By most accounts, Minazuki was not the bravest of people around. Sure, he had his certain moments of courage—and those he could count on one hand. Now, Minazuki was torn between two paths as he hid behind a large rock at the edge of the forest. Part of him wanted nothing more to run in after Maron—no, she was Kaitou Jeanne now—and protect her from whatever it was she was reluctant to face. He hadn't needed words to know she was afraid. For a split second before she entered the building, the look on her face had given her away.

He had never known Maron to be afraid. Of course, he was never looking for that sort of emotion in her. When he would gaze in Maron's direction, he longed to see some sort of admiration and devotion in her actions and words, the same that he had for her.

But things had changed recently. Even though Minazuki felt stronger, bolder in Maron's presence, it was not her presence alone that made him feel that way. No, as he had come to understand his true intentions and feelings lately, he realized that it was also Miyako that gave him courage. In fact, Miyako was more opinionated than Maron, sometimes too opinionated, really. But he still felt drawn to that sort of power, probably because he lacked it himself.

So if it wasn't Maron he cared for, had he been attracted to Miyako because of her strength all this time? The thought scared him. She was always out running after Jeanne, thinking up a new plan nearly everyday to catch the witty thief. Minazuki laughed to himself, knowing what he did now. If only Miyako knew...

That thought stopped him short. If Maron was right and Miyako was being held prisoner somewhere in the museum, then she would most certain find out the truth—if nothing happened to her first.

Interesting thoughts came to mind as he contemplated his decision. He used to think he would do anything for her, even catch that blasted Sindbad for her. But since she was Jeanne and she was good, did that make the other kaitou good or bad? Even if he no longer sought Maron's approval, he figured he could at least honor his promise to her by catching the other kaitou.

Minazuki suddenly froze. He heard a rustling in the woods behind him, and it wasn't the wind. He started to panic and shut his eyes as he slowly turned around from his hiding place. Would he fight? Could he?

He wasn't so sure he wanted to find out.

When Minazuki was almost certain that someone would take him as they had taken Miyako, he heard the steps move away from him as quickly as they had come. He hadn't been noticed. As he opened his eyes to see who had passed him, his eyes widened in shock.

Sindbad was here, and he was heading for the museum.

Headed for Jeanne.

But not if Minazuki could help it.

Chiaki instinctively followed the path Maron had taken through the woods to get to the museum. It was like a sixth sense to him now, following her wherever she went. He couldn't help it; he had to protect her from the evils she was about to face whether she liked it or not. That girl could be so stubborn, he thought to himself for the umpteenth time.

But stubbornness would not keep her alive. Not this time. It might prolong the inevitable, but it could not stop the hand of death. Not when that hand belonged to Fin Fish.

The love and sense of duty he felt for Maron was almost overwhelming to Chiaki. Not since the death of his mother had he felt so strongly towards anyone or anything. All along, he had been telling Maron the truth when he said he would do anything to protect her. This was his whole reason for becoming Sindbad. When Access chose him, the tiny angel knew something like this would happen all along.

Now, after all the mistakes, it was time to prove Access right. Not that Chiaki would ever admit it, of course.

"Sindbad!" A voice suddenly shouted out from behind. Chiaki whirled around, surprised to find Iinchou standing there. What was he doing here? Did he follow him to the museum? Saying anything more to Iinchou might give Chiaki away, so he chose his words carefully. "You shouldn't be here. Someone might get hurt."

With a look of determination on his face, Minazuki approached Chiaki. "You're not going any further," he told the kaitou. "I won't let you lay a finger on her."

Chiaki was confused. Did he mean Miyako? Of course he wouldn't harm her; he was going in to help save her. Iinchou was obviously mixed up. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Sindbad! You're only going in there to find M—Jeanne." Iinchou caught himself before he could reveal Maron's identity. "I won't let you harm her. I once promised someone that I would catch you before you could do any more wrong, and now I have. You're not going anywhere."

