Disclaimer: I don't own the King of Fighters…

A/N: Hello, and thank you for coming. Okay, I know I threw a lot at you the last time, but we'll go deeper into the situation now as everyone else reacts to what's happened. But, enough of my chatter; let's go on. And here … we … go:

The King of Fighters XV

Nightfall Reunion

It was all too clear that the theater lobby had been through a lot on this night. The thick layer of dust that coated the area was now either blown away or singed. The walls had suffered major burns. The numerous discarded posters were now smoldering. The glass concession stands were now all smashed flat. Scorch marks were now a consistent aspect... FOOSH! Two fireballs flew off into the distance. Kyo and Kusanagi collided two fiery punches before forcing each other backward. Meanwhile, Adel was sent flying backward, and struggled up to a knee as Rugal stood tall, looking down at his injured son…

Rugal admonished Adel like a coach, "Pitiful… Just pitiful. You just don't seem to have enough venom in you, son."

There was a quick exchange by the two. Adel fired a rapid 'Kicken', but Rugal bounced it back with 'Dark Barrier' and fired a Reppuken in response. Adel barely side-rolled out of the way as both shots rocketed past him and slammed into a wall…

Rugal continued, trying to sell his son on the idea, "I can't understand why you're so opposed to this? The power is so clearly inside of you. If you just embraced your legacy, you could have anything you want."

Another quick exchange sparked between the two. Rugal fired a 'Kaiser Wave', but Adel quickly jumped up and sent it back with breakneck speed with 'Wand'. Rugal still in recovery position, the rebounded attack leveled him when it slammed into his chest...

Standing despite being in thorough pain, Adel defiantly retorted, "How do you know I don't have everything I want already?"

Rugal stiffly rose to his feet, rolling his neck while doing it, and laughed maniacally as he replied, "Now, that's rich. You have the world prime for the taking, and … you settle for some fleeting fame and a couple of so-called friends."

Adel quickly pointed out as his mind latched on it, "Yes, there's my friend, but there's also my sister, Rose. Or did you forget about your daughter?"

Rugal scoffed, "Is that all? Them, why didn't you just say so? If she is the only thing holding you back, she can be eliminated easily."

Adel reacted with shock, "W-what? Did you say … eliminate Rose?"

Rugal nonchalantly offered, "Oh, don't worry, son; you have nothing to fear. I'd never really hurt you. You're my favorite after all."

"Was that supposed to be some sign of fatherly affection? You … You son of a bi-!" Adel exclaimed in disgust, "What kind of sick freak suggests killing his own daughter? And you really think I'd agree to that just for the favor of zombie like you? And you … you were why I doubted myself…? Never again! I'll … I'll kill you for threatening Rose!"

Meanwhile, Kusanagi swung at Kyo with '1999 Style: Slicing Flame', but Kyo blocked it, leaving his enemy right in perfect position for what he had planned. The Scion of the Flame grabbed his sentient duplicate in 'Divine Fortress 524', and bombard him with fierce fire-coated punches and kicks until Kusanagi slumped backward against the mirror wall. At that moment, Rugal charged forward with violent intentions.

"You won't embarrass me," Rugal proclaimed as he attempted a 'God Press', "If you won't embrace the power, you won't have it. I'll kill you before you disgrace my name."

Knowing just how to counter, Adel ducked under the attack, and trapped Rugal in 'Urteil', siphoning his energy in and detonating it. Kyo ran up just as Kusanagi looked back up at him…

Seeing Kyo stop in front of him, Kusanagi demanded, "Don't you pity me!"

Kyo reared back in preparation and said, "You don't have to worry about that."

The Scion of the Flame generated fire in his hand as he prepared a 'Final Showdown' as his coup-de-grace. Adel readied himself to deliver an exclamation point as well, ceasing 'Urteil' and grabbing Rugal with 'Sklaven'...

Adel boldly retorted, "I don't care about your name. It's my power now; watch how I use it!"

At once, Adel glided forward with Rugal in tow, and Kyo spiked the fire pillar right on Kusanagi. Finally, in near unison, Kyo delivered the devastating punch through the column while Adel slammed Rugal in a massive red pillar of energy. The force of the attacks blasted both mirror replicas back into the reflected world, but the sheer impact of the both attacks at once shattered the mirror wall! The glass fell to the ground like waterfall and inexplicably disappeared on the floor, signaling the end of the altercation.

Kyo and Adel paused in the darkness as they came down from their respective battles, the only noise filling the darkened vestibule being their heavy breathing… Suddenly, they were interrupted by a bright light coming from the entrance behind them! Both spun around into fighting stance.

