Disclaimer: Guess what? Hetalia's still not mine!

Note: This chapter is a mixture of information and action! Just one of those intriguing chaps, if I do say so myself ;) Hope you have as much fun reading it as I had fun writing it! :) Enjoy!

Eden knew that she was probably the most brilliant scientist of the generation...and the generation before that and the one before that and so on and so forth. Even when she had first entered the research field during World War II she knew she had a bright head on her shoulders. But the problem was her genius went unrealized by German nation whom she served. The generals of the German army had no interest in her theories, being more concerned with death-inducing bombs rather than crazy ideas about a so-called cure-all. Soon other scientists ridiculed her idea of immortality through such potions, criticizing her for putting faith in such a far-fetched theory.

So when the German scientists cast her out, she decided she would only work for herself, by herself. Her family at the time was quite wealthy, having stolen most of their prosperity from the scapegoat Jews within the area. When her parent died (under VERY suspicious circumstances), Eden had inherited everything, and put it to her own use. But Germany was quickly being overrun by the Allies, and she knew it was not the optimal place to set up her facilities. And so she chose to travel to a nation that was not so involved with the Second Great War and traveled Spain.

There, she used her wealth and resources to set the foundations of her laboratory, and there she finally began her painstakingly tedious experiments. Her patience was rewarded, however, when she synthesized Radiptanium, almost by accident. After even more experimentation, she discovered how the new element reacted marvelously with components that were normally found in blood. At first, she tried animal blood, but to no avail. It wasn't until she acquired human blood from her first victim that she was able to come up with the finished product: the Antidote.

From that point on, her own strength and reflexes improved phenomenally, as did her cunning plans. With new confidence, she was able to manipulate those around her into doing her bidding, and after just a couple of decades, Teramist was founded across the globe. Occasionally, she would spot a youth among the millions of people who she saw potential in. If she deemed them worthy enough, Eden would offer her assistance. After rigorous analysis, should the person pass her tests, she gave them the ultimate honor: the title of a River of Eden. With their help, her 'company' ran smoothly, and if anyone got too close, or learned to much, the Rivers disposed of them, often taking their blood for another dose of the Antidote.

For many, many years, this is how she controlled her conspiracy, with little disturbances. But in the recent years, the way Teramist began to operate changed dramatically. She wasn't really sure what triggered these sudden changes, but she became more ambitious, more daring. But since she started taking more risks and enlisting more scientists, problems arose. The most significant one was Ivan Braginski's solo revolt in the Moscow branch. The Russian proved himself to be clever, but also willing to go to extreme measures, traits Eden valued very much. She didn't meet too many humans who were okay with the fact of victimizing others to achieve their own goals. Ivan had an ominous cruel aura about him, and Eden was fascinated by it, and eventually let him get closer to the secrets of Teramist. At one time, she even considered making another River, but little did she know Ivan had his own plans.

Eden was utterly shocked when she found out how the Moscow branch was devastated. Ivan had done a number on the laboratory itself in his fierce escape with a vial of the Antidote. Fury and wrath she had felt towards him, but deep down inside, she was embarrassed by the fact she had been outsmarted by a mere human! While she felt relieved to receive the news that the Russian had died in a car crash, she had a hunch that Teramist's problems weren't over.

Even still, she chose to take Teramist's progressive experimentation to a whole new level. She began to look into a concoction that would work with the opposite effects as the Antidote. But such a potion required much more tests, which in turn required more raw materials. What she needed was more human blood. Feeling invincible, she turned to fresh stock of human citizens within the Spanish nation. It delighted her to know how the Rivers had terrorized the city of Madrid. It was like nothing could stop her now.

But a second significant problem arose. That insolent fool Honda thought he could raze Teramist and bring her brilliant schemes to an end. First he sabotaged the New York branch, and then he thought he could just come to the main laboratory, her headquarters, take Teramist down, and walk away with his life? The foolish bastard. She promised herself she would make him pay dearly for his mistakes, and she had. Right now, he was falling into insanity watching his beloved suffer in intense agony. Eden smiled to herself, picturing the despair on his face, as she moved quickly through the corridors. She would have liked to see it in person, but her retribution on Ivan was much more precious to her. After what he did, he had the nerve to show up here again? He would regret it, she was going to make sure of it.

