Hi there everyone! Ok, I'm sorry for not updating, but one person I know will get over it since I'm giving it to him now.

Chapter 20

We Never Made It…

"…kill me…" Ayumi said weakly once more, charging at Orli and clinging her daggers with Orli's, pushing forward.

Orli growled, trying to push the force of the two daggers towards Ayumi, but a blast appeared between them, each pushed back on each opposite side. Orli struggled to get up, but jumped out of the way when she realized that Ayumi was flying towards her, daggers ready in hands.

"KILL ME, ORLI! SHOW ME ALL YOUR PAIN!" the dark voice within Ayumi demanded, her eyes shining the color of blood… dark red.

Orli just stared at her, starting to go in a trance. It's exactly like when we first met…

The song My Immortal by Evanescence started singing slowly in her head. She lost her concentration as Ayumi once again charged at her and stabbed her arm, making her drop one of her daggers.

"URGH! DAMN YOU BASTARD!" Orli exclaimed.

Ayumi just laughed, spitting on the ground and getting into fighting stance. Orli did the same, glaring at the monster that obviously wasn't Ayumi.

"If you want your friend back, you're gonna have to kill me! Garland must be ready to strike her where her heart resides… You won't make it."

"I think I'm suppose to say that…" a voice said from above.

'Ayumi' looked behind her to see Mat, standing on a building, holding Avril.

"I don't think you're gonna make it…" he stated lethally, smirking as he rested Avril on the roof and jumped off the building, rushing to Orli's side.

Orli looked at him wide-eyed and glared at him, whapping him over the head.

"HEY! WHAT'D I DO?" he whined, glaring at her and rubbing his head.

"YOU APPEAR TOO MUCH! WHEN CAN I HAVE MY OWN BATTLE!" she argued.

Mat turned into a pile of dirt, his eyes focusing on her. "You should've said so… I mean, I'm Ayumi's brother…"

"TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW!" she fumed, steam coming out her wolf-like ears, and her tail moving furiously.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh you need anger management…" Mat muttered, letting Avril appear in her arms and walking out the stage where the Ayumi imposter and Orli were standing.

"One of your friends? You could've asked for help." the Ayumi imposter said, acting worried.

"This is my revenge for Ayumi. Prepare to die!" Orli exclaimed.

"You really want you die don't you?" the monster replied, getting in fighting stance.

"That's what I should ask you." Orli smirked.

The battle soon began, and as soon as the imposter charged at Orli, she disappeared.

The imposter looked around. "Dammit, where'd she go?" it muttered.

"Lookin' for me?" Orli exclaimed from above, slicing and dicing the life out of the imposter, a scream sounding out afterwards as it crashed to the ground.

Orli landed on her feet, placing her daggers on her sides, spitting on the ground. "Hmph, your strength doesn't match your boastful words."

"D-damn you… just so you know, you're too late to save her!" the imposter, who happened to be the woman responsible for the dragons, blurted, coughing out blood.

"What!" Orli walked up to the imposter and grabbed it by the neck. "What are you talking about?"

The imposter groaned. "Garland already killed her. You're too late!" then died as it disintegrated into the wind.

But before she died, it showed an image of Garland chaining Ayumi to the wall and holding a sword in his hand afterwards.

Mat saw the image and screamed, "AYUMI! ORLI GO GET THE OTHERS! I'LL SAVE HER!"

Orli nodded and with quick speed she ran to inform their friends. Mat sped off with Avril in his arms as he was transported to the room where Garland and Ayumi were in. but the bad thing about it was, Ayumi and Garland were on a balcony, Mat was at the bottom.

"GARLAND! YOU BASTARD LET HER GO!" Mat demanded, glaring at Garland and when he turned to Ayumi, looked in worry.

The old geezer turned to him. "Hah! To her parents I will! None of the Tribal family will stop me from my plan of destruction! I will build a new world and you all will be my slaves!"

Ayumi groaned lightly and opened one eye to Mat, running out of breath. "M-mat…"

Mat moved forward, holding his two guns. I'll save you Ayumi, I promise!

She smiled weakly, failing to inhale oxygen. I love you, big brother… You were always so cool to me… I look up to you…

Garland smirked and quickly sent a hand through her body-but that's what he thought. His evil red hues (are they red?) met other red, calm ones. He gasped at a silver-haired young man and he groaned as garland's hand pierced him, next to his heart.

"IAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Ayumi cried out to the silver-haired figure in front of her.

Ian slowly turned his head to have his lips form that cute grin he always gave her. "...I promised to... Protect you, didn't I?" he coughed out, blood gushing out his body.

"Wh-why... You... BASTARD! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" she cried out, clenching her fist above the chains she was tied to.

His smile still lingered. "I want you to.. Take... Care...of...our baby, you hear...?" he said softly.

"Grrr, OUT OF THE WAY, INCOMPETENT FOOL!" Garland exclaimed, his hand still lingering in Ian's body, forcefully pushing him away and to impact in one of the distant walls. "I have no time for you! It's your fault for not completing your mission!"

"Wha? Mission?" Garland whipped around, his beady eyes locking onto Ayumi. "I guess I should tell you, huh? That schoolboy of yours, he was spying on you. He was created by me. You should've seen me in his eyes. Believe it or not, I looked like him when I was your age."

Rand and Mat gagged. "GROSS!" they yelled in the background.

"But anyways. He failed to capture you, so now I die, thanks to none of these fools! Goodbye Tribal!" he sung horribly, placing his hand toward her, a beam of light shining before her.

"I...won't...let you hurt our baby!" she growled, her golden bangs slightly covering her eyes. She let out a scream and the shock waves caused the ground to shake. Finally, her chains broke loose and she flew in mid-air before Garland. Mat groaned as well as the other and they laid before Ian's corpse which was far away from both Garland and Ayumi.

"You who dare brings danger to my family... You will pay with your life..." Ayumi's dark voice muttered, using the same position Garland made with his hand, but a much larger beam on light, the size of a building in width, appeared before Ayumi.

"N-no! Wait-I-NOOOOOOO!" Garland cried out as the small fireballs consumed his soul.

Now laying before Ayumi, was the burnt corpse of Garland. She made sure that Garland wouldn't harm any one anymore. A pain hit her heart as she remembered Ian, and she ran up to her friends, abandoning her darker soul, and bent down towards the motionless corpse.

"...Ayumi...We'll wait outside, alright?" Ayumi nodded silently at Shokufeh's statement.

Just staring at the corpse, Ayumi couldn't cry. Why wouldn't she cry? He left her. He sacrificed himself to save her. That was a reason to be happy...wasn't it? If it wasn't for him, their baby would've died an early death. She smiled, but this time, managed to cry with happy tears.

She brought his corpse up to her chest and whispered. "Thank you.." then laid him down.

"You're leaving him here?" a voice called out.

Ayumi slowly turned around and saw Cloud. "Yes.. I heard that the Lifestream is connected through here. I'm sure he'll think that it'll be pleasant to sleep permanently in a warm lake." Cloud smiled at her and embraced her in a hug.

"I don't think so. His corpse might find it rather warm, but his soul would reside in your heart. He loves you. This was a great way of proving it, too."

"Y-yeah.." she murmured, resting her head on Cloud's shoulder, starting to cry once more.