Chiaki held back a laugh. Iinchou was partly right and partly off his rocker. "I really don't have time for this," the kaitou responded. "I've got to get in there before something goes wrong. Don't you want your friends to be saved?"

"Of course I do!" Minazuki burst out. "But having you go in there will only do more harm. I've seen how Jeanne acts around you. She hates you. She tries to avoid you at all costs. Why don't you get a clue and leave her alone?"

Chiaki was so surprised at Iinchou's outburst that he started to laugh. The kid had more guts than he thought. "Because if I leave her alone, she will die. Same with Miyako. Is that what you want?" When Iinchou didn't answer, Chiaki turned to leave, but Iinchou grabbed his shoulder to prevent him from doing so.

"All my life, people have laughed at me. I always took it because I couldn't think of anything better to say. But this time, I won't let you laugh at me. I won't let you leave. And I certainly won't let you go in there and harm Jeanne!" Years of pent-up frustration in Minazuki came roaring out as his fist flew back and slammed into the side of Chiaki's face.

Chiaki saw stars amid his shock from being punched. Normally he was able to dodge such a move, but this time was different. No one, especially him, expected Iinchou to hit anyone. And what a hit! He could already feel his cheek and lips starting to swell up. The bitter taste of blood was on the tip of his tongue. This would definitely sting for a while.

He brought a hand to the side of his face and rubbed the affected area tenderly. "Man, Iinchou, I never knew you had it in you." From the look on Minazuki's face, he wasn't sure if Iinchou was more surprised that he had actually hit someone or that his punch had connected.

But Minazuki wasn't looking at his hand. Instead, he stared directly into Chiaki's eyes, the shock of the whole incident evident on his face.

"Chiaki-san? You're Kaitou Sindbad?"

Chiaki moved his hand to his mouth, where the cloth that previously covered half of his face now hung limply to one side of his face, stained with his blood from Iinchou's punch. Damn. There went another one. He lost more of those masks in one week...

"Why you? I thought you loved Maron! Does she know? Why do you torture her?" Minazuki interrupted the unmasked kaitou's thoughts.

Chiaki let out an exasperated sigh, wincing at the pain. "Look, Iinchou, I know there's a lot you don't understand. And as for hurting Maron, none of it was done intentionally. You just happened to see some of the rough spots." He scoffed. "Okay, a lot of the rough spots."

"That still doesn't explain why you did it!" Minazuki retorted.

"Iinchou, I know you want the truth!" Chiaki exclaimed, rubbing his bruised jaw. "Think about it this way. Every minute I spend out here telling you the truth, that's one less minute I have to get inside and help Maron fight off the very evil that is going to kill her. I'm losing time out here trying to explain stuff to you that will take longer than days for you to understand! I know you want to know everything that's been going on. Hell, there's stuff that I don't even understand yet. But let me ask you this. Do you want Maron to die? Do you want Miyako to die?"

"No," Minazuki choked out.

"Then let me go to her. Once this is all over, then we can explain things to you."

But before Minazuki could say anything in return, the two heard an ear-piercing scream coming from the direction of the museum.

Chiaki's blood froze. He knew that voice all too well.

"MARON!"

"Miyako... please be safe. I'll be there soon." Jeanne called out lowly, not wanting to give away her presence to anything lurking within the shadows of the dark interior. Knowing Noin had a part in all of this, it was probably all a trap—more than likely, really—but she couldn't risk the safety of her best friend. If she couldn't save Miyako... who could?

"You were never good at concealing yourself, Jeanne. It's a good thing I'm here, close to you."

Jeanne whirled around quickly, startled by the break in the silence she had been trying so hard to create. She raised her hand to strike away anything in close proximity.

From behind, Noin caught her right fist easily, as if she had been moving in slow motion. "I never expected you to be so weak, Jeanne. But then, you aren't the real Jeanne anyway. You're just a fake, a fraud. Pretending to be Jeanne is only a facade to keep people from seeing how weak you really are."

She nodded. "You're right, I am weak. But there's something you've forgotten. You don't know me as well as you knew the first Jeanne, Noin."