She glanced down at the thin, sleek, digitalized tablet in her hands. It was one of her more practical inventions, synced with the entire facility's security systems. Not only could she access the hidden cameras directly from the tablet, but she could also view a two-dimensional map of the entire facility, complete with dots that acted as markers throughout the screen. Each dot represented a life form, the heat detectors in the wall able to pick up their whereabouts and display them to her on the tablet. There were a few dots staying fairly stationary in Area A, but she knew those were her own scientists, since Area A was practically impenetrable. In Area D, however, there was one pair of dots moving around, as if lost, and another set of five dots wandering aimlessly, but Gihon was about to enter that sector, so she didn't worry about it much. In Area B there was a lone dot moving from room to room, and Eden raised an eyebrow, wondering who that could be. It didn't matter because she could see that Pison, who was marked with a red square since he was a River and the Radiptanium in his body altered his heat scan, was heading that way already. In another part of Area B, Euphrates was nearing two other dots who were moving towards Area A at a fast pace, but she was sure the River could handle it. She was more concerned with the large group of dots of about seven individuals about to cross over from Area B to C. There was a single dot that was larger than the others, his physique broader, and she knew that it had to be Ivan Braginski.

The group was almost too big, however. She frowned, not wanting the others to get in the way of her revenge. But as the group began to crossover to Area C, she had an idea and acted quickly, using the voice command. "Activate emergency security door between Areas B and C," she said clearly. A small message popped up in the corner of the screen. "Command accepted," it read, and Eden smirked. This was going to be fun. First, she just had to make a quick stop to a testing room in Area B, which was on the way.

"We are about to enter Area C," Ivan observed as they made their way through the narrow corridor. So far, ever since they split up from Kiku, Gilbert, and Elizaveta, their path had been uneventful. The Russian still headed the group, followed by Yao and Yong Soo, then Arthur, Francis, Alfred and Matthew. They carried on in silence, always on guard, though Alfred made a comment here and there about being a hero and saving all the captives to relieve the tension. Normally Yong Soo would have joined him, but he was too busy thinking about his cousin. For once, he put all his concentration into what he was doing, since he still blamed himself for being unable to protect her in the park. Not even Francis argued with Arthur; he was beginning to seriously worry about his little sister. He had guessed Laura had been involved with unlawful work, but he never imagined it was this severe. And now she was missing, and he couldn't help but fear the worse. Even though he didn't always show the more responsible side of himself, Francis really did care about her, like any decent brother would.

Abruptly, the floor began to rumble slightly, alarming everyone. A two-ton metal wall began to descend from the ceiling just above Arthur's head, but Alfred pulled him out of the way just in time. The barrier hit the ground hard, separating their group in half. Arthur looked from the obstruction to Alfred back to the obstruction, mouth hanging open.

"It-it almost crushed me!" he sputtered out in disbelief.

"Good thing the hero's always here to save the day," chuckled Alfred, but he too was surprised by such a close call.

Francis walked up to the barrier and tapped it. "There's no way we're getting this to budge...now what?"

"We're stuck," Matthew said nervously.

"Alfred? Are you guys alright?" Yong Soo asked, shouting from the other side of the barrier.

"Yeah we're fine, but what are we supposed to do now?" Alfred replied, calling loudly.

"Ivan, Yao and I are going to keep moving and find Laura and Maria, okay? Maybe you guys can find another way around," the Korean said, his voice a little muffled but the words were still audible.

"Okay, we'll try," Alfred said uncertainly.

"Oh! And Yao says be careful. Once we find them we'll come back and try to find you guys," he informed them. There wasn't really much else they could do.

"Alright," he answered tentatively. There was no response, and he assumed they had already left.

"So we just go back?" Matthew frowned.

"No," Arthur shook his head, and then held up his camera, "We're going to find the evidence we need to shut down this place."

