Chapter 11
The Death of Miranda Maynard

Miranda and Mikoto/Meiko exchanged a variety of punches and kicks; they started to grow weary. Miranda let out a knee to the gut, while Mikoto/Meiko smacked her with a back hand. Miranda staggered down and screamed. She rushed towards Mikoto/Meiko and swung her arm at her. She ducked. She grabbed her and threw her down to the ground. Miranda stumbled down and stood up. She then grabbed her sword and swung at her with a fireball. Mikoto/Meiko dodged it and fired an energy ball towards her. Miranda dodged it and leaped over Meiko.

"Pathetic…" Miranda grinned, "Is that the best you can do?"

She glowed in a reddish hue and jabbed her in the shoulder with a backhand. Mikoto/Meiko blocked the attack and head-butted her in the face. Both girls were bleeding; they got up and were in pain.

"Who do you think you are? You're trying to stall!" Mikoto/Meiko shouted.

Miranda held her sword and shield high and did her stance. Mikoto/Meiko turned to Eri and was smiling evilly.

"Oh… don't worry… if I leave this world, I tend to take a life with me!" She snuffed.

She pointed at Eri and her hand glowed. Her hand was engulfed in a blackish cloud. Miranda gasped.

Eri whimpered, "No… NO!"

Harima cried, "Rich Girl!"

Hanai shouted, "SAWACHIKA!"

Erika cried, "Eri, run!"

Eri was terrified; she couldn't move. Mikoto/Meiko smiled evilly and began to fire.

"No… Eri…" Miranda thought, "Meiko, you fiend. I have to do something! If I do… maybe Meiko will fall to us."

"DIE!"

"NOOOOOOO!" Eri shrieked.

She fired a dark energy at Eri, but…

"ERI!" Miranda dashed toward Eri.

She ran in front of her and was blasted severely in the chest area. Harima, Hanai, Erika, and Yakumo gasped in horror.

"No, Mira!" Erika cried.

Miranda was succumbed to the blast. She collapsed to the ground and as motionless. Eri approached her and tried to wake her up. But she couldn't get up.

"No… Miranda, I'm sorry. I believe you…" Eri sobbed, "No… don't die…"

She felt her pulse. Miranda… was dead. Mikoto/Meiko succeeded.

Eri wept in tears, knowing that she died. Yakumo sobbed, as well. Harima was growling in anger, while Hanai staggered up. Erika saw what transpired and punched the ground.

"NO! Mira!" She wailed, "No, you bloody idiot! Why did you go and do that?"

"Oh, Miranda! NO!" Yakumo cried.

"Miranda…" Harima thought.

All Mikoto/Meiko do was giggle in joy; she laughed loudly and let out a demonic look on her face.

"I… I did it! Miranda Maynard is dead! I win!" She cried in joy.

Harima and Erika stood by each other and were very angry.

"You murderer!" He cried, "You've finally succeeded, but we'll have to end you!"

Erika then hollered, "You killed the best friend I ever had."

"Oh, cry me a river, you losers," Mikoto/Meiko chortled, "Pity… I have finally succeeded. Now… my soul has found refuge in this sexy body. But now… now it is time to claim her soul!"

Erika charged at her and smacked her in the face. She jumped back and cried, "I won't let you!"

"Even if we stop you," Harima added, "Miranda will rest in peace! And it's your fault!"

She then shone a darkish black around her and shouted, "Too late… no one can stop me now."

They charged at Mikoto/Meiko and attacked her in a 2-on-1 assault. Harima let out a kick and Erika let out a punch. Mikoto/Meiko blocked both attacks. She then swung her kick at them and sent them flying into a tree. She approached Harima, but he was ready. He sidestepped from her and nailed her with a knee to the side. In a flash, Mikoto/Meiko jumped up and flipped over Harima. He then turned around and was nailed in the face with her punch. Harima stumbled down and fell on one knee. Erika and Mikoto/Meiko began fighting; they exchanged attacks, with each blow blocked.

Yakumo watched on and was in tears.

"Harima…" she prayed, "Please be okay…"

She approached Eri, who was by Miranda's dead body. She held onto her and cried.

"Oh, Eri-senpai, I'm sorry about Miranda," she whimpered.

"It's okay; she tried to save me… and now, Meiko has her in her clutches. I knew one day that this would happen; but never to a friend of Whiskers's."

"Erika and Harima got it under control," Yakumo sniveled, "I hope they'll make it in thirty minutes."

But when Mikoto/Meiko staggered back, she fired a barrage of dark shots at them. Each hit connected and both Harima and Erika fell. They were in pain and not moving.

"Whoa… I guess even for a 500-year old poltergeist, she packs a wallop of dark energy," Erika moaned.

Harima groaned, "Now would be a good time to call an undertaker."

"Bite your tongue, Whiskers…" Erika growled.

Mikoto/Meiko smiled grimacing and walked towards Miranda.

"Now… to collect my prize," she snickered, "And to think I made you the guinea pig to lure you in the death of Miss Maynard."

"Please, no!" Eri pleaded, "Don't do it…"

"Out of my way, blondie," Mikoto/Meiko snuffed, "I came to collect now. Your heroes have ALL failed."

"How dare you? Even for a ghost, you have no mercy!" Eri cried.

"I said get out of my way! And when I said for you to move, I mean…"

She smacked Eri in the face with a backhand. She fell to the ground in pain.

"ERI-SENPAI!" Yakumo shrieked.

Eri, who was in pain, snickered in a quiet manner.

"Don't make me kill you!" Mikoto/Meiko demanded.

"Mikoto… you're still inside there, right?" She whispered, "Please… fight it. Save yourself… Mikoto…"

"You're trying to control me?" She snuffed, "HAH!"

She raised her hand and tried to pounce at Eri.

"DIE!"

"ENOUGH!"

The scream echoed around the entire forest. The girl who gave the scream was Yakumo; she got up, and was shaken in anger.

"You… you…" she whimpered.

Mikoto/Meiko halted and looked at Yakumo. She was rather confused at Yakumo's anger.

"Oh? What's wrong, young Maynard wannabe? You're just angry about me killing Miranda Maynard. Maybe now you can become her… in spirit, anyways."

Yakumo clutched her fists extremely tight; she bit her lip and huffed and puffed, like Miranda.

Eri panicked; she was scared by Yakumo's anger.

"What's wrong with-? No… you couldn't be…?" Mikoto/Meiko stammered.

"You…"

"YOU BITCH!" Yakumo screeched, as she charged at Mikoto/Meiko.

She socked her in the face, very hard; she dropped to the ground and was bleeding. Yakumo tackled her and punched at her repetitively, screaming in unintelligible speech.

"No way!" Eri thought aloud, "I've never seen Yakumo that angry."

Hanai looked up and saw Yakumo in a violent rage.

"No way… Yakumo is defending Miss Maynard's demise! This is so sudden!" He cried, "My lovely Yakumo! YOU CAN DO IT! GIVE HER HELL!"

Mikoto/Meiko tried to block the punches, but was completely damaged in the face. She then started to growl and huff. She broke away from her rage, by throwing her to the tree.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" She screeched.

"NO! YAKUMO!" Hanai hollered.

Yakumo was out cold. That blow to the head knocked her out.

"YOU INTERFERED IN MY PLANS FOR THE LAST TIME!" She screamed, "NOW YOU DIE!"

Hanai grabbed onto Mikoto/Meiko and tried to drag her down. Yakumo recovered and was very crossed. Mikoto/Meiko tossed him down and stomped on his neck. Yakumo grabbed her by the neck and tried to suffocate her. Mikoto/Meiko tried to break free, but couldn't.

"How dare you?" She cried, "Miranda was Harima-Senpai's friend! Why would you do such a terrible thing? Have you no remorse?"

Mikoto/Meiko sneered, "Remorse? I think it's very obvious: I want to live again… and dominate Argos (And, maybe Japan)!"

"MONSTER!" She screamed, and socked her in the chin. She grabbed her blouse and held her up towards her.

"I may be somewhat of a shy girl; but when thugs hurt my friends (especially my sister), that's where I am pissed off!"

She continued to punch at Mikoto/Meiko.

Meanwhile, Eri prayed for Miranda, who was still dead.

"Please… please be okay in the afterlife," she whispered, "Miranda Maynard, you're dead will be avenged. And when Meiko is gone, you can fight her again. Rest in peace, Miranda Maynard."

A lone tear dropped from her eye. It fell on Miranda's cheek. Suddenly, she started to glow in a white aura. Eri looked on and was shocked. Miranda opened her eyes and sat up. She looked around and saw Eri. She then let down her long brown hair, removing her ribbons and goggles.

"Eri Sawachika, I presume?" She asked Eri, in an older female voice.

"Miranda?" Eri asked, "You're alive?"

She got up and saw Yakumo holding Mikoto/Meiko in the neck. She told Eri to wait here.

"I got this. The blighter thinks she can kill me and my sister and gets away with it… she has another thing coming, I say."

"Miranda! Wait!" Eri cried.

Miranda ignored her plea. Eri thought about her and wondered why she would walk away, and also wondered what she meant by "Kill me and my sister…"

Yakumo finished punching Mikoto/Meiko, but she slapped her around. Yakumo fell to the ground, in pain.

"Really? Is that all you have left in you, you smarmy little tart?" She scolded.

Miranda appeared and saw Mikoto/Meiko, laughing at Yakumo.

Erika looked up and saw Miranda, with a wound on her chest. She thought aloud, "M-M-Mira?"

"AHEM!" She coughed, "Excuse me…"

Mikoto/Meiko was frightened by Miranda's voice, except she didn't sound like Miranda.

"Meiko… I have been through a lot of these battles before, but you bloody well think that I would let a girl like you tarnish the Maynard tradition?"

Mikoto/Meiko gasped, "That… that… that voice… no… it couldn't be…"

She turned around and saw Miranda, with her long brown hair down. Her eyes were bluish, similar to her sister, Sara.

"No… No… No!" She stuttered.

"I'm back, Sorceress!" She giggled.

"NO! NOT YOU!" Mikoto/Meiko screamed.

Erika got up and saw Miranda alive and well… except that she wasn't the same Miranda Maynard she knows.

"Mira? What are you-?"

Harima held her and suggested to stay out of this one.

Meiko, enraged, was shouting at Miranda, "I… I KILLED YOU! HOW? WHY? WHEN? YOU ROTTEN LITTLE DOLL!"

"I took the liberty of doing this little method you've used on your guest body. It's a good thing little sis gave me the heads-up of your shady tactic; but, being in possession of a buxom young woman, which is almost your size, that's just so wrong."

Erika thought with tears in her eyes, "No… is that?"

Harima was shocked, "WHO? Her little sister?"

Eri was in tears; Hanai was scared stiff.

"Maynard's gone crazy!" He cried.

"You cannot escape faith, Meiko," Miranda continued, "I've waited an eternity, or rather 13 years, to get back at you! I was gonna beat your arse for killing me down in the underworld, but you never showed yourself, eh what? She owed me a favor; because when you want my only sister's soul, well, that's where I draw the line! Meiko Hildenhauser III, it is time you meet your maker at the original hero of Argos! Allow me to send you back to the underworld, and this time, I won't make that mistake again!"

Miranda held her sword high and began to shout:

"I am the hero of Argos! I am… Sara Maynard!"

Everyone gasped. Mikoto/Meiko was cringing in fear; Miranda Maynard's dead body was possessed by Sara Maynard's spirit. And the weird part was that Sara is controlling her body. But why?

"What the hell is going on?" Eri thought in concern and anger, "She really is a freak!"

To Be Continued…


"This is Eri Sawachika. No way… how in the world does that so-called heroine become a possessed spirit? I mean, Mikoto is possessed by a lunatic with black magic! But… I GET IT! Whiskers and Miranda are stalling for time now to save Mikoto! ALRIGHT!"

Next Chapter: Sister of Miranda?

"Hmm… I didn't know Miranda had a sister; until now."