DISCLAIMER: CORPSE PARTY AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO TEAM GRISGRIS/GRINDHOUSE. THE ORIGINAL CHARACTER, PACKER, BELONGS TO ME.

Author's Note: My story has officially hit 2,500 views. Thanks to all of you that have taken time out of your busy schedules (trust me, I know what that's like XD) to read my story. I really appreciate it.

Without further ado, here's Chapter 11. It has a bit of a plot twist that all of you might not have seen coming... ;)

CHAPTER 11: SUPERNATURAL REUNION

(Corpse Party's Something's Coming begins playing in the background)

The silence that had permeated throughout the school for a time was suddenly broken as two people ran down the hallways. One was a girl who had medium short curly brown hair. She wore two pink accessories on the sides of her head. She wore a white sailor fuku with a green collar and a red bow, a green pleated skirt, white crew-cut socks and brown shoes, the female uniform of Byakudan Senior High. Her name tag read 'Mitsuki Yamamoto'.

Running beside her was one of her male classmates. He is a teenage male with average height and weight. He has short, semi-spiky tan brown hair with a widow's peak, and brown eyes. He wears the Byakudan Senior High School male uniform, consisting of a white shirt, a blue striped necktie, a Byzantium purple blazer, black pants, and brown shoes. He is also wearing brown round eyeglasses. His name tag read 'Masato Fukuroi'.

"I can't take much more of this!" Mitsuki yelled. "What's wrong with this school?!" Mitsuki looked behind her, as if she were looking for something or someone. "Who the Hell was that, and why is he here?! If we got hit with a hammer like that, we'd be goners!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she began sobbing. "Where's Kurosaki?!"

"Don't worry about him," Fukuroi replied. "He was just here. We'll run into him any minute now. I'm sure of it."

He was hoping his words would calm her down, but it didn't seem to work, as she let out a desperate whine.

"I hate this... I hate this!" Mitsuki yelled. "I don't want to die like that! You saw it too, right? Emi's body? Her head... her head was split wide open!"

Her mind drifted back to the image of her friend Emi Urabe's corpse. Her dark hair was matted with blood, coming from the sizable hole in her skull. Her glasses had been knocked askew and were broken, and blood was pouring from her nose and ears.

"It had to have been from that hammer!" Mitsuki shouted.

"Don't think about it, please!" Fukuroi interjected. Mitsuki let out a small sob, but nodded in agreement. They slowed to a halt and look around, wondering where they were. "Damn it, where did everybody go?!"

A soft, grinding noise caused Mitsuki to look in that direction, and what she saw nearly made her heart stop.

"Wha...?!" she gasped. "Look, Fukuroi! The hallway!" Fukuroi looked to where she was pointing and gasped. The hallway seemed to be growing longer and longer, until it was nearly twice as long as before. "It... it can't be... The corridor... grew..."

"What is going on here?!" Fukuroi wondered out loud.

Mitsuki then heard another sound coming from the other direction. Turning to face that direction, her face went completely white.

"No, no, the other way!" she shouted. "Look, down the hall!"

The sound of giant footsteps eminated from down the hallway.

"Sounds like... something's coming!" Fukuroi said.

"What?!" Mitsuki gasped.

(Corpse Party's Dead End begins playing in the background)

Then, suddenly, without warning, the slow steps suddenly broke into a lumbering run, and from out of the darkness...

"UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

...came the most eerie and frightening of screams. Before either of them could react, out of the darkness came Yoshikazu, hammer raised in the air. Fukuroi screamed in horror as he tried to run, but it was too late, as Yoshikazu brought the hammer down, right onto Fukuroi's leg, completely shattering it.

Fukuroi screamed as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his broken leg. He looked up, and saw the towering form of Yoshikazu standing over him, hammer raised once again. Yoshikazu roared in victory as he brought the hammer down onto Fukuroi's chest, shattering many of his ribs. Fukuroi screamed in his death throes as the giant brought the hammer down onto him over and over again, blood beginning to soak the ground and the point on the hammer. Finally, Yoshikazu brought the deadly weapon down onto Fukuroi's head, causing it to split cleanly in half. Several death twitches later, Fukuroi was still, never to move again.