"L-Ludwig, I'm scared," Feliciano pouted, staying close to his German best friend.

"It's okay, Feli, just...try to toughen up, okay?" Ludwig sighed, knowing he was asking for the impossible, "And after we get out of here you can have pasta. Just think about that instead."

"Pasta!" he beamed at the thought. Now that Feliciano was preoccupied, Ludwig could actually try to think up a plan or something. But the elevator had been sealed off, and it was likely that all other exits had been too. The only good thing was that there didn't seem to be any more guards around. They had been wandering without direction through the halls, trying to find another way out, but having no such luck. Unable to think of anything, Ludwig then realized that Toris and Feliks had been unusually quiet for the last few minutes, but when he turned around, the two were gone, along with their dog. Feliciano also stopped and looked back.

"Um, where's Toris, Feliks, and Ona?" the Italian asked worriedly.

"I thought they were still following us! Verdammt, how could those idiots get lost from us?" the blonde exclaimed angrily.

"Should we go back to look for them? I don't think they can hold out on their own..."

Ludwig took a deep breath and tried to contain his anger. "Alright," he said, starting to go back the way they came. The two backtracked for a few moments until they came to something like an intersection, with three other halls to chose from. "...Feli, I don't suppose you remember where we came from?"

"Um, maybe it was this one?" he pointed to his left. With nothing else to go on, the pair turned left and continued, but Ludwig had a feeling they had chose wrong.

"Lovi, I think we made a wrong turn somewhere," Antonio said meekly after opening the door to another vacant room.

"What the fuck! Where are the rest of the captives?" Lovino shouted, outraged by their lack of progress. Room after room was empty, and they had yet to find another kidnapped person.

"Maybe we left the area where they keep the prisoners by accident?" the Spaniard suggested. "Or...you don't think everyone else is...you know..." His voice was anxious and crestfallen, but Lovino shook his head.

"No, that can't be!" he protested. But it was more for himself that his boss. He couldn't let himself believe that there were no other survivors, because that would mean that they had failed them all. No, he could not allow himself to lose hope and give up now. "Maybe you're right, we must've gone the wrong way or something."

"I don't like this..." Antonio trailed off. "This place is so desolate. It's a huge laboratory but there's almost no one here. It's like they knew we were coming or something..."

Lovino stopped and thought about this for a moment. Maria's image came to his mind, and her words tugged on his memory, as if trying to tell him something important... "That's right," he said suddenly, recalling her story, "Maria was kidnapped selectively, and so Eden knew Kiku would be coming here to rescue her. The evil bitch was expecting him, and you just happened to come down here at the same time!"

"Damn it," Antonio cursed. "That alarm...I bet we're trapped down here then. They wouldn't want anyone to escape their wrath."

"The laboratory must have been evacuated beforehand, in preparation, since Eden wouldn't want anyone else to get in the way," the Italian continued. "That's why this place is empty."

"That's some good guess work," a voice called from down the corridor. "You guys wouldn't happen to be detectives would you?"

Antonio and Lovino whirled around to see a lone figure strolling towards them at a leisurely pace. "Who the hell are you?" Lovino growled.

"Ah, so you are the detective Pison told me about, the one with the foul mouth," the man chuckled. "If Pison was able to defeat you so easily, then you don't stand a chance against me. I'm Gihon, the most dangerous of all the Rivers."

"A River, huh?" Lovino called, but he tensed, remembering how strong and fast the two Rivers that ambushed him in the alley were. "Well, that bastard only beat me because that other bitch snuck up on me. It wasn't a fair fight."

"Fair fight?" echoed Gihon, chuckling to himself. "You can never have a fair fight when dealing with a River. We're not even human anymore. It would only take a few seconds for me to snap your neck."

"If you even try to hurt my partner, I'll kill you!" snarled Antonio, infuriated by Gihon's arrogant nerve.

But the threat only made him laugh even harder. "Kill me? I'd like to see you try. Even fighting together, the two of you wouldn't last a minute. But...you see, lately, I've been pretty bored. I always catch my prey so easily, and it isn't very entertaining. Today, Eden said I could have some fun with my prey, so I think I going to make this interesting." Gihon was the eldest of the four Rivers, and having been with Eden the longest, he had adopted her cruel sense of amusement.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" snapped Lovino, grinding his teeth.

"Okay, since you two are obviously very close, I'll make you something of a deal. I want to see which one of you will last the longest in a fight against yours truly," his lips curled into an impish grin. "Whoever dies first...well, obviously they die, but the other one gets to live. Do you follow? I think the rules are simple enough. I'll strike each of you evenly, so it's fair. It's like a test of strength and endurance for the both of you. If you know you're strong than your partner, than you have nothing to worry about."

"W-what?" Antonio stammered. The River had made it sound like he was competing against Lovino rather than fighting alongside him. Was Gihon that confident in his fighting ability to dictate such rules?

"If you think we're going to abide by your rules, then-" Lovino was cut off when Gihon darted towards them, rocketing so fast he was just a blur to their eyes.

And suddenly he was descending upon Lovino, his eyes wild with sadistic delight. "Let's begin," he cackled as the heel of his foot drove down into the Italian's shoulder. As Lovino fell to his hands and knees after the blow, Gihon appeared before Antonio, moving with so much speed it seemed as if he was teleporting. With just as much intensity and power, Gihon threw an uppercut punch into the Spaniard's jaw, the extra force sending Antonio stumbling backwards.

Just beginning to recover from his last hit, Lovino attempted to stand up, but then the River was back, round-house kicking him in the gut, causing Lovino to cough out blood. The Italian slammed into the corridor's wall and fell to the floor with a thud. Antonio regained his footing, but before he could do anything Gihon drove his fist into his stomach, and he too spit out blood. The sight of the red splatters on the white floor only excited Gihon, who was never allow to waste blood before. He laughed maniacally as he grabbed the Italian, who was still on the floor, by his hair and threw his knee into his midsection brutally. And then he was slamming his knuckles into the Spaniard's temple, laughter still on his lips.

And on it went, Gihon taking turns pummeling his victims mercilessly. Antonio and Lovino struggled to get back on their feet after each blow, but again and again Gihon would be on them, striking them even harder. The River never gave them a chance to draw their guns, much less defend themselves. Soon it had reached the point where Lovino could no longer stand. Too many of his ribs were broken, and welts and bruises were beginning to form all over his body, which ached and pained him. His body had taken too much abuse, and he was unable to even try to get up quickly. The River stood over him, snickering.

"You're done, already? Looks like you're about to lose, permanently!" Gihon brought his leg up, about to give his final blow as an axe kick. In the moment the River took to jeer at Lovino, Antonio used his last reserves of energy to put himself between his partner and their foe. The Spaniard caught the axe kick with his forearm, but the kick was too strong. There was a sickening crunch as the bone in Antonio's arm shattered upon impact.

Gihon's grin faded away, turning into a scornful glare. "How dare you interfere with the rules! But if you'd rather die first, then be my guest!" Then he grabbed Antonio by the forehead and hurled him into the ground viciously. He kicked him in the chest while he was still down, and then picked him up by the collar of the shirt and cocked his arm back, about to strike him in the face.

"Antonio!" Lovino cried out coarsely, barely able to support his torso with his hands pushing against the floor.

BANG!

Out of nowhere, the sound of a gunshot reverberated throughout the hallway, and the bullet whizzed by Gihon's ear.

"You missed!"

"I'm sorry! I've never used one of these before!" A few yards down the hallway was Feliciano and Ludwig, the former with his hands still outstretched and grasping the gun, trying to fix his aim.

Gihon, aggravated by new opponents, dropped Antonio to the floor and turned to face them. "Do you two wish to die as well?" he snarled.

"I won't let you hurt my friends any longer!" Feliciano called back, pulling the trigger once more. But this time Gihon was ready; he dodged the shot and then advanced on the younger Italian. However, Ludwig stepped in front of Feliciano and caught Gihon's punch with his hand and heaved him sideways into the wall, using his momentum against him. Feliciano took his chance and ran around them, heading over to Antonio and Lovino, both of whom were sprawled on the ground.