Noin raised an eyebrow. "And what do you mean by that?" he asked skeptically.

Jeanne smirked. "Unlike the original Jeanne d'Arc, I'm left-handed." Before he could comprehend that, she drove her left fist deep into Noin's solar plexus, literally knocking the breath out of him. He collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.

Jeanne placed her boot on Noin's neck, feeling his body tense beneath her foot. "I could crush you and put an end to your miserable life right now, Noin. But I won't. And it's not because of any weakness, either. When it comes to protecting those dear to me, I'm stronger than you'll ever know."

His eyes closed, admitting his defeat. "Go ahead," Noin whispered hoarsely. "Make it a swift blow. I only wish to leave this cursed existence. My death at your hand would be an honorable one."

She grimaced. "I will not kill you, Noin. After all, you made a deal with me to give me back Miyako. But now that I have defeated you, you must keep your word."

Noin stood up slowly, breathing in deeply while recovering from the blow Jeanne had given him. "I will take you to her, but I cannot give her back to you. My wretched master has your friend in her power now. You must defeat her to get Miyako back."

"'Her'? It seems you have a soft spot for women after all, Noin," Jeanne replied playfully.

He didn't smile. "Once you see her, you will know why I wished you to grant me a swift death. This time, I will not follow." He pointed towards the darkened archway at the other end of the room. "Go. She is waiting for you."

She began her journey down the dark corridor, using a hand against the wall to guide herself. Suddenly, a hand landed on Jeanne's shoulder. She instinctively whirled around, grabbing the stranger's wrist and flipping backwards, pinning the stranger against the wall. "I should have known you wouldn't keep your word about following me. You will not touch me again, Noin! If you leave yourself open, do not think that I will hesitate to kill you this time!"

The offender let out a fierce cry of pain. "Dammit, Jeanne! You just never give up, do you?"

Jeanne did not relent. "And you never learn, Chiaki. Stop sneaking up behind me, and maybe for once I won't attack you!"

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

Jeanne rolled her eyes and let go of Chiaki's wrist. "Shut up."

He then took hold of her hands before she could move away. "All right then, I'll promise you one thing."

She looked skeptically at him. "And that would be what?"

Chiaki smirked suggestively. "Next time I get to pin you to the wall."

"Oooh!" Jeanne whirled out of his grip, giving him one of her steady glares, but he brushed it aside like it was nothing. "Can't you be a little more serious at a time like this? Noin said 'she' was waiting for me, and I don't need you messing with my head right now!"

Chiaki nodded soberly. "I didn't think Fin had it in her to meet with you so soon. I figured we'd meet up with several of her minions first, in order to wear you down."

Jeanne stopped, frozen in her tracks. "Fin? Is she really responsible for taking Miyako? No, it cannot be true! Not my Fin Fish!"

"Think about it, Jeanne. Remember what Access told you. The Fin Fish you knew is gone. She is a Fallen Angel, and will do anything to stop the Maiden of Light. That's you. Don't you see? She will kill you."

All of the pieces of the puzzle came together in Jeanne's mind at that moment, and she failed to suppress the pain in her heart. A painstaking sob escaped from her lips, and she laid a hand against the stone wall to brace herself. "Oh, Fin... what have you done?"

Finally at the end of a long corridor, a faint light shone through a doorway. Jeanne started to enter, but drew back momentarily. Chiaki grasped her arm to steady her. "Are you all right? Will you be able to face her?"

"No," she whispered, feeling some of the fear pulse throughout her body. "Truthfully, I don't want to face Fin as she is now. I wish I could remember her as she was. But I must face her now, or nothing will ever change. I won't get Miyako back, and I can't live with a guilt like that. I will always live in fear if I turn away now." Her hand came up to cover Chiaki's hand. "Besides, I have you here, and you've helped me see what I've been missing all along."

"A handsome man?"