Kyo said incredulously, "D-! Give me a break!"

Adel wondered in confusion, "W-Who could this be?"

Eventually, as the light got closer, they noticed it was attached to the hand of a female figure. She walked forward, her light illuminating the entire area until it was clear that she was Elisabeth Blanctorche…

Kyo asked in slight shock, "Blanctorche? What are you doing here?"

Elisabeth looked at them both in clear perplexity, and responded, "I came to see your match, but none of the participants appeared. I tracked you down in case you needed assistance."

Both men relaxed as Kyo relayed, "Thanks for the back-up, but your timing's a little off. We could've used your help a few minutes ago."

"I bet. Um…" Elisabeth began before pointing out, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? What, with you two sweating and breathing heavy in the dark, and all…"

The two looked at each other … and promptly took a step in opposite directions before Adel explained, "No. Hiroshi took off after Vice and Mature, and we ran after him until we got here."

Kyo added, "Yeah, and Ash is here too. We just got out of one of his Yata Mirror traps."

Elisabeth asked as she thought aloud, "So, Hiroshi is here as well? Then … where has he been this whole time?"

"We don't know…" Adel answered as the realization hit him, "We better hurry! It's good you came, Elisabeth; Hiro probably needs our help."

The three quickly took off into the theater…

Together Again

Mature and Vice listlessly stepped forward as Amaterasu continued to hold Saiki overhead…

The Divine Entity said in a hushed tone to seemingly no one in particular, "It's alright. This … is good enough."

Saiki weakly asked, "What … are you thinking … of doing?"

Amaterasu explained, "Nothing further. It's over, for me as well. I have reached my limit; any further exertion would permanently damage my son's body … and that's a consequence I will not force upon him for you… I can't deal you a true finishing blow."

"You've run out of juice, huh… GAH…!" Saiki feebly sneered before Amaterasu tightened the grasp on his neck.

Amaterasu continued, "You shouldn't be cocky; you are still finished. Fortune made be on your side, but time ironically is not. I can't obliterate you, but I've already beaten you past the point of no return. In fact, this may be an altogether more fitting punishment for you. Your imminent death won't be instant, spectacular, or even remarkable in any way. No; to further insult your arrogance, your death will be slow, painful, and humiliating."

Saiki said weakly, in dread, "W-What … are you saying?"

Amaterasu proclaimed authoritatively and concise, "Saiki, you have been judged as a criminal against humanity, against both Heaven and Earth itself. For that, you will experience a dog's death. You will die in this miserable place, alone and in the dirt."

The Divine Entity then casually released Saiki, and let him fall to the ground… Saiki rose to his knees, the sentence still ringing in his ears, when it all hit him at once. His utter defeat, his close-at-hand death, his announced fate… It all bore down on him as he kneeled crumbled in the dark chamber. Amaterasu started to walk away, but soon stopped…

Saiki began to rant in borderline delirium, "I … I don't understand… I worked so hard… I planned so well… I put so much effort in… How? How could you surprise me? How could you … beat me like this?"

Amaterasu looked off to the side as if listening to something before looking back and replying, "My son says… you didn't think you could threaten his life and family, and he not prepare every secret and powerful technique possible to beat you, did you? And he's right. You can't cause as much pain, chaos, heartache, and suffering with such conceit and disrespect as you did … and not expect brutal and universal retribution when your ego gets the best of you. That's what Karma is for."

"Kar… Karma…?" Saiki stammered.

Amaterasu plainly responded, "Oh, didn't you realize? Karma is one of Heaven's most effective weapons. It doesn't fail."

Devastated, Saiki dropped his head as he felt his existence beginning to slip away… The Divine Entity turned, stopping Mature and Vice cold, and the eyes of all three met. The two ladies had just witnessed this being's power firsthand. Just looking in its eyes and hearing its voice chilled them to the bone. Now, with Amaterasu's attention firmly centered on them, they dared not speak or even move. Amaterasu, meanwhile, just gazed at them straight-faced and quiet, facial expression not leaning either way. Finally, after a moment, Amaterasu's expression relaxed and showed them no hostility…

Saiki, overwhelmed and crestfallen, exclaimed, "I… How could I… How could I lose? I'm… I'm fading… This isn't the way … it was supposed to… No. No! I AM the One Who Rules Time! My power IS supreme! It won't end this way! You won't leave me here! You can't finish me? Then, I'll finish you!"