"Fratello! Toni!" he cried, unsure how to help them. They were both in terrible condition, purple and black patches of skin riddled throughout their bodies. Blood trickled down the corners of Antonio's mouth and Lovino's vision was blurry.

Meanwhile, Ludwig watched Gihon carefully, ready to fight. The River picked himself off the floor easily and dusted his clothes. "You're much stronger than the others," Gihon observed, amused. The blonde didn't respond, just stayed on his toes, but did not attack either. From the way he beat up Antonio and Lovino, Ludwig knew this was no ordinary adversary. He could not afford to go on the offensive and risk dropping his guard. Gihon lunged forward, unleashing a flurry of strikes, and Ludwig kept up a strong defense, enduring some of the blows and blocking others with his muscular arms. He was not sure how long he could keep this up, however, and he had to end this fight somehow; it was impossible for him to defend himself indefinitely, but if he attacked, Gihon would be sure to catch him with a critical hit. The River knew this as well, and waited patiently for a hole in Ludwig's guard to open up.

And his plan was a good one. Gihon managed to land a blow across the German's cheek, causing him to stagger, and the River began another wave of attacks, penetrating Ludwig's defensive position. A strike to his chest again pushed him off balance and Gihon used his leg to sweep the blonde's feet out from under him. Without giving him a chance to get up again, the River put his foot on Ludwig's torso and began to dig his heel into his chest. The German tried to pull him off with his own hands, but the River was too strong. Then he moved his foot above Ludwig's neck, pushing down lightly, but threatening to stomp down hard.

"You're tough, but not tough enough," derided Gihon sinisterly. He pushed his foot down a little harder, making Ludwig grunt in apprehension. "Do you know how easy it is to crush someone's throat? It's surprisingly easy. Why don't I show you?"

And then, with impeccable timing, another gunshot rang out, and Gihon's shoulder was flung back as the bullet pierced him. It had not gone through his heart, where Feliciano had intended to shoot, but it did get the River's attention. Gihon whipped his head around, glowering at the Italian odiously, but then another bullet ripped into his midsection, a much more lethal abrasion. His eyes widened, pure shock registered on his face, unable to comprehend the fact that he had been wounded. Blood began to soak his clothes, a sensation that had never happened to him before. And for the first time in a long time, he felt the stinging pain. He backed away from Ludwig, startled, and then turned and sprinted away, clutching his stomach.

Feliciano lowered the gun and exhaled with relief. "Ve, that was really scary!" Ludwig got to his feet, rubbing his neck thankfully.

"Feli, you idiot, why the hell are you still here?" Lovino croaked spitefully, "And you, potato bastard! I thought you were getting him out of here!"

Ludwig shook his head as he came over, "The elevator has been blocked. I think that all the exits are, too."

"Anyways, thanks for saving our lives," Antonio murmured, still weak from the beating. Ludwig hoisted him up and the Spaniard slung his arm around the blonde and leaned on him for support. Feliciano did the same for him brother.

"Good job with the gun back there," the German said to Feliciano. "Much better than the first time."

"Ve! I think I got the hang of it now, but I don't really like using it," he replied, optimistic as usual.

"Tomato bastard," Lovino mumbled, throwing a scolding look Antonio's way, "Don't take a hit for me ever again, you hear? You nearly scared me to death, damnit!"

Antonio just smiled, knowing that was Lovino's way of showing he cared. And he also knew that his partner would have the same for him. "What do we do now?" he asked instead. Their original plan was to help the other survivors escape, but they were in no condition to do that now, and even if they were, all the exits were closed off.

"I...I don't know," mutter the Italian older brother lamely.

"Why don't we just find a place to rest and hide?" suggested Feliciano. "That guy knows where we are right now, and he might come back with reinforcements or something..."

"He's right. Let's move away from here first, and then we can think up a new plan," nodded Ludwig.

