Chapter 21: What the Heart Wants

The news of Arakune's arrival in Ronin-Gai set Bang's fires of justice ablaze, and he proclaimed to his subordinate with all his vigor "Ah, so that fiend has come to soil the grounds of our people, has he?!" He swung a fist forward and his face turned fierce with determination.

"Let it be known that there are three things that Bang Shishigami CANNOT stand! Lies, evil, lies, evil AND-"

"S-Sir, I think we all know about your distaste for bell peppers by now. Our men are literally being swamped by that monster, c-can you please save us…?" The subordinate's meekness did manage to break through the angered proclamations of his boss, and Bang quickly planted his fists on his hips and let out a haggy cough before replying "Y-You're right! This is a matter of grave importance! My personal agenda against bell peppers can wait!"

He then gestured an arm out towards his subordinate and asked "Now, where is that beastly blob?!" The subordinate replied post-haste "L-Last I saw, he was on the south end of this sector!"

"South? …Good, most of the town's people are still safe. Good, then I'm off! May the winds of justice be my guide!" Bang shuffled his feet along the ground to sprint past his subordinate so he can leap over the balcony in the hallway beyond. Shina tried to stop him with a swift "W-Wait a second Mr. Bang!" but his mind was so stuffed to the brim with hot-bloodedness that those words simply bounced off of him.

Shina lowered her hand and murmured between lightly gritted teeth "Mmmm, what should I do?" She hadn't ever considered the possibility of running into Arakune again. Hell, she didn't even want to run into the monster that was once a man ever again, as she thought that fate had decreed that she wouldn't be allowed to save him.

And yet, here they were, just by pure happenstance being in the same area as she was at the moment. "This can't be a coincidence…can it?" She thought while crossing an arm under her chest and using the other hand to prop her chin up.

Fate was clearly playing a game, and she was unfortunate to be one of the pieces in play. Yet, even so, if the chance presented itself to try and save him again, then why shouldn't she take it?

"…Even if this world is freed from the time loops, that won't do anything for Roy's situation." Shina parted her arms and thought back to the previous world she had been to, when she was unable to do anything to help Elphelt as she was taken away by her 'Mother'.

Closing her eyes and trying to put on a serene expression, Shina thought "…I can't stay on these worlds forever, I know that…But right now I have a chance to give some of these people a happy ending." Raising a couple hands before her chest, she then realized while wearing a tiny, goofy smile "It's what I should've realized from the start…I can repeat this cycle as many times as it takes…"

Her body tensed up a little and she pressed her hands between her chest, recalling and feeling the phantom pain of the times Nu had used her as a pincushion. Yet she remained as strong as she could, telling herself bravely "It…it hurts to die, and I'll always be afraid of death, I know that but…"

Lifting her head up, the girl then reflected upon Bang's words and murmured "But as long as I'm alive, I can keep getting back up and trying again." Taking in a deep breath and releasing a drawn out sigh of relief, Shina smiled and then clapped her hands before her chest before saying "Right! Enough loitering around! Gotta go find Roy before Bang does! Anyways Carl, you might-"

As she spun around to look at the boy, she found herself staring blankly at the bed as both him and Nirvana were gone. She blinked a couple times, imagining the duo's presence there for a little bit before tilting her head and going "H-Huh…? Where'd they run off to?"

"…Did you black out or something there? They literally ran right past you a moment ago."

Shina turned around and saw the subordinate still kneeling on the ground with his body trembling a bit. Rubbing the side of her face, she then asked "Are you ok?" to which he replied "M-Master Bang forgot to dismiss me…"

Blinking a couple times and then looking away with a sharp whistle through her lips, Shina politely asked "Soooo, which way is south from here?" The subordinate raised his right hand up behind him and said "T-That way…"

Clapping her hands again, the girl replied in an appreciative tone "Thank you very much! And uhhh…please try and get up BEFORE your master gets back, ok?" She requested that with a hint of concern for the man, but then she was off to take care of business before said person could reply. As she hopped over the balcony, the subordinate started sweating through his face mask while murmuring "O-Oh…why did I have that extra helping of tea this morning…?"

Outside the building, Shina landed on a rickety rooftop and leaned her body forward, humming to herself while trying to find signs of activity. "Now, where DID that boy go…" She murmured in a sing-song tone. Looking downward, she found a few skid marks on the roof's slats that only someone of Nirvana's build could've made.

Running to the edge of the roof, she swung her body to the right and saw the skid marks going towards the road down below. Some people were at the sides of the road looking towards the distance in confusion, so it was quite clear where Carl had gone off to.

"That boy's gonna get himself killed if he keeps this up, I swear…" Shina took a moment to scratch the side of her head and bemoan his behavior almost like she was his mother. But that's not the point of view she saw the situation in as she quickly cracked a wide smile and exclaimed "But that's why big sis Shina is here to help!"

