fire erupted from the now glowing circle. The sudden burst of heat blew the other me on her back, then slowly faded, leaving a tall silhouetted figure standing where the fire had been. The figure slowly opened a pair of bright amber eyes, and stepped out of the circle. Now that she was in the light, I could see that it was 'E', the real 'E'. As usual, she towered over me by just over a foot, only now she had a pair of large ram horns and a long vertebrae like tail that swished back and forth behind her. Truly a queen among demons... I thought as the other me regained her composure to rise to her knees before 'E'.

"Do you know who I am, human?" she said.

Other me nodded.

"Yes, oh mighty devil queen."

"Then I assume you must have something important to ask, considering you summoned ME out of all the others in my domain."

"I do, your majesty."

'E' raised her brow in interest, then nodded at other me to begin.

"It's my sister...she left to fight in the war with the barbarians, and now she is fatally injured. I have tried every spell I know, but none are powerful enough to save her. Please, oh ruler of the land of death, please spare her! She is the only family I have left! Please! I will offer you anything, anything to save my sister! She does not deserve to die so young!"

As if ti further emphasize her desperation, the other me lowered her head to the ground, groveling at 'E''s feet. The devil queen looked as though she were about to simply ignore the request, giving the other me a look of disdain, but then she saw my desperate tears dripping to the floor. Her gaze softened, and she knelt down to lift my face so that it was only a short distance from hers. Upon a closer investigation, I could see a faint blush against her dark skin.

"Beautiful..." she whispered just low enough that other me couldn't hear.

"What?"

"Nothing. What is your name?"

"S-Shinzo, your majesty."

"Shinzo...what a lovely name."

"Your majesty?"

'E' stood up, taking me up with her so that she was holding me by my shoulders as she gazed down at me.

"Shinzo, in exchange for your sister's life, you swear that you will do as I command?"

Other me nodded again, this time slowly.

"Anything. As long as you can guarantee she will live."

"Very well. Then as payment for her life, you are to cater to my whims until the light of day strikes this house. Is that clear?"

"Yes...your majesty. I swear...I swear that I will obey."

"Very good. Now for your first task, tell me...what do you think of me?"

The other me looked up at her in confusion.

"Your majesty?"

"Well? Do you find me grotesque? Vile? Intimidating? Does my form frighten you? Answer, and do not dare to speak anything but the truth."

"Y-Yes your majesty! Um, let's see...you're..."

'E' eagerly awaited an answer as the other me took her time looking over the devil queen, taking in every inch of her beautiful body.

"You're...gorgeous."

"I...I am?"

"Yes...you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen..." the other me lowered her gaze in disappointment. "I wish there were a mortal woman who looked like you, then I might have had a chance being with such a beautiful woman..."

Realizing what she had unintentionally confessed, the other me looked back up.

"Uh...I mean...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say something so strange. As I'm sure you just guessed, I...like women."

The statement only seemed to excite 'E', as she raised a brow in interest.

"Oh? Is that so? And my being a demon is the only thing that would convince you otherwise?"

"N-Not exactly...were you any other demon, then I would gladly try for you. But because you're an immortal, the ancient laws-"

"Apply only if I were to give you a child, and that would normally only refer to men."

"Normally? Wait, are you saying that you can impregnate women?!"

"Just like my father, who was female like my mother, I have the proper equipment to produce an heir. It is a necessity for someone of my stature."

As if to prove her point, 'E' snapped her fingers, and in the next instant her clothing had vanished from her body. Now the other me could see everything, even that which set 'E' apart from all other women. To the devil queen's surprise and interest, the other me did not back away in disgust.

"You are not frightened by...'it'? Even though I'm not like other women? Even though I'm an immortal?"

"No...I don't know why, but...I just can't be afraid of you...I can't help but feel as though I am enraptured by the sight of your body..."

'E' then gave off an expression filled with hope.

"Does this mean...you are...attracted to me?"

"I...I suppose...it does..."

"Does that also mean, then, that you would be willing to...mate...with me?"

The other me froze for a moment at that. I could feel the anxiety and nervousness coming off of her as she took a deep breath, then smiled at the devil queen.

"I am to obey your wishes until dawn, am I not? If you wish for me to lie with you, then I will gladly obey. After all, how could anyone deny such unrivaled beauty?"

'E' paused at first, then her expression became soft and warm as she smiled.

"Do you truly mean that? You're not just saying that because of my status?"

"You told me to be honest, and I gave you my honest answer. Do as you wish, your majesty..."

Without another second's hesitation, the other me shed her clothing, and walked naked up to the devil queen to take her hands and press herself flush against 'E'.

"For now, I am yours."

So passed the day we met, and the first time our bodies became one. All through the night, 'E' and I made love in every way we knew how, until the fateful hour of dawn came. 'E' rose from the blanket that had served as our bed on the otherwise cold basement floor, softly running her fingers through other me's hair as her clothing rematerialized. Slowly, other me's eyes opened, and a warm smile grew on her lips.

"Your majesty...I...I think I might have fallen in love with you..." her gaze then shifted away from 'E''s startled face. "Forgive me...I have a habit of speaking how I feel at the worst of times, it seems. I already know that an immortal goddess is forbidden to carry on a relationship with a mortal such as myself. I know that because of your spell, I will having nothing more than the memories of last night to remember you by. It will be sad...to not be able to feel your touch again after you leave. I wish there were no laws that could keep me from being with you. That is, if you even feel the same way towards me..."

The devil queen stared long and hard at the other me, clearly deep in thought. I knew that my words had struck something deep in her, for when she turned to where our hands sat intertwined, her grip tightened protectively.

"It does not have to end this night." she said with fierce determination. "Though you may not think it, I too...have grown rather fond of you, Shinzo. The laws set down by my ancestors and the light gods forbid any immortal from having children with a denizen of the mortal realm. However, they do not say that I am not allowed to love you!"

She knelt down beside other me, who was now looking up at her in surprise.

"I must confess, Shinzo. You were the first woman I have ever laid with. I may be thinking irrationally right now, but my heart tells me that you and I were destined to be together. My heart has never led me astray, and I can find no trace of deceit in that of your own. If we love each other, then should we not meet again?"

"Your majesty...are you telling me that we should...that you and I...?"

'E' nodded.

"We will carry on this love, which shall remain unknown to all but you, me, and my most trusted friend. Do not worry, those who have earned my respect are forever loyal to me, and will never betray me. However, I will not come back to see you if you are too afraid of the consequences should we be discovered. I will understand."

"Your majesty..." other me's eyes filled with tears of joy, just before she pulled the devil queen into a tight embrace. "How could I decline such an offer? Of course I'll do it! As long as I can be with the one I love, then I don't care how hard it will be!"

The two of us kissed passionately, and then the world began to change. As images of the passage of time soared around me, the real 'E' spoke.

"Our words that night became the catalyst for our love. Over the next year, we would continually visit one another. Sometimes I would visit you in your realm, and sometimes I would bring you to my palace in the underworld. We talked, we played, we made love, and bit by bit we became inseparable. Each time we became one, I would enchant you so that we would not have to worry about any unplanned children. But I grew careless, and one night I forgot to cast the enchantment..."

The world finished shifting to where 'E' and the other me sat on her bed in her palace. Other me was stroking her belly,staring at it apprehensively while the devil queen tried her hardest to keep calm.

"What are we going to do, my dearest? If the light gods find out..."

'E' remained silent for a moment, then turned around and clasped the other me's hand.

"They will not find out! I won't let them!"

"But...when the child is born...how could they not notice?"

"I..." a pause, and then her determination returned. "Wait...that's it!"

"What is?"

"There is a way to protect you and our child from the light god's judgement. If the two of us were to marry, then by the ancient laws our bond would prohibit their interference. They'll never be able to harm you then, and we can go on living to raise this child. I swear on my life, I will not let them take you from me!"

The world changed once more, and again the true devil queen explained.