"Alright," Lovino agreed grudgingly as he limped alongside his brother, "Let's go."

Hiddekel leaned his back against the hard, metal door imprisoning his captives. Conflicting thoughts float in his mind, making him miserable as he tried to decipher what's right and wrong. However, working out what he truly felt in his heart was much harder than he imagined. All these years, he had served by Eden's side, just thankful to have a place to belong, gracious for something like a family. No one had ever given him the slightest thought when he lived on the streets in Thailand, but Eden and the Rivers had given him a sense of purpose and identity. Not only had they saved his life, but they had given him a reason to live.

But was that reason even legitimate anymore? Helping Eden create the Antidote and repay her for her kindness was his reason, all because Eden was the only one who ever cared for him. But was that even real? Or just a fabled lie? Did Eden really care for him at all? In the plane, Maria had told him that Eden was just using him, like she did everyone else. But that couldn't be true! Eden really did care about him, she had to. Because if she didn't, that meant that Hiddekel was truly alone. It meant that all his life, even after he had become a River, no one had ever cared for him. And once more, his heart began to ache at the cold loneliness, as it did decades ago.

He thought back to what Euphrates had told him. She wanted more, she wanted happiness. She wanted to love. Was that what he wanted? Would that fill the void inside of him? But love was a weakness, that's what he had been told since he entered Teramist. But was that a lie too? No...this was all he'd ever known, and if it was a lie, then he had wasted so many years of his life. Wasted life he took from others. Had he lived for nothing?

No. He refused to believe that it was all for nothing. Perhaps Eden was right. He didn't need some irrational emotion to feel whole again. He just needed a place to belong, and Eden could supply him with that. Hiddekel straightened up, and listened to the two captives converse inside the chamber. Love had landed them in their imprisonment, so that proved that the emotion was a weakness, right?

"So now that I'm still alive," Maria said matter-of-factly from within the room, "What's our next plan of action?"

"...we're trapped. We can't get past the Rivers on our own. But we're can't give up either. As soon as Eden finds out you're alive, she'll have us both killed for sure," Kiku answered grimly.

"And we're back to square one," she sighed, "The room's escape proof, like the other one. I don't supposed we can count on our friends to get us out of this one."

"Speaking of them, I hope they're alright..." He trailed off earnestly. "If Eden's captured them, I'm afraid they don't have much time."

"Then we have to get out of here to make sure they're okay!" Maria declared zealously. This puzzled Hiddekel; why did they care about the welfare of their friends? Shouldn't they be more worried about their own lives instead? It didn't make any sense.

"Why don't you just give up?" he muttered. He spoke without thinking, and realized too late he had talked too loud. Maria and Kiku stopped talking abruptly, startled by Hiddekel's unexpected interlude from just outside the room.

"Give up?" Maria echoed brusquely, "And forfeit our lives? And the lives of our friends? Never!"

"While we still live, there's still hope," Kiku concurred seriously.

"Why do you even bother? You know you can't escape, so why waste your effort?" Hiddekel retorted acrimoniously.

"It's not a waste of effort," protested Maria. "We have a reason to keep living, and that gives us the will and strength to keep going."

"Hai. Our friends are counting on us. We won't let them down, nor disgrace them by giving up."

"Friends? What good are those?" The River's voice was full of rancor and spite.

"What's a life without any friends?" Maria asked, her tone softened and gentle. "A life without any special bonds isn't a life worth living, really."

"Worth...living..." Hiddekel repeated, mulling her words over. Was a life as a River of Eden worth living? "What makes a life worth living?"

Maria thought about this a moment, then answered sincerely, "It's strange, you know, I've never really thought about that question. My gut reaction would be to say that my loved ones make my life worth living. But now that I really think about it, even loved ones are external to me, because it's MY life. My real answer would be that it's what I do with my life that makes it worth living. By following my beliefs, I live and grow with my loved ones, and I forge those bonds along with them. I take the reins, I take my life into my own hands."