Jeanne playfully punched his side. "No, stupid. Even though I keep pushing you away, you don't leave. You've shown me that I'm truly not alone. Having you by my side has given me courage I didn't know I had. It's that courage that makes me believe I can face Fin now. Will you stay with me now?"

Chiaki kissed her temple. "Always."

"Me too! I'm going to help too!" Another form appeared behind Sindbad. Jeanne was startled to see a full-sized Access standing there.

"Access? What in the world? You're... you're HUGE!" Jeanne reached out to touch his silky black wings.

Chiaki chuckled and Access frowned and folded his arms. "What? What's so funny, Sindbad? The joke's on you, you know. You can't bully me around now that we're the same size."

"It's just strange to see you so big, that's all. How did it happen?"

Access shrugged. "It was all kinda sudden, really. I asked God to help me find a way to protect you and Jeanne and at the same time help Fin too. Then BAM! I got huge." Access flexed his wings. "Now I can truly help!"

"It's time," Chiaki said solemnly.

"Once we go in, I'm not turning back," Jeanne replied. "I've come too far now." She grabbed the hands of the two figures flanking her. "As long as we have each other, we will prevail!"

The three of them crossed the threshold into the dark, cavernous room. A single candle at the other end gave off a faint light, but it wasn't enough to ascertain their surroundings.

A low, bitter laugh suddenly echoed off the walls. "Well, well. I knew Noin was too weak to fully wear you down. And still, you came looking to be destroyed. You are a fool, Maron. A weak, misguided fool, thinking you have the power to best me. But I will have the victory here tonight." A form appeared in the faint candlelight, revealing the green-haired fallen angel.

"Fin!" cried Access, taking a step reaching out a hand to her. He was met with a blast of her dark power and he fell back against the doorway. She laughed again. "Full-size or not, you don't stand a chance against me, Access Time."

"Fin, it's time to stop this," Jeanne responded quietly. "Come home."

"Shut up! I have no home with you. This is where I must remain, at the side of my beloved devil-sama," Fin snapped.

"But why?"

"Why?" Fin repeated bitterly. "I chose my path, Maron, as did you. Taking the hand of devil-sama was all my doing. After seeing what I had done, I was hungry for the power to live and I fell from Heaven because of it. Do I wish I had never done it? Not anymore. I wanted to live so much that devil-sama respected me for that. Now I have more respect from devil-sama than I ever did from any other angel in Heaven. More respect than I ever got from you."

"I always respected you, Fin," Jeanne said with a quiver in her voice. She took a step closer to the fallen angel. "Why do you think I went and Checkmated all of those demons, when I had no drive, no ambition to do anything else? It was because of you. All because of you. You guided me every step of the way, held my hand when I was too scared to face the demon on my own, and I hated every time you sent a notice without telling me first. But it gave me purpose. I felt important. I felt needed. I hadn't felt needed since before my parents left. Miyako did the best she could to include me in her family gatherings, but it was never the same. So when you came to me and told me I was the reincarnation of Jeanne d'Arc and that God was counting on me alone to save the world, I finally realized this must be my purpose. I was left alone so that I could do the work of God without any distractions. And you helped me see that. I tried my best to respect you, Fin. I'm sorry it wasn't good enough."

"Don't come any closer, Maron," Fin sneered. "Your monologue has proved nothing. I won't let you make me part of your cycle of self-pity again. For too long I tried to make you see that you were loved, and you would never believe me. 'I'm alone,' you always said. 'Even though I have Fin, I'm still alone.' You had Miyako to protect you, but you were alone. Chiaki came into your life, and you still thought you were alone. That is where you have gone wrong, Maron. You're alone because no one can be close to you. You won't let anyone in that deep into your soul. You resent everyone who has ever left you, and you pity yourself for that. So now I will make the cycle you started complete. I will make sure you are alone. Forever."