"We made plans to marry a month from then. Everything was going as planned, we were almost there. Then, a few days before our wedding, we were discovered by the med-...by your sister, the one called Hisana. She saw us, and sent a prayer to the light gods, informing of what we had done. But she didn't know that you were with child. If she had, perhaps it might have turned out different..."

The shifting came to an end as 'E' and the other me stood in a brightly lit palace with tall, golden celestial beings glaring down at us from their thrones. The light god that appeared to be the ruler stood up from his seat.

"Devil queen." he announced in a voice laced with power. "You have defied the ancient laws set down by the immortal gods of light and dark many ages ago. By courting a mortal, you have placed the world in danger of losing its fragile balance, and so have condemned it to death! To prevent this tragedy, punishment must be enacted!"

'E' growled and stepped between other me and the light gods.

"If punishment must be dealt, then do so on me! I will accept whatever is necessary, but in return I ask that you spare this woman! No, you must spare her!"

"You forget yourself, fallen one. True, you must be punished for your deeds, but we cannot allow you to die. There must be a ruler of demons to oversee the souls of the dead. This mortal, however, will die for her actions. It is the only way we can ensure you will not try this again."

In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, a spear of light flew past 'E', and skewered the other me. The devil queen slowly turned, just in time to see other me fall backwards.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Quickly, 'E' ran over and knelt down beside other me.

"Stay with me!" when the only response she received was other me choking on her own blood, she turned to the light gods. "Please, stop this!"

"You have broken our laws, fallen one. You will accept our judgement, or you too shall suffer her fate." all of them replied.

"There must be some way we can be together! Please, I beg you! Don't take her away from me!"

The devil queen cradled the almost completely limp body in her arms as tears flowed down her face.

"Please...she's the most important person to me...nothing else matters..."

"...and why should we do as you ask?"

"Because..." the sadness in her eyes gave way to rage. "Because you have also broken our laws! This woman was with child, a child whose life you have now extinguished! All life must be allowed to see the light of day, but you denied it that chance! Grant me my wish, or I shall exercise my own right to punish each and every one of you for your insolence!"

There was silence as the light gods silently debated with each other, all the while the other me's life was slipping away. Before she faded, the other me used the last of her strength to whisper into the devil queen's ear.

"No matter...what happens...I will always love you...Evelyn."

And with that, her life, and my reminiscence, came to an end. Both of us kew what happened after that. Both of us knew what terrible futures awaited us. But, now, now I knew. I finally knew what became of my past. And...now I remember the name of my beloved. The visions of our shared past came to a close, and when once more I opened my eyes, both the devil queen and I were floating in a void of pure light, back in our original forms.

"Evelyn...I remember now...I remember everything..." I said.

She smiled sadly at me.

"My name...it's been so long since I've heard you say it..."

We floated toward one another, and embraced as we drew near.

"Evelyn...let's put an end to this. It's time we freed ourselves from this nightmare."

Happily, she nodded, and produced our wedding ring.

"Shinzo, with this ring, I pledge myself to protect you from harm, to love you forever, and to reclaim that which both of us have lost. Shinzo...will you marry me?"

I felt a smile of my own grow as pure joy spread throughout my entire being.

"I will, my dearest Evelyn."

As the ring slipped onto my finger, we closed the distance, and were engulfed by the light around us.


"UNACCEPTABLE!"

Before we even knew what was happening, both me and Evelyn were transported to the palace of the light gods. The golden beings all scowled at us with immeasurable fury, standing up from their thrones and barring their teeth.

"THE DEVIL QUEEN CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO MARRY A HUMAN!"

"An why not?!" a familiar voice called.

All of us turned toward Hisana, who appeared beside me with the silver haired woman slung over her shoulder. My sister gently lay down Evelyn's friend before returning her gaze to the light gods.

"Why shouldn't they be allowed to be together? How exactly will their union bring about the end of the world? Explain!"

"Ignorant mortal! You serve us, you have no right to-"

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT!"

The sheer volume of her normally reserved voice caused all other voices to fall silent.