"My own hands," Hiddekel pondered. And all of a sudden it clicked inside his head. His nebulous thoughts became clearer again, and it all began to make sense. Could he truly be in charge of his own life? Perhaps...perhaps he didn't have to rely on Eden or the other Rivers anymore. If he wanted more than this, could he just take the reins and think for himself? If it was truthfully his choices and actions that dictated whether his life was worth living, what would he have to do to make it so?

Maria seemed to be able to read his thoughts, because she said, "And you can start by doing the right thing. What you believe is the right thing." The funny thing was, she didn't ask for the River to set her and Kiku free. She only wanted him to do what he deemed ethical.

"You think that I still know what's right and wrong after working for Teramist this long?" Hiddekel's mood had lightened incredibly, Maria's words finally giving him a new perception of his existence and decision. He smiled now, at the girl's naive, trusting nature.

"Actually, I think you do," she replied confidently. "Remember when you told me remorse was a weakness on the plane? Let me tell you that it's quite the opposite. Our conscience stops us from making the wrong decisions. You'd be surprised how satisfying it feels to know what you've done helped people. It's fulfilling to know you had the strength to chose to right choice rather than the easy one."

She spoke with such passion that it hard not to believe her. In fact, Hiddekel wanted to believe her. What she was really offering him with her words was a way out of this psychosis that Eden had imposed upon him. The chance to be free, that's what she was offering. The first step was freeing his heart from the burdens of remorse and guilt that came from working for Eden these many years. And that step required doing the right thing, didn't it?

Taking the biggest leap of faith of his whole life, Hiddekel unlocked the door and stepped aside. But now he was no longer afraid of the consequences, of Eden's retaliation. And what he could not get over was how light his chest felt as he did it. He was finally free.

Kiku was wary as he came out, but Maria just beamed authentically at the River. Hiddekel cocked his head to the side in curiosity, "You knew that I could do it even when I didn't."

"I hoped," she laughed good-naturedly. "But I was right. I knew you still had a bit of humanity left in you."

"Hai, thank you," Kiku nodded. "Not even the darkest of evils can completely corrupt a good heart."

"So what will you do now?" inquired Maria.

"I think..." Hiddekel began slowly, "That I'll try for redemption. I'll go to Area D and try to help those who're in here because of me. It's the least I can do."

Maria didn't argue, and just nodded encouragingly. "Then we'll see you on the outside, after all this is over, I hope." The River nodded, and began to head the other way, towards Area D, but she called, "Hey, wait!" He stopped and looked back. "Hiddekel's the name Eden gave you right? What was your real name?"

The River, or now former River, smiled, recalled the name he hadn't used in decades. He had almost forgotten it, but luckily he was able summon it from the depths of his mind. "Jaidee Charoenkul. But you can just call me Jai." He grinned as the last thing that tied him to Eden was done away with, and he picked up his pace and disappeared around the corner.

Maria couldn't help but smile genially as well. "Good luck, Jai."

From the Author: Human name for Thailand: Jaidee Charoenkul. :D

Finally got to write Jai as his full potential character! I'm going to love writing his future parts :) And I have to say, I kind of enjoyed writing that part with Gihon and the fight...is that weird? Probably.

So what did you guys think about this chapter? I'd love to hear everything that you guys have to say! Reactions, predictions, anything! I hope you all also know by now how much I sincerely appreciated every word of your reviews, and I also thank those who have read up to this point in my fanfiction!

Juusan13: I appreciate the honesty! And now you know a little more about Eden too! Thanks~

itgirl18: I made sure Ludwig and Feli were in this one :) I was kind of missing them too haha, and thanks a bunch!

NinjaRoll: Well, Hiddekel is a good guy now (it was predictable anyway so why not sooner than later? ;) ) And Yay! I was hoping to get those kinds of reactions from last chap!

Tsuruya-san88: I fully express my gratitude!

chibibeanie: Okay, I will keep that in mind :)

Maximilliminute: Really? :D Thanks, you're too kind!

Wow, this story has almost caught up to Double Vision in terms of reviews! That makes me so happy I want to tear up! :') You guys are just too awesome! Until next chapter!