All semblance of color was drained from Mitsuki's face as she watched Fukuroi die right before her eyes.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed, causing Yoshikazu to look up from his handiwork and gaze at her with his blood red eyes. Then, they narrowed, and he raised his hammer and began lumbering toward the frightened girl. Knowing what he had in mind, Mitsuki turned and ran back down the previously lengthened hallway as fast as she could. A few seconds later, her blood ran cold as she heard the roar of Yoshikazu behind her, before he broke into a sprint himself. Mitsuki screamed as she increased her pace, trying desperate to outrun the brute.

At the end of the hallway, she reached a set of double doors, but they wouldn't open. And Yoshikazu was closing in on her.

"No... no... NOOOOOOOOOO!" the mortified girl screamed, desperately trying to get the doors open, until finally, she got them open and dashed through to safety, for the moment.

The doors actually led outside into an annex, which connected to another wing of the school. The wind whipped violently as the rain continued to pound down onto the roof of the school, causing Mitsuki to shiver involuntarily. She tripped over a piece of wood and fell, almost hitting her head in the process.

She glanced over her shoulder and realized that Yoshikazu had stopped chasing her for the moment. She picked herself back up and looked around, realizing for the first time that she was all alone. Fresh tears came to her eyes once again, and her nerves felt like they were on fire as she slowly walked down the walkway toward the second building.

"What's happening..." she whispered to herself. "What the Hell is going on?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO US?!"

Thunder rumbled all around her as she continued walking toward the second building. Then, just as she reached the other side, she could suddenly hear giant steps leading up to the double doors she had just come from. She turned back and looked at the doors, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. However, the steps never started up again.

Taking a deep breath, Mitsuki slowly turned around...

...and was met with the appearance of one of the three ghost children. It was the female child who had her head cut off above her jawline. Mitsuki felt her skin grow cold as the girl spoke to her.

"Gihh me back my heahh..." the spirit girl gargled.

As the spirit began walking toward her, Mitsuki screamed, running back down the walkway from where she came, the ghost in hot pursuit...

(Corpse Party's Remains begins playing in the background)

Naomi stumbled away from the girl's restroom, not being able to handle the sight of Seiko's body any longer. Her eyes were red and swollen and still fresh with tears, and sobs still wracked her body from time to time. As she came to the stairwell, her cell phone suddenly rang, causing her to jump. She tentatively opened it up and put it to her ear.

"Um… hello?" she greeted.

'Help me… help me…' An eerie voice came from the speaker. Just seconds later, a new voice came through the speaker, a woman's voice.

"Naomi? Are you there?! Answer me, please!"

Naomi gasped. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.

"Mom…?" Mom! Mom, it's me! I'm in real trouble!" Naomi screamed into the phone.

"Naomi! Please, just let me hear your voice!" Her mother's sobs could be heard through the speaker, causing her to gasp as she realized that her mother couldn't hear her. "Please… just say something! I'm your mom, Naomi! God, please… don't let anything have happened to her!" And then, the eerie voice returned.

'Help me… help me… help me… help me…'

Yelling in fright, Naomi threw the phone down the stairwell. It landed with a clank at the bottom of the stairs. After she took a moment to regain her composure, she looked down at her cellphone sitting on the ground next to the stairs.

'My cell phone… does have Seiko's number stored in it… and everybody else's, too…' Naomi thought. As she walked down the stairs to retrieve it, she suddenly lost her footing and fell down the last of the stairs, landing hard on the floor. A loud 'crack' could be heard from her leg. As she tried to stand up, pain shot through her injured leg.

"Oh, God… it hurts!" Naomi screamed. 'That sound… was that… my leg?!' Her stomach growled, and she gagged as she emptied her stomach's contents, vomiting all over the floor. Just then, she heard what sounded like…

'Pull yourself together! You're a tough cookie, Naomi. This isn't like you!'

Was… Seiko talking to her… from beyond the grave? The lights in the stairwell flickered, and then went out completely.

"I'm… I'm not 'tough' at all!" Naomi yelled. "Seiko… Seeeiiikoo… I can't take any more of this! Somebody, please, help me!"

Tears spilled from her eyes and down her face as she began to sob uncontrollably. Eventually, her emotions reached the breaking point, as she began wailing in the stairwell, sobbing at the top of her lungs.

"MOOOMMY!"

Her sobs continued to echo throughout the stairwell and the adjoining hallways.

"SATOSHIIII!"

Naomi sat there in the stairwell, crying for several minutes. As she began to quiet down, she suddenly heard a scream echo from the third floor.

"SEIKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Naomi gasped as she recognized who it was. She turned and looked back up the stairs, her eyes widening in shock.

"Oh, no! That must mean… Packer knows…"

(Corpse Party's Yearning begins playing in the background)

Packer sat on his knees, sobs wracking his body and tears streaming down his face. Regret had hit him full force, regret that he had left Seiko behind, and in essence, traded Mayu's life for Seiko's. Of course, there was also the possibility that he might not be able to save Mayu's life either, and that thought only caused him more anguish.

"Shinohara's gone? But it can't be!" Ayumi exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes as well. Yui was on the verge of breaking down as well. Yoshiki could only shake his head in sadness. Naho seemed indifferent, although she sympathized with the green-haired young man.

"I'm sorry, Packer. If I had the power to bring all three of you to this space, I would've done so," Naho explained. "But regrettably, my powers are not as strong as yours are, so I was only able to bring you here."

Naho's apology and explanation did nothing to soothe the burning pain in Packer's heart. His sadness and depression suddenly turned into anger, and he screamed in a fury that was very unlike him. In a fit of rage, he grabbed hold of the bathroom stall door and ripped it off its hinges, smashing it into the ground. Not stopping there, his fist blazed with fire and he punched a hole in the wall of the bathroom stall. Still in a fit of rage, he charged over to the window and smashed it with his fire-covered fist, the glass shattering and covering the floor.

"Packer, calm down, please!" Yui begged, trying to talk some sense into the enraged Knight. Packer braced his hands on the window sill, trying to regain control of his emotions. He growled as the burning anger, frustration, sadness, and depression mixed together inside him, sending his emotions into a state of flux.

"It's not enough for me to know that the planet is doomed, but to lose the woman I love as well? …..GODDAMN IT!" Packer yelled.

Everyone present gasped at that.

"Packer… are you saying… you love Shinohara?" Yoshiki asked, stunned. Packer remained silent for a few moments before answering.

"Yes…" Packer whispered. "…and I never got a chance to tell her. She meant the world to me… and this Godforsaken place took her from me!"

Ayumi's heart twisted painfully. She wished there was something she could do to ease his pain, but she was stumped. She had never dealt with this kind of situation before, and she was unsure of what to do. Just then, she heard Yoshiki gasp. She turned to look at him.

"What's wrong?" Ayumi asked.

"What the Hell is that?!" Yoshiki gasped.

(Catch Your Breath by CFO$ begins playing in the background)

Ayumi, Yui, and Naho looked to where he was pointing and collectively gasped as well. A purplish mist, similar to the one that had been emitting from the crazed students Packer had fought earlier, was now surrounding Packer himself, causing his body to emit a dark purplish aura. Packer turned to face them, and what the group saw struck fear deep in their hearts. Packer's green eyes were blazing like fire, and the whites of his eyes were now blood red, emitting red Malice energy, and they were narrowed in a twisted rage the likes of which they had never seen before.

"Oh, my God! It's the Darkening. He's being possessed by the Darkening!" Naho shouted. She was now legitimately afraid for her own well-being, despite the fact she was already dead. It was one thing for the Darkening to claim an ordinary human, but a trained Knight of the Covenant with supernatural powers?

"Maybe I should just end it all now," Packer growled. "Maybe... it's time to show what I can REALLY do!" He raised his arms, gathering Malice energy in his hands as he did so.

Then, a blood red cloud seemed to surround Packer's form like a cyclone, covering him in a thick red veil. Red lightning bolts flashed outward, as the Malice energy surrounding Packer's body began overflowing. Then, he spread his arms outward, causing a strike of lightning to crash into the ground near the school. He turned away from the group and did so once again, causing another lightning flash. It was at this point, as the cloud of red mist began to evaporate, that the group noticed that Packer's form had drastically changed. His cape was now red with black stripes, and had a skull and crossbones in the center. His armor had changed as well, to a jet-black color, almost like obsidian, with ruby inserts complementing the armor. Skull and crossbones emblems were attached to the top of each of his boots and on the sides of his shoulder pads.

But it was when Packer turned back around to face them that everyone gasped in horror. Packer's hair was now a midnight black color, with blood red inserts. His chinstrap beard had turned red, and so had his eyes. His skin color had paled drastically, making him look almost dead, and an occult marking, with blood red colors, had appeared on the right side of his face, resembling the solar flares of the sun.

He was no longer just Packer. He was now Arcane Packer, his darker self.

ARCANE PACKER

ELEMENT: Darkness

MARTIAL ARTS STYLES: Shaolin Fist, Praying Mantis Kung Fu

WEAPON: Arcane Shiden (Long Sword with a obsidian edged blade, imbued with the power of Darkness and Malice)

KNOWN ARCANE SPELLS:

Bloody Telekinesis - A Level 1 Darkness spell in which the user can use telekinesis to move objects or people. Can be used offensively or defensively.

Dark Outburst - A Level 1 Darkness spell in which the user builds up Dark power within and explodes it outward, knocking back anything in range.

Arcane Punch - A Level 1 Darkness spell in which the user engulfs their fist in Darkness and Malice and punches their opponent.

Black Lightning - A Level 2 Darkness/Lightning spell in which the user charges up a Dark lightning bolt and launches it at their opponent. Can kill ordinary humans instantly. Is a Dark version of the Thunderbolt spell.

Black Ice Beam - A Level 2 Darkness/Ice spell that launches an icy cold beam of Dark energy at an opponent. Can freeze opponents and solid objects in a layer of black ice. Is a Dark version of the Ice Beam spell.

Black Ice Spreader - A Level 2 Darkness/Ice spell in which the user charges up a giant sphere of black ice and launches it at an opponent, causing them to freeze in a block of ice. Is a Dark version of the Ice Spreader spell.

Bloody Knee - A Level 2 Darkness spell in which the user powers the ball of their knee with Darkness and Malice and attacks their opponent with a flying knee strike. Is a Dark version of the Lightning Knee spell.

Bloody Lance - A Level 3 Darkness spell in which the user summons a giant lance powered with Darkness and Malice and throws it at their opponent. It detonates upon impact with a solid wall or ground.

Nightshade Beam - A Level 4 Darkness spell that can only be used when the user becomes overcharged with Dark energy and must expel it from their body. This spell allows the user to focus the overcharge into a single focused beam that can devastate an opponent. Completely drains Dark energy.

ARCANE WEAPON TECHNIQUES:

Malice Slash - A Level 2 Darkness weapon technique in which the user powers their weapon with the element of Darkness and Malice and slashes at their opponent.

Ayumi's breathing started to become ragged, almost to the point of hyperventilation after witnessing Packer unveil his Arcane form. If Packer had succumbed to the Darkening, and the Darkening had taken over Packer's Dark-elemental powers, their lives were now in serious jeopardy. She had to do something to reach him, to see if he was still the same Packer they knew.

"Packer-kun? It's me, Ayumi! Listen, I know you're upset, but…" she began.

"SHUT UP!" Packer yelled. His voice had deepened considerably, and had a vicious growl to it, causing Ayumi to gasp and back up in fear, especially when his enraged gaze fell upon her. "This place may have taken Seiko from me… but you… YOU!" He pointed a finger at Ayumi. "YOU were the one that decided that we do that stupid friendship ritual without knowing the consequences of what might happen! YOU are the reason we are in this Godforsaken place to begin with!"

Yoshiki knew that he was no match for Packer, but he wasn't going to stand by and let Packer put Ayumi down like that.

"Listen to yourself, Packer!" Yoshiki yelled back. "You've gone completely postal! Shinozaki had no idea that this was gonna happen! Nobody did! It's not gonna do us any good to blame anybody for us! We need to work together so we can all get the hell out of here!"

"NO, KISHINUMA!" Packer raged. Yoshiki took a step back when Packer called him by his last name. "You don't understand a Goddamn thing! Even if we make it out, it won't matter, because unless all nine of you get out alive, the world will come to an end! And because Seiko is dead, there's no way that can happen! The Earth is doomed…" His body pulsed with dark energy as he summoned a new attack. "…and with the power of my Arcane Knight form as my witness, you're gonna pay with your life, AYUMI SHINOZAKI!" Ayumi gasped in horror as Packer made his proclamation. Yoshiki stepped in front of Ayumi with the intent of protecting her.

(Corpse Party's Soul of Steel begins playing in the background)

BOSS FIGHT: THE DARKENING

"So, you think you can protect your woman, Kishinuma? How cute," Packer growled as he unleashed the dark energy that he had built up within him.

"DARK OUTBURST!"

The dark energy suddenly exploded outward from his body, causing a wall of dark energy to shoot out in all directions. The energy wave struck Ayumi, Yoshiki, Yui, and Naho, knocking them all to the ground.

"BLOODY TELEKINESIS!"

While the others were stunned briefly from the Outburst attack, Packer had powered up another Dark elemental telekinetic spell, causing Ayumi to be pulled towards him. As Yoshiki tried to get up, Packer powered up another attack.

"BLACK ICE SPREADER!"

A combination Dark-Ice elemental spell, Packer fired the dark sphere of frost at the ground, flash freezing the moisture in the air, causing a wall of ice to form, effectively separating Ayumi and Packer from the rest of the group. Yoshiki beat his fists against the icy wall to no avail.

"Packer, stop!" he yelled.

Ayumi was lying on her back, staring up at Packer like a deer caught in the headlights. She was totally frozen, with nowhere to go. Packer's Malice-filled red eyes narrowed as he extracted a glass dagger from his uniform. He twirled it in his hand before readying it to plunge into Ayumi's chest.

"PREPARE TO DIE!" Packer yelled as he brought the dagger down. Ayumi screamed as the engine of her death came roaring at her.

"STOOOOOOOOOOP!" Yoshiki screamed.

Ayumi looked away and closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable pain that would hit her chest. But it never happened. She instead heard the sound of what seemed to be a struggle. It couldn't be Yoshiki, because the ice wall was still in place. She looked back up and gasped.

Packer's right hand was on the handle of the dagger and pressing down, while his left hand was gripping the blade, trying to stop it from going any further. Ayumi looked up into his face and gasped again. Packer's right side was engulfed in black light, and his right eye was still the same blood red color, but now, his left side was bathed in white light, and his left eye had returned to its original color. The group watched in amazement as Packer struggled with his inner demons.

"What the Hell's going on?" Yoshiki asked.

"The real Packer has reemerged! He's trying to fight off the Darkening invading his consciousness!" Naho replied.

Packer groaned as he tried to regain control of his body, but the Darkening was relentless, continuing to press the dagger closer and closer to Ayumi's neck. The blade began to cut into Packer's fingers, causing his blood to run down the blade of the dagger and begin dripping onto Ayumi's neck, causing her to whimper in fear. Packer continued to pull up on the dagger, but it seemed to be no use. The Darkening was just too strong.

"Just give up, boy! You belong to ME now!"

"No! I'll never give in to you!" Packer yelled. The tip of the blade was now lightly pressing against Ayumi's neck, causing her to whimper a little louder. Packer had almost lost all hope when suddenly…

'Come on, Packer! You can't give up now!' Packer gasped. That sounded like Seiko's voice! 'Are you going to let this thing beat you, or are you the hero I know you are? I know you can do it, Packer! Believe in yourself!'

Packer suddenly found himself with renewed vigor, and he lifted the blade off of Ayumi's neck just a little bit, but the Darkening was persistent.

"You will never win against true evil, boy!"

"Yes… I… CAN!" Packer yelled vehemently. He clutched the blade in a death grip so strong, he cracked the tempered glass. He screamed as he overpowered the evil possessing his body, finally breaking free of the Darkening's grip. The dark energy was thrown backward against the wall, turning into a viscous black liquid that ran down onto the floor.

Packer collapsed down onto one knee, still hovering over Ayumi. His breathing was heavy, and sweat covered his face. Ayumi's fear was receding as she saw that Packer had regained control, and the Dark power slowly began to recede from Packer's body, returning his body and armor to its original colors.

"Packer-kun, are you okay? Are you… yourself again?" Ayumi asked.

"Yeah… I think so…" Packer replied weakly. He forced himself back onto his feet and held out a hand to Ayumi. She took it, and he pulled her up to her feet. He willed the ice wall to vanish, allowing Yoshiki, Yui, and Naho to rejoin them. "What the Hell happened? I was trying to calm myself down, and all of sudden, I felt this cold air just hit me like a ton of bricks, and I blacked out momentarily."