"I have done as you asked, I have committed countless atrocities against my own kin and the one who loves her most hundreds of times! And why? Because you told me that the two of them being together would bring about an age of darkness! But I look at them, and all I see are two people who are undeniably in love with each other, two souls who wish only for a brighter future full of peace and happiness! I have earned an explanation! Now tell me why you refuse to accept this love!"

The light gods remained silent, just as stunned as the rest of us. After a few moments, one of them stepped forward.

"Young mortal, the reason we cannot allow this supposed love to be is simple. If an immortal god were to mate with a mortal, and produce a child, then that child possess the power of the gods. In turn, every offspring produced by that child would also possess that power, and so the cycle would repeat until all mortals are the same as gods! We would no longer be able to guide them!"

"So...that's why, huh?" a weak voice said.

All of us turned to see the silver haired woman, who now had a small pair of forward arching horns on her head, struggle as she rose to her feet.

"You were just afraid that you'd lose your power over the other worlds. How pathetic..."

"Fumeiyona..." Evelyn said in surprise.

The silver haired woman smiled faintly at her.

"I won't let you fail this time, your majesty. You can be sure that I'll keep to that promise."

Fumeiyona then stood beside Hisana as they both glared at the light gods.

"Such petty gods-, no, you're not even gods! You're nothing but overgrown children who can't stand not getting what they want!"

"Furthermore," Hisana added. "You violated your agreement with the devil queen by not only sending me along to interfere, but also by stealing Shinzo's memory!"

"Too many times have you broken your word, so called gods of light..."

"If you demand that justice be done for the crimes of careless immortals..."

Both Hisana and Fumeiyona turned toward Evelyn, smiling expectantly. Evelyn returned the smile with a tint of wicked pleasure, as an aura of divine light shone down on her from the heavens.

"THEN SO SHALL IT BE!"

And with but a wave of her hand, all of the light gods were ensnared in the divine light.

"I HEREBY STRIP YOU OF YOUR POWERS, AND I CAST YOU INTO THE ETERNAL CYCLE OF DEATH AND REBIRTH! YOU SHALL EXPERIENCE MY PAIN, FOR ALL ETERNITY!"

The light gods screamed out in fury and protest as they were cast away, never again to carry out their selfish desires. The punishment now dealt, the divine light of the heavens left Evelyn's body, and she turned her gaze back down on me.

"It's over...it's finally over...now we can go back to the life we wanted..."

I shook my head.

"Not yet. There's still something that needs to be taken care of."

I turned to my sister and Fumeiyona.

"What will become of you two?"

Hisana smiled apologetically at me.

"I will return to our world, and devote myself to becoming an agent of peace. I'm tired of fighting for pointless cruelty." she then shifted her gaze to Evelyn. "Devil queen...I know it may be impossible for you to forgive me, but please, let me apologize. You and Shinzo deserve nothing more than to be together, as it should have always been."

As if to emphasize her apology, Hisana got down on her knees and bowed at Evelyn's feet. The devil queen stared at my sister in surprise, which then turned to amusement.

"I don't know, with such an apology laid before me...perhaps I'll think about it."

Hisana lifted her head, and nodded in agreement. Then Fumeiyona stepped forward.

"Your majesty...I am sorry for how I deceived you. I'm sorry it took something so wicked to make me realize how perfect you and Shinzo are for each other. I'm sure you'll both be very happy together."

The silver haired woman then lowered her gaze.

"I don't know what future awaits me, but for now I will return to our home. Perhaps...I will be able to find a new life..."

I looked at Evelyn, wondering how she would react to this. She paused for a moment, then put a hand on Fumeiyona's chin and lifted her gaze.

"That won't be necessary. Your place is at my side, as my friend and advisor. I can't give you my love, but I can help you to find someone else who can."

The silver haired woman's eyes filled with tears of joy at this.

"Your majesty...oh thank you...thank you so much!"

Evelyn nodded, and then turned back to me. I nodded at her, and the four of us joined hands as a light began to take us back to our home. The devil queen smiled.

"I love you, Shinzo."

And at last, I could answer back.

"I love you, Evelyn."


THE END


A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the story! Please be sure to review, and thanks for sticking with this to the end! Untilwe meet aagain! Dark Novelist out.