Fin gathered her borrowed power in her hands and threw it in Jeanne's direction, intending to purge herself of this weakness once and for all. But to her dismay, it merely bounced off the kaitou's body, dissipating in the darkness. Her anger grew. "Why? I don't understand! I hate you, Jeanne! I hate you! I want you to die!" she seethed. "But even the strongest wave of my power isn't touching you. I know you cannot still be that pure. Not with him here, so close to you," she insinuated, throwing a look in Chiaki's direction.

Chiaki opened his mouth to protest, but Jeanne raised a hand to stall him. "Anything we have or have not done is none of your business, Fin. Ever since you chose to leave my side and betray me for the devil's power, he has been there for me. Though I shoved him away time and time again, he remained true. Not even you can say that now. And yet... I suspect there is still a glimmer of love in you."

"You're wrong!" Fin spat angrily.

Chiaki came up from behind, placing a hand on Jeanne's shoulder. She felt his warmth resonate through her body, felt it surround and envelop her soul, and she simply smiled, catching Fin off guard. "I'm not. And do you know why?" She slipped her hand beneath the fold of her kimono and withdrew something small and white. "This is how I know." Jeanne held out her hand for Fin to see. In her palm lay a tiny white feather, glowing faintly against the darkness of the room. The very same feather that Fin had given her to protect Jeanne from the evil demons.

Fin froze, knowing what that feather represented. A sob choked back the anger in her throat. "Why?" she asked, dropping to her knees. "If I wasn't good enough for heaven, and now I'm not good enough for devil-sama, why do you still believe even after all I've done to you?"

"But that's just it, Fin," Jeanne replied quietly, taking a small step toward the fallen angel, even though Chiaki's hand on her arm tried to prevent her from moving forward. "You are good enough. God trusted you to guide me on my mission to save His precious souls. I don't think He would have entrusted me to your care if He didn't have faith in you."

"Faith in me? A fallen angel? Ha, that's rich," Fin retorted, as she attempted to stand up. She will the evil power within her to gather in her hands once more to attack Jeanne, but stopped when she caught sight of the white feather still clutched in Jeanne's hands. Damn that feather. Another reminder of her cursed past and non-existent future.

Jeanne was only a few strides away from Fin at this point. Chiaki slid his hand around her waist to stop her. "Don't go any closer. If you touch her, the evil power within her will only harm you. Please, whatever it is you're going to do, don't, Jeanne."

She turned around in his embrace and smiled softly. "Thank you for protecting me, Chiaki. And don't worry. I won't let her take me away from you and the others. I know now how much I need you." Jeanne traced the side of his face with her hand, leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently. "But there's one thing I must do. I feel it's the only thing left. Forgive me, Chiaki."

Jeanne turned and faced Fin again, willing all the strength inside of her to gather together. She took a deep breath and looked straight into Fin's steely gaze. "The devil never loved you as God did. As I do now. And I'm going to prove it to you, Fin Fish." Jeanne reached up and pulled the ribbon from her ponytail, releasing her divine transformation. Now as Maron, she tied the ribbon around the white feather. "I give you my holy power that was given to me from God. Now you will be released from the clutches of the devil and finally be free." Maron tossed the items in the air, allowing them to land at Fin's feet.

Fin smirked. "Oh, you're going to regret this, Kusakabe Maron. Giving up your power will not save you, or me. Nothing can save me now!" She yelled as she picked up the feather and ribbon, intending to destroy it.

What she did not expect was the flood of warmth and love washing over her entire body. Fin could physically feel the borrowed power of the devil retreating from her limbs, dissipating into the darkness where it had been created. It hurt, more so than anything had ever hurt her before. "What is this? What is happening to me? What have you done, Maron?"

"'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,'" Maron quoted. "You have been my dearest friend for so long, Fin. How could I not save you?"

The pain consumed Fin's body. She crumpled to the floor, trying to focus on anything but the agony within her. Maron fell with her, reaching her arms around the angel's body. Access approached and did the same. Fin looked her hands, noticing they were becoming transparent. "I'm disappearing," she whispered sadly, tears coursing down her face. "After everything I've tried, I will fade away to nothing after all."