"You were possessed by the Darkening, Packer, and it seemed to bring out a darker side from within you. But I've never seen anyone overpower it before. That was incredible," Naho complimented.

Packer smiled at her, before suddenly realizing something.

"I heard… Seiko's voice. She was encouraging me, telling me never to give up. If it wasn't for her…" he trailed off as he couldn't complete the sentence. He knew how close he came to killing Ayumi, and it frightened him. What if the Darkening tried to invade his body again? Would he be able to fight it off?

Ayumi gave Packer a small smile, before looking past him and gasping.

"Packer-kun, behind you!" she screamed.

Packer spun around. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a dark shadow was rising up from the pool of dark liquid. A pair of crimson eyes appeared on the misty figure, and they stared at Packer with evil intent. Packer's eyes narrowed as well.

'Damn it, this thing just won't go away! I don't know if I can stop this thing, but I can at least slow it down and allow the others to escape,' Packer thought. He brought his hands together, gathering fire within them.

"You guys get ready to run. I'm going to try to slow this thing down a bit!" Packer yelled to the others.

"We're ready," Yoshiki replied.

The fireball in Packer's hands reached full strength, and he aimed it at the dark cloud that had once invaded his body.

"SACRED FIRE!"

The fireball launched from his hands at the cloud. At that instant, Ayumi thought she saw a blue light flash by. She gasped as an ethereal figure ran up to Packer and seemed to place its hands on Packer's arms. As it did so, its ethereal essence ran through Packer's arms and into the fireball that he had just released. The blue energy sent the fiery sphere into a spin, turning it into a completely different attack.

Packer gasped as the fireball changed in front of him, wondering what just happened. The fireball changed color, from red and orange to a ghostly blue as it sped toward the dark essence at the end of the room. The fireball struck the cloud full force, causing it to scream in pain. Then, to the amazement of everyone in the room, the cloud completely dissipated, leaving no trace of its existence.

Packer's jaw fell open, still stunned by what just happened, and he still had no idea why his fireball had changed like that. Even Naho was finding it hard to believe.

"Packer, how did you do that?" she asked. Packer turned and looked at her, looking just as confused as everyone else.

"I have no idea, but whatever it was, it completely destroyed what was left of that dark cloud, so I'm not complaining," Packer replied. Ayumi scratched her chin as she recalled something.

"Right before Packer threw that fireball, I thought I saw a spirit run up to him and grab him by the arms," she said. "It seemed to inject its essence into the fireball, enhancing its capability."

"A spirit, huh? Who could it have been?" Yoshiki asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Kishinuma-kun."

Everyone gasped as someone's voice echoed throughout the room. Packer recognized the voice almost instantly.

"Seiko, is it you?" Packer asked.

(Final Fantasy IX's Loss of Me begins playing in the background)

Suddenly, a blue mist appeared in the center of the room, causing everyone to take a step back. It started to take on a human shape… a familiar human shape. Soon, her image could now be seen by everyone, right down to her curled hair. Packer's eyes widened in shock.

"Hey, Packer. Nice to see ya again," Seiko said with a smile. Packer's eyes brimmed with tears as he hung his head in shame.

"So, it is true. You're no longer…" Packer began painfully.

"…alive, I know," Seiko finished, her face somber.

"What the Hell happened, Shinohara?" Yoshiki asked. "Why did you hang yourself?!"

"I… I don't know…" Seiko replied. Packer's head shot up.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Packer asked curiously.

"I can't remember exactly why I hanged myself, or if I did. The only thing I can remember is the searing pain I felt in my neck, and my body was just… so cold," Seiko explained. "In my dying moments, I could see Naomi trying to save me, but it was too late."

Seiko coughed a bit, and brought a hand up to her neck, which had a deep rope mark on it.

"She must be in great pain," Naho observed. "The pain she felt at the moment when she died."

"Damn it! I should've been there," Packer mumbled. "I should've been able to save you."

"You didn't have a choice, Packer, and you know it," Seiko replied. "You had to come here… to this space… if you were gonna save Suzume."

"Wait, what?" Yui spoke up. "Suzumoto is here in this space as well?"

"Yes, and her life is in serious danger. We need to hurry and find her, ASAP!" Seiko said.

"I have an idea on that. Come on!" Packer yelled, instinctively grabbing Seiko's hand. For some reason, her ethereal essence seemed to be… absorbed into Packer's body. Packer immediately noticed this and instantly let go of Seiko's hand. Her hand reformed a few seconds later.

"Okay, that was weird," he remarked.

"Interesting," Naho said. "It seems that Shinohara's spirit can merge with your body, Packer. Based on what we saw earlier, it might be advantageous to allow her spirit to merge with you."

"I-I don't know about that…" Packer cautioned at first.

"I think it might be alright. Her spirit can dwell within you, and you will maintain control of your body, since she is much more cooperative than the Darkening was and ever will be," Naho explained.

"Not only that, but when my hand merged with you briefly, the cold feeling in my hand disappeared. I think if I merge with you, all of the pain I felt at the moment of death will disappear completely," Seiko replied.

Packer gasped at that. A way to keep his girlfriend from suffering from the pain of death? By simply letting her inhabit his body? It was too good an opportunity to pass up, and he felt like he owed her a lot, not to mention that it was a chance at redemption.

"Very well, let's do it," Packer said.

"Now, there's some risks involved with this," Naho warned. "If the two of you remain in conjunction for too long, Shinohara's spirit will be permanently merged with Packer's body, so you will have to disconnect every once in a while to prevent that from happening. Also, she'll be able to feel whatever you feel, so if you cut yourself, she'll feel the same pain. And because she'll be a part of you, she can read your thoughts, so you can talk to each other mentally if you so desire. This could also mean that she'll be able to see what you see when Future Sight is activated, but this is just a theory.

Packer arched an eyebrow at the last sentence.

"Lastly, you saw what happened when she injected her ethereal essence into your fireball. It enhanced its power, so much so that it destroyed the dark essence that once inhabited you. You might even learn some new spells in the process. I imagine your other attacks will be enhanced as well, but with increased power comes a bigger drain on your mana, since more power requires more energy, so be careful if you use any enhanced attacks," Naho finished.

"Well, that was certainly a mouthful," Seiko said with a laugh.

"Despite all of these risks, do you still want to allow Shinohara to merge with you?" Naho asked. Packer didn't even need to think twice about it.

"Let's do it," Packer said.

Seiko nodded, and placed her hands on Packer's shoulders. Almost immediately, her spirit began to merge with Packer, her ethereal essence being absorbed by his body. When the process was completed, Packer's body was now glowing with a soft blue light. He let out a small sigh.

"I feel… stronger, physically and mentally," Packer said. "It feels amazing!"

"Is Shinohara still able to hear and talk to us?" Ayumi asked.

"Indeed I can, Ayumi-Chan," came Seiko's voice, which seemed to echo throughout the room.

"Incredible," Yoshiki remarked.

"You have no idea," Seiko replied.

"What do you mean?" Packer asked, confused.

"The pain is all gone, and it just feels amazing to be inside you," Seiko replied.

"Heh, I'll bet," Packer agreed. He then heard Seiko chuckle.

"Heh heh heh, you know, since I now know what it's like to be inside of you, I can only wonder what it would be like for YOU to be inside of ME," she said with a mischievous giggle. Packer's eyes widened as he instantly recognized what her statement meant, and his face turned a deep shade of crimson. Ayumi and Yoshiki couldn't hold back chuckling, while Yui could only shake her head in amusement. Even Naho had broken into a small grin.

"Damn it, Seiko, was that really necessary?" Packer complained.

"Yes, it was," Seiko replied with a grin. Packer could only sigh and roll his eyes.

'This is gonna be really awkward,' Packer thought.

"I heard that, Packer," Seiko laughed. Packer realized his mistake and face palmed.

"Right, I forgot. You can read my thoughts while inside of me," Packer said with embarrassment. He shook his head and looked up at the rest of the group. "All right, we've wasted enough time. We need to head back to the Infirmary and find Mayu, pronto!"

The others agreed, and together, they rushed out of the restroom, the Infirmary their next destination.

Author's Note: I've decided I'm gonna take a little break from writing. I'll probably come back after a week or two to continue the story, but for now, I need a break. Don't fret, though. The story will continue as planned. Thank you all for understanding.