The irate egotist fought to his feet and charged as Amaterasu gave him a calm over-the-shoulder look… KA-SHING! A swift wind rushed past the Divine Entity … as Mature gave a timely assist, stopping Saiki with 'Metal Massacre'! Mature continued slashing away at him with 'Nocturnal Rites', and Vice carried it further, grabbing Saiki as she flipped over him and slamming him with a 'Nail Bomb'. She then tossed him high into the air, and flew after him with 'Overkill', throwing him down to the ground before spiking downward into him with a pillar of red energy. Saiki let out a harsh forced breath as the air flew out of him.

Mature mocked the now-writhing Saiki, "You've had that coming for a long time, and we hope you enjoy your 'retirement'."

Vice exclaimed in a mix of anger and excitement, "Man, that felt good! Do you know how long we've waited to do that?"

"Thank you." Amaterasu flatly offered.

Vice and Mature instantly were snapped back into the current situation, and slowly faced the Divine Entity again…

Vice nervously stammered, "You're, uh… You said you, um… So, you're the Mother-Heaven, related to Gaia…?"

Amaterasu answered matter-of-factly, "Yes, Gaia is my younger sister, though I know her as Amatsuchi. Before you ask… Together, we govern the two plains of existence: she reigns over all things physical; the human body returns to her upon one's passing. I reign over all things ethereal; the human spirit or mind, soul, heart or what have you, returns to me upon a person's passing. I then judge whether a spirit is granted eternal rest or must pay eternal penance…"

Mature tentatively asked, "So, you're Amaterasu… So, in this form … what do we even call you? Are you … I guess, possessing the kid?"

Amaterasu explained, "Not exactly. In truth, this isn't even close to a true channeling. I'm still in Heaven; I'm not even close to the bridge that crosses into your plain of existence. I'm simply here in mind along with a small amount of my power melding with my son. The closest comparison that comes to mind… he's acting in similar fashion to something you a 'speaker phone'."

Vice said in subtle shock as she realized all the truth, "Whoa… So, you beat him that badly without really lifting a finger? Oh my … goddess? And Hiroshi can just call you when he really needs your help?"

With some tenderness peeking through, Amaterasu responded, "Hiroshi-kun is my son. A mother always answers her children's calls."

"Of course..." Mature cautiously proceeded, "Then, I guess you're also the reason why he's such an angel."

Amaterasu explained, "Somewhat, but not entirely. He does inherit certain family traits and values, but who he is remains up to him and his free will. For instance, had he called me to face you two, I probably wouldn't have been so forgiving, but he detected your genuine repentance as I now do as well and helped gain your forgiveness… Hiroshi-kun is an extraordinary person because that's who he is. I believe he's told you that."

Vice and Mature stopped and began to soak in everything that had transpired. They reflected on the fight they had and the emotional lightning storm that came at its conclusion. Then, they went back over the fight they'd just witnessed, and what he could have done to them. Finally, they got the full picture of the entire situation from their conversation with the Divine Entity, Mother-Heaven herself. All this together shone even more light on Hiroshi to them…

Eventually, Vice hesitantly offered, "So, um… About the guy on the ground here… You said you couldn't take him out. Would you … like us to do it for you?"

Amaterasu was silent for moment after the suggestion but ultimately concluded, "His fate is sealed, so there's no harm in helping it along. However, such a task can only be performed by one … and she approaches."

As those words were spoken, Adel, Kyo, and Elisabeth burst into the room and advanced toward the three left standing. They quickly spotted the difference, however, and stopped in front of the Divine Entity looking inquisitively back at them. Adel sensed the immense power held within, realizing it was like Hiroshi's but much 'bigger'. Elisabeth felt her own power become amplified, and Kyo similarly felt his fire grow restless. Like everyone else, they could tell just by sight that this was not human, that this was something else…

Trying to break the tension, Kyo hesitantly said, "Man, Hiroshi… You went through some changes, huh? You grew … tall."

Vice and Mature cringed at the seemingly frivolous attempt at levity. Adel and Elisabeth glanced at each other before looking back, waiting for what was coming next. Amaterasu briefly tilted Hiroshi's head to the side in contemplation, but eventually lifted his head back … and gave a slight smile! The awkward silence wouldn't remain unbroken for long however…

"B-Be… Betty…"

All six turned and saw what was becoming of Saiki. Doubled over on his knees, he had spoken in Ash's voice and was in Ash's shape now. Clearly, he was fading; he had been reduced to merely an outline of Ash with slightly transparent darkness filling it out. Only his blue eyes were distinguishable. Even as they looked upon him, small shards of the form were breaking away and disappearing as the entirety of the figure became less visible. Saiki was obviously now just a ghost…

Saiki pleaded even with his voice disembodied, "Betty… You must … remember what we were together… Please … help me…"

Elisabeth was shaken by the plea, the words hitting her on a very intuitive level and a range of emotions racing along with it. Nothing about this rang a bell in her mind, but it completely gripped her instincts. Her thoughts went in one direction, but her gut went in the opposite … and her heart was torn between the two; she didn't recall anything but she felt it so strongly. Very conflicted and confused, she looked back at Amaterasu almost for help. The Divine Entity simply nodded as if giving permission to what she was thinking. With that support, Elisabeth steeled herself, regained her seriousness, and stepped forward.

Elisabeth spoke honestly, "I don't know. I'm not sure what this all means or why it feels so familiar. I'm not even sure if this feeling I lost someone is even real. But I do know one thing; I recall some things about my brother and … you are not him!"

The Blanctorche noblewoman reared back and slammed Saiki with 'Noble Brass', forcing him to move on. Under the impact, the spectral form cracked all over with beams of light penetrating the shadowy figure through the fissures. The disembodied voice screamed out as the dark phantom broke apart completely and evaporated. Saiki was no more… Suddenly, Elisabeth was overwhelmed with latent emotion, particularly a profound sadness and melancholy. She was still lost to why she was feeling any of this, but she was still helpless to stop any of it. Elisabeth eventually started shivering slightly, and shed a few silent tears. Amaterasu slowly approached the noblewoman and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder…

Amaterasu assured her, saying, "You should know … that it's alright. Elisabeth, have peace; your brother is resting."

Inherently calmed by this news and feeling this being was trustworthy, Elisabeth felt a spiritually calming sentiment wash over her, and, despite her reservations, relented to the comfort with a short nod…

Amaterasu concluded, "Now then… My time here is at its end for now; I must go."

Adel quickly spoke up, "Wait, please. Just a moment… I, uh… I need your help before you go."

"Alright…"

Adel humbly asked, "Do you know… I mean, can you tell me anything about where my sister, Rose Bernstein, is?"

Amaterasu graciously and unassumingly replied, "Pursue Those From The Past. Rose is trapped among them. Be careful, though; when you find her, she will definitely not be herself… But confront the group especially the one called Botan, and you'll find your sister. Consider this a small thank you … for being a friend to my son for so long."

Adel modestly responded, "Thank you, for everything… Speaking of Hiro by the way, is he going to be okay?"

"That's what I was getting to… Mature, Vice, is your allegiance to my son again, as I perceive it?"

The two ladies answered in unison and without hesitation, "Yes."

Amaterasu went on to explain, "Then, I have a favor to ask of you and Adel as well… Once this connection is broken and I recede, Hiroshi-kun will be severely weakened. I need you to take good care of him. Will you do this for me?"

Vice and Mature nodded, as Adel agreed, "Of course…"

Finally set to make her exit, Amaterasu said, "You have my thanks… Until the next time you need me, which hopefully won't be for while for peace's sake, I bid you all farewell. Heaven watches over you all…"

A ray of light shone down over the Divine Entity, as a small orb of white ember wriggled out of Hiroshi's body and floated up into the beam. As Amaterasu drew out of him, Hiroshi gradually returned to himself: his stature fell back down to 5'10". His figure filled back out. His hair darkened to black once again, and his eyes waxed brown again. His shirt waned to black as the family crest morphed back into the mandala. But things quickly turned as Hiroshi continued to fall. His skin went pale and he broke into a cold sweat. His eyes dilated, and his heart pounded like mad. Hiroshi collapsed to the ground holding his chest, coughing and shaking. Adel, Vice, and Mature knelt next him in an attempt to help, while Kyo and Elisabeth came close in concern…

Adel lightly patted his friend on the back while trying to calm him, saying, "It's alright, Hiro. We got you. It's alright; you're gonna be alright…"

Eventually, the cough tapered off, leaving him gasping for air. The color returned to his face. His heartbeat was still fast but stabilizing, and his body still shook lightly. Hiroshi soon sat up…

Asking for all of them, Kyo inquired, "Man, Hiroshi, you okay?"

Hiroshi replied in a labored tone, "I … feel like I was flattened by a truck, but I think I'll be fine after a while."

Mature asked out of curiosity, "That was insane what you did. Do you remember anything while being … like that?"