She flipped off the edge of the roof and softly landed on the stone road, breaking straight into a sprint past the perplexed populace while rapidly apologizing for the disturbances. She kept going until running across one of the wooden bridges, where a certain cat-shaped blur entered her vision by leaping straight at her, proclaiming gleefully "BOOBIE JR.!"

Shina recoiled from her leaning, running stance and ended up pushing her chest forward, their bountiful bounce enticing the playful Tao to swing her paws out faster than light just to get a grasp on them. When contact was made, Shina's blood rushed to her cheeks and she swung her right fist down to bonk Tao atop the noggin. The kitty backed off and placed her paws on her head, muttering in surprise "Ow ow ow! Why you gotta hit Tao so hard Boobie Jr.?!"

Giving a reprimanding wiggle of her pointer finger, Shina tried to remain calm as she explained "I-It's rude to greet someone like that Tao!" Tao's response was a cutesy "v" mouth with eyes blank and blinking.

A dull sigh escaped Shina's mouth as she shook her head with a rhythm similar to a clock's pendulum. "Well anyways Tao…" she said, looking down at the Kaka with eyes glistening with bliss "You DO know Arakune is in town, right?"

Tao's expression turned into a scowl before she roared with a childish ire "Grrrr, Scruffy Man told Tao all about Squiggly! Tao's got a vendetta to settle with them!" Curious, Shina waved her hand aside and asked "Then…why are you here?"

Tao surprised the girl by making her anger disappear in a nanosecond, replacing it with a dot-shaped mouth and embarrassed stare before she stated nonchalantly "Oh! Tao got lost! Tao doesn't know what direction 'Seeeouf' is!"

With pity towards the kitty's lack of an education, Shina slowly raised her pointer over Tao's head and said "You should go that way, but-"

"Alriiiiight! Thanks Boobie Jr.!" Energetic to the bone, Tao spun herself around on the spot and dashed off like a cheetah, kicking up a gale that blew Shina's hair so far up that it was like a carpet laid out off the back of her head.

Fluttering her eyelashes, Shina ran after Tao and murmured "I gotta get to Arakune before the others do." Sprinting through the streets, she noticed that the people were getting more worried the further along she got. This part of town was easy to navigate through even if the buildings blended together.

Eventually Shina ran into a road block in the form of a crowd, all of whom were looking towards the rooftops. Shina followed their gaze to find that Bang was leaping back and forth across them in pursuit of Arakune, who sprung his malleable mass between each side of the buildings like a slinky.

"I said HALT you fiend!" Bang could be heard yelling as he went out of sight. Shina gazed at the crowd and heard mumblings of a 'kidnapping' amongst their ilk. To better scope out the situation, she made a swift leap towards the leftmost roof and curved her hands against the eyebrows while leaning forward.

She'd find that Arakune had absconded with a small child. Couldn't have been any older than ten judging by how underdeveloped their features were. The child swung their arms and kicked their feet, the goop so ingrained with their clothes that every effort led to them getting jerked back in. This predicament left Bang gritting his teeth, hiding his fear behind a wall of pure rage. Once more, he yelled towards Arakune "You will not get away from me, evil blob!"

The gelatinous gremlin stopped at the edge of the roof overlooking some cherry blossoms and twisted it's masked face around, babbling in his gargled voice "D-n't ne-d sm-ly -a-! Gro-s, gr-s!" That pause gave Bang the opening he needed to sprint across the slats and throw a punch towards the monster's face.

With what little cunning he could muster, Arakune propped the child up on a bulge. Bang widened his eyes and stopped his fist millimeters from the child's face. The child's mouth was bound by Arakune's goop and their heart looked ready to burst from the chest, with tears dribbling down the cheeks. Bang lowered his head and his extended fist trembled, with even his hot-bloodedness shaking as he declared "D-Darn you, you…you fiend!"

Shina's heart raced and she swung her right hand out to draw her rapier, caring not for the distance between the two. Such a thing didn't matter, for she WOULD cross it before it was too late. Pressing her feet against the roof, she leaped with all she had towards Arakune. The environment blurred around her eyes with how fast she sped forward, and she swung her weapon back while focusing on the very bottom of the bulge.

"SQUIGGLY JUSTICE RESCUE!"

Tao's screeching cry cut through the tension sharper than her own claws, and a moment later she was seen flying straight at Arakune while using those very protrusions to slice through the goop binding the child. Shina widened her eyes and swung her legs forward to land on the roof behind Bang, her feet grinding up the slats as she tried to brake. Looking up, she saw as the child was sent flying into the air with arms and legs cuddled against their body.

Arakune looked at the splattered goop on his back and perked his 'face' up while putting itself back together, only to be met with a double-palm thrust from Tao. "Bad Squiggly, BAD!" She proclaimed ecstatically. Arakune's mass wiggled back and started losing it's balance off the edge of the roof.

"Grhh…grhh…!" The monster garbled out from what remained of it's throat. Tao then laid her chin atop her grounded paws and with a waggle of her tails she pounced atop the monster and forced them off the roof. With the area shaking upon their landing, Shina was about to run after the two when Bang landed in front of her with the child cradled in his arms.

"Good work Disciple #1!" His exclamation was full of praise, but he took upon a softer tone as he looked the child in the eyes and said "It's alright now. That monster won't lay another hand on you."

"T-Thank you Mr. Bang…" The child could be identified as a boy when they spoke, even with how quiet they were. He was a tinge unnerved still, so Bang glanced over his shoulder and acknowledged Shina's presence by asking "Ah, Ms. Aurora, you're here! Please, take this child back to his parents while I handle that monster!"

Shina held her arms out to accept the child but also tried to get Bang to hear her out "Mr. Bang, wait! Arakune is-" The ninja had already run to the end of the rooftops while swinging a pair of fingers beside his face and exclaiming "I'll hear you out later!" before jumping right off.

Shina blinked twice then felt her right cheek being tugged at by cold, tiny fingers. Looking down at the kid, she found him innocently remarking "You remind me of mama…"

The girl's face turned redder than a tomato and her eyes glazed over as she glanced away, stammering out "Hahaha aren't you cute! Ummm…" She quickly hopped off the roof and turned towards the crowd to exclaim "Looking for some parents! Anyone? Anyone?!" Her face stayed red while she made the occasional glance back at the battle going on near the bridge.

Tao had gotten tangled up in Arakune's goop, but used the situation to her advantage in order to roll him along the ground like the two had been conjoined to make a runaway wheel. "You're not going to get away from Tao this time Squiggly, paw-pare for justice!" At the center of the bridge Tao bounced up and swung the monster's condensed mass like a basketball overhead, slamming him right down a moment later and leaving him a splattered puddle.

Arakune tried to wiggle away, but Tao hunched forward and drew her curved claws out. Viciously slashing at the goop one set of claws at a time, the kitty failed to connect even as she left sharp crimson marks on the air, as the blob was nimbler than the peskiest fly. Every time Arakune dodged, he let out a swift "No!" and got just a little farther away from Tao.

"Gah! Stop being so squiggly Squiggly! You're frustrating Tao!" She exclaimed as Arakune stood up in his neutral form, wiggling his hand around and exclaiming "Do-'t ne-d…imp-e! De-ec-ive…! Pu-e…Azur-…G-ve me th- Azu-e!" Tao paused and laid a paw over her chin, remarking in confusion "Huh? Ash-sure…? What's an Ashsure?"

Even though he wouldn't have responded with an answer, Arakune's ramblings were nevertheless interrupted by a series of thin, sharp wires weaving their way around him like a cage. Carl was behind him, guiding Nirvana to keep wrapping him up as tightly as possible, all the while remarking with a glint of intrigue in his glasses "So you're after the Azure too…Unfortunately, I can't let you get your grubby hands on it! I need it to save my sister, so you're going to be handed over the NOL where you belong, monster!"

Though faced with a cage that even the hardiest of prisoners would have trouble breaking free from, Arakune managed to slowly ooze through the miniscule cracks and drip onto the ground below, hardening parts of his body to push apart the wires so his 'face' could slip out too. Carl widened his eyes in surprise and said "Huh? H-How?! Ada's cage is supposed to be impenetrable!"

When Arakune reformed he looked towards the doll and stretched his head left and right, murmuring with intrigue "N-x Nycto-r-s Ni-a-a…K-k-noe…Ko-onoe…!" He sprawled the sides of his body open and summoned some boney talons, giggling insanely "T-m- t- f-HEHEHEHEHEH-ast!" Then with one gluttonous lunge from the monster Carl was stiff with fright, and he coiled one hand against his body while swing the other out.

"S-SIS!"

Nirvana tried her hardest to defend him by drawing the wires back into her claws before lunging them straight at the beast, but Arakune coiled itself around the limb like a snake and used the length of it's body to start devouring the doll. Witnessing this sight sent Carl into a frenzy, and he swung his cape out to summon a small automaton that lunged a tiny lance at the creature's face while he exclaimed "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The creature giggled as it swung it's 'face' left and right to dodge those pitiful strikes, and it was almost like a part of him enjoyed this. That pleasure would prove fleeting as soon enough he'd be nailed in the face by one of Bang's gauntlets, which was preceded by the man exclaiming "Get away from my second disciple and his strange doll sister you malleable menace!"

Arakune was blown right off of Nirvana's arm and once more splattered on top of the bridge. This time however, he seemed to have been temporarily knocked out. Carl looked up at Bang as he stood along Nirvana with his fist stretched out atop her arm, and as the ninja turned to crack a smile the boy's eyes were wide with awe as he stammered "M-Mr. Bang…!"

"You've performed admirably Disciple #2. But you need not push yourself any further. Allow me to show you a more…simple method for apprehending criminals!" Bang stepped past Nirvana, who lowered her arms upon sensing Carl at ease, