Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Part 7: Malagueña Salerosa

A/N: I started with a fight, that's how I'm ending it. :)

"Gilbert!" Erzébet called as she threw up her arm to avoid getting slashed in the middle, and the sword hit her armor. She grunted with the effort of keeping her arm up there. Gilbert was a copy cat. He had seen her use her powers, and now had them himself.

"He can't hear you!" Roderich laughed, shaking his head as Erzébet ran from Gilbert, trying not to hurt him. "Don't even waste your breath. Just give into me."

"Never!" Erzébet cried, and continued to jump back as Gilbert went on the offensive. He snapped his fingers, and a flame appeared in his hands. From there, he shot a fireball at her, and she had to do a backflip off a building to avoid it. She was breathing hard, and took out her own sword to meet him as he came down at her.

He picked up his hand to heat up her sword to make her drop it, and she kicked him away with a rough meeting between his chest and her foot.

She grunted as he was back on top of her, and she did a barrel roll to get away, put had to quickly throw up her sword and block him again.

"Dammit!" She cried as she took off, trying to draw Gilbert away from Roderich.

What was she going to do?

He chased after her, and she was oblivious to his internal struggle.

The first thing he noticed about her was how pretty her eyes were. Though they were harsh, and focused, they were the color of the forest. His dulled mind was able to pick that much up.

He chased after her as she ran away, following the orders of his Master.

"But he doesn't have to be listened to." The woman beside him told him, and he had long since figured out this one wasn't real, but of course, his mind couldn't distinguish between the illusion He tried to attack her, and the real one stopped and stared for a moment. "Gilbert, you have to listen to me." She pleaded, and a beautiful woman in lingerie appeared in her place. Gilbert paused, and tried to think this through. Reason almost, almost shone through, before the real one called out his name. His head snapped back to her, and he was again focused on the task at hand- apprehending the dangerous Super.

Erzébet cursed as he snapped his head back her way. She had obviously interrupted something going on inside his head, and she thought briefly that she shouldn't have. It was probably something that could have saved Gilbert. She had to fight him off as he tried to thrust his sword through her, and her gloved hands caught the sword, and waved him around her head, before he tossed him against the building, knocking the wind out of him.

It was then she heard Ivan's roar, and felt relieved. She had backup.

Iryna came in, her body completely frozen as she worked to ensure Gilbert couldn't get a good look at her, running around him while shooting icicles at him, he narrowly avoided being stabbed by turning invisible and running about around them. He allowed her to see her again when he was right in her face, and then tried to stab her, though the sword only clanged against her icy body, and she cut him in the face.

Ivan didn't bother not letting Gilbert see him, simply jumping into him as he stumbled back from Iryna's blow to his face, now just barely able to see out of one eye.

"Try not to hurt him!" Erzébet cried worriedly, and as Gilbert and Ivan fought for control, she noticed Ivan's hands around Gilbert's neck, and his choking sounds. "Ivan! Don't kill him!"

He let go apologetically, and Gilbert went staggering around, coughing and spluttering.

Erzébet gave Ivan a bit of a look, and he shrugged with an enigmatic smile. She huffed, before she tried to restrain Gilbert, hoping they could just get him away from Roderich, and she would get a recording telling Gilbert to stop or something. They just had to get him, and then she could help him.

However, he burned the shit out of her, and she screamed in pain as he lit himself on fire, and tried to reorient himself. She waved her hands around in pain as blood red eyes focused on her again, and he mouthed the word, "Erzébet?" Before that clarity in his eyes was gone.

She knew he was still in there now, still fighting. Now she had to help him.

Gilbert was stumbling about, and his head ached like a bitch. What the fuck was going on? His skin was hot, meaning that he had just used his fire powers. He looked up, and saw Erzébet looking hot as hell in her armor. He mouthed her name, before his head was filled with white noise.

He again focused on his prerogative-Subdue the dangerous Super.

She grouped up with a beastly Ivan, and an icy Iryna. "Eduard is tracking us." Ivan said cheerfully. "He's sent Toris down to help with restraints."

"Good, we can't hold onto us or he'll burn us." Erzébet grunted, and Iryna cooled her burning skin down with a touch to it.

"There." She smiled, though it looked a little creepy with the ice face, but Erzébet wasn't complaining.

"Thank you, Iryna." Erzébet smiled back, before they turned to the Super that was gathering power to strike again. "We go on the offensive now. Wear him out." She suggested.

"That's a good plan." Ivan said, and started to change, becoming more beastly and going head to head with Gilbert, whose fire wasn't working because Ivan's hide was flame-resistant.

Iryna jumped into the air gracefully, and started attacking Gilbert from behind. Erzébet smiled softly, and started to punch Gilbert's sorry ass. She could apologize later. For now they needed to daze and confuse him.

That was before Roderich caught up to them.

"Gilbert!" He called out. He knew he was losing now. "Orders to kill given!"

Something inside Gilbert changed, and he went into overdrive. It was all they could do to fight him off, and it took all three of them to fight him.

But then, before Erzébet even noticed what happened, Gilbert's sword was at her throat, and he was standing over her with cold eyes.

"Kill." Roderich said, not wanting to lose face.

Erzébet closed her eyes, and prepared for the worst.

Gilbert was floating in the mist of his remaining self-identity, and he saw, in front of him, a woman that was naked walking towards him. He stood up, and allowed himself to stand.

"You must fight Gilbert." She told him, and set him free from his imaginary bonds.

"You don't have to do as he says."

And Gilbert was looking down at the woman, his sword at her throat, though now she was dressed in armor.

"Kill." The man ordered again.

The woman had her eyes closed as Gilbert made his decision.

"No."

XXXXX

A/N: Damn that took forever to write!