"No, you won't," Maron replied, filling Fin's heart with a glimmer of hope. "God's power will allow you to be reborn as all the other angels have been. You have been forgiven, Fin Fish, and this is your reward."

Fin turned to look at Access and began to sob. "Do you forgive me too, Access, though I've caused you nothing but grief and heartache?"

Access traced a finger down Fin's cheek, wiping away her tears. "Always, my dearest Fin. You know I've always loved you. Don't forget me, Fin Fish. You hear me? Don't forget me!"

Fin smiled and closed her eyes. "I'll find you again Access. I promise..."

Maron and Access both cried as the body of Fin Fish faded away from their sight. Chiaki slid his arms around Maron to comfort her. He murmured into her ear softly, "Come on. I think there's someone else you need to see." He pointed off into the corner of the room where the prone body of Miyako lay. Maron wiped her face free of tears and scrambled to her feet. She was at her best friend's side in moments. She took Miyako's hand in hers, willing the girl to wake up. "Miyako, it's me, Maron. Please wake up. You're safe now. Please..."

Miyako began to shift slightly, then let out a soft moan. "Oh, my head..." Her free hand came up and settled on top of her hair. She blinked several times to clear her vision. "Maron? Chiaki? What are you doing here? Where did the green-haired freak with wings go? How long have I been here?"

Maron let out a sigh of relief, knowing that her friend was unharmed by the amount of questions she was asking. Always the daughter of a detective. She wrapped her arms around Miyako. "Her name was... Fin. She took you to hurt me. But Chiaki and I... we took care of her. She's gone now." Maron swallowed the sorrow she felt as she said this. Fin was truly gone. But strangely enough, she also felt at peace. She knew she could have never fought her little angel. "I'm so glad you're safe!" Maron hugged her tighter.

Miyako smiled and returned the hug. "I'm glad, too. Thank you for coming to rescue me... Jeanne."

Maron gasped and Chiaki just stared. "You—you knew? But how?"

"I've suspected it for a long time, especially when you would disappear suddenly." Miyako slowly sat up on the crude pallet. "Not to mention your acrobatic movements. But even if I was right, I couldn't let anyone else catch you." She pointed to herself proudly. "I'm the daughter of a detective, remember? Nothing gets by me!"

Maron started giggling and Chiaki snorted. "And you had how many failed attempts at catching us? Last count was around 36, I believe," he said.

"Us?" Miyako echoed. She stared at him, then recognition dawned. "Sindbad. Can't believe I didn't see that right off. Let me tell you, a whole lot more makes sense now." She suddenly focused her attention behind Chiaki. "But that-that thing behind you doesn't make sense. You've got another winged freak standing behind you, Chiaki. Do something!"

Chiaki glanced behind him. "Oh, him? That's Access. He's kinda the counterpart to what Fin was, but he's harmless. Not set on mayhem and destruction by any means."

"Harmless?" Access stamped his foot. "I'll show you harmless!" He moved to jump on Chiaki, but suddenly there was a POP! and Access was back to his tiny form. "Aww, man! That's not fair. I was just getting used to being big." He grinned. "But I can still annoy you!" He lunged for Chiaki's ear and started tugging on it. Chiaki reached up and flicked Access away with his fingers, sending the tiny angel flying through the air.

Miyako watched the interaction with bewildered amusement. "I have no idea what just happened right now, but I'm really glad it's all over."

Maron reached down and helped her friend up to her feet. "Me too. We'll fill you in on the rest on the way home." She leaned over and took Chiaki's hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. "Let's go. I think Minazuki might still be waiting for us outside. He was worried about you too, Miyako. I think he likes you."

"He does not!" Miyako shoved Maron away playfully, knocking her into Chiaki's arms. She stuck her tongue out at the two of them. "Don't you dare mention it to anyone either." Then she reached out and looped her arm with Maron. "Look at that, I've finally caught the elusive Kaitou Jeanne!"

The three friends laughed and started to walk toward the exit. "C'mon, you two. Take me home. That word has never sounded so good."