"Yes…" Hiroshi replied, "I remember everything actually. She controlled most of my mind and my reactions, but I still had to move my body. I was 'awake' for everything that was said and done."

Elisabeth, back to being serious, suggested, "Good, and, thank heaven, this is done. Now, let's leave this decrepit place."

Taking the suggestion, everyone started to leave, some faster than others. Hiroshi, still utterly drained, was slow even to get to a knee, and he really had to fight to his feet. Then, he wasn't so much walking forward as he was dragging himself. Eventually, the pain and exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he fell to a knee again. Vice and Mature looked back to find him silently suffering, and only needed one look at each other to know what to do. Both walked back to either side of him, lifted an arm each, placing it over their shoulders, and lifted him up. With him in place, the two women helped him walk as they supported his weight.

"You … don't have to do this." Hiroshi weakly said.

Vice retorted in an oddly sister-like way, "You're telling us … but it would have taken forever if we just waited for you."

Soon, they all got out of the run-down theater. Adel promptly took out his mobile device and started scrolling through as he was obviously searching for something.

Elisabeth wondered, "So, where are you all off to now?"

Adel, not lifting his head up from the screen, replied, "Not sure yet, but Sky Noah should be here any moment. I'm checking to see if there are any openings in the bracket. I need to get to the tournament's end where I'll find 'Those from the Past' … and Rose."

Knowledgeable about the situation, Elisabeth warned him, "Be careful. They were a very strange and powerful group to begin with, but without any clear leader, there's no telling how dangerous they are now."

"Thanks. And I don't doubt their power, but I can be dangerous as well…" Adel responded before his device beeped to alert, "Look at that; it seems the Kang team versus Kim match was a draw. That would give the Ikari team a free pass into the finals … and we can't have that. I'll just set up a pre-finals 'Accident' for them; this way, they'll have to earn that finals spot … just like me. Are you joining me, Kyo?"

Kyo responded as he stretched his back, "Nah! I wish I had a hand in it, but I'm just glad this saga is finally over. I'm just gonna catch up with Benimaru and the others."

"That's actually good. They're in the other semi-final versus the K' team; we can drop you off. Beats walking, after all…" Adel said before turning his attention, "Ms. Elisabeth, is there anywhere you need to go?"

Elisabeth courteously said, "Thank you, but no; this is where I stop as well. In any case, Duo Lon wanted to introduce me to someone, and he was surprisingly intent on it, so I'm giving him the courtesy."

Seeing something airborne coming, Mature exclaimed, "Whoa. What is that?"

Adel turned, and said upon seeing the flying airship, "That … is Sky Noah."

Adel, Kyo, Vice, Mature, and Hiroshi eventually made their way aboard, but the two ladies were slowed by a serious case of déjà vu, Sky Noah definitely having some resemblance to a certain black aircraft they knew. Almost immediately, they were joined with two suited women, one with black bobcut hair and the other with red flame-shaped hair. Their eyes connected with Vice and Mature instantly…

"Vice…? Mature…?" Aya asked involuntarily.

Vice said, mortified, "Aw, sh-! Aya and Hermione; you two are here?"

Hermione retorted, "Believe it. And really … you two look a mess."

Mature said in their defense, "Yeah, it's called field work. We actually get up and do things … but you desk jockeys wouldn't know anything about that."

Aya fired back, "It's called life expectancy. We actually stay safe and in good health while you two get yourselves killed. You're good at that."

Angered, Vice asserted, "I'll show you kill…"

Hiroshi quickly requested with a still labored tone, "Ladies, please. Can we hold on this rivalry for a moment; I'm sort of slumped in a heap here."

Kyo said under his breath, "Yeah, but it was just heating up."

Adel chimed in, instructing, "Hiro's right. We need to get going. Hermione, please lead Hiroshi, Vice, and Mature to the rooms, so he can get some rest. Aya, could you update me on our status, please?"

Aya began to relay as they all started walking deeper into the ship, "Sir, the Ikari team has been informed of the match change, and are in-route. The tournament site in Sydney, Australia is being prepared, but will be ready in time. As for Mr. Kusanagi, neither the Benimaru team or K' team has made it to Bangkok, Thailand for their bout yet, but both teams are getting close and the site is ready for their arrival. It would be most effective if we drop him off first."

"Alright…" Adel agreed just as Hermione led Vice, Hiroshi, and Mature off in a different direction, "We have to move fast; we're really close, and I can't afford to be late now."

Aya voiced her concern, "Sir, are you sure you want to go through with this? You are obviously still hurting from an earlier battle, and you're heading straight for another. I know you're eager to assist Rose, but I don't think you'll much help if you're beaten down already."

Adel plainly replied, "I'll survive, but I can't say the same for Rose's abductors. When I get to them, I'll make Those From The Past wish they'd stayed there…"

Our Hearts Open After All

Vice and Mature stood outside Hiroshi's resting place in Sky Noah, stationed on either side of the door. Honestly, they had been standing there for some time, but then they finally worked up the nerve and walked inside. Hiroshi was resting in a mostly plain room. The walls and ceiling were a uniform gray from the metallic surfaces. The floor thankfully was covered in dark red carpet. In the corner sat an off television, and at the far end was the bed with a table and lamp next to it.

Atop the bed and its coverings slept Hiroshi flat on his back with his clothes still on, his shoes next to the bed. He lay practically motionless with his hands on his stomach; he was so still, in fact, that if not for his chest slowly falling and rising, one could think he was dead. Mature and Vice approached the bed and sat on either side, with Hiroshi not even stirring…

Vice spoke honestly though hushed, "So that's it? Even after everything we did, even though you could just wipe us out … you're just going to forgive us and take us back, no questions asked? You're unbelievable, kid, literally. After all this time, we still have no idea how you operate. We can't even fit the ideas in our minds, and yet you can believe in them so easily…"

Mature continued also in a low, candid tone, "We don't understand, and we can't understand. You see… We are bad people, kid. We are killers; we maim, destroy, and assassinate. That's why we're here; that's what we were told we are here for. That's all we're trained to do; that's the only thing we've ever been good at. That's what we've been treated like our whole lives; that's all we've ever expected. We hat Yagami for killing us, but honestly, we weren't surprised we were going to die violently and painfully… but then…

But then … you came along. You just showed up out of nowhere … took us in … saved our lives … helped us get back to full strength … and for what? Just because. No one told you to do it. No one paid you to do it. No one made you do it. You just helped us … just because we needed it and you wanted to…"

Keeping her voice down but getting emotional, Vice picked back up, "And what good did it do? Why even bother with us anyway? Who told you we wanted your help? Who told you we needed your help? Who said we even deserve…" Vice suddenly had to stop as she was getting choked up! She quickly realized this effect when she had to hold back tears, "Da—it, kid. How do you do this to me?"

Mature, careful to keep her voice soft, went on with clear emotion in her voice, "You do this to both of us. No one's ever treated us or seen us the way you do. We've never felt anything like this about anyone, and we don't know how to handle it… You asked us why we left, and you asked for the truth. We left because … because there was no way we could stay. It's obvious; there's no way we should end up with you. It's like you made a mistake and got the wrong two girls. It couldn't be us because what you're giving so easily … we have no right to take."

Vice was composed again, and continued quietly on, "And it's not like we know how to, either. We are not delusional; we know what we've done and we know who we are. But you… you're too good. Being with you just didn't seem fair; it still feels like we're cheating. We knew we couldn't get comfortable, and when we realized we had, we made a break for it … but even that didn't work.

Even with all our memories back, whenever we thought of how we lived, here is only place we felt alive. Whenever we wondered if we ever enjoyed that life, you came to mind, and you were the one we would fight hardest for. Out of all the people we've fought, met, lived with, obeyed, or called our boss, you are the only one that stands out, who we actually consider … special."

Mature wiped her welling eyes, and continued quietly, "And it scares us too, you know. I mean, you defy every bit of logic we live by. You never insulted us. You never patronized us. You never judged us. You never hated us. You never treated us the wrong way. But scariest part of it all is … even though we don't admit it … we really like you, Hiro."

The room fell silent as Hiroshi still remained motionless. Vice and Mature had stopped to compose themselves, but came to realize everything they had just felt and said…

Vice pointed out in relief, "Man, it's a good thing he's asleep or we'd have to kill him."

"Good point…" Mature suggested, "So, let's not push it. We should leave before we wake him up."

The two ladies slowly rose to avoid jostling Hiroshi in any way, and quickly left the room, silently closing the door behind them. Their efforts were for naught however; Hiroshi had actually awoke when they sat down, but stayed still in order to listen to them. Surprised and touched by their emotional outpour, Hiroshi kept his eyes closed … as two tears slowly rolled down the corners of his eyes and down his face.

End Chapter

A/N: And that's a wrap. I know it was a long chapter, but this signals the end of the climax. Now, we're going on the team endings, and tying up all the subplots of the story. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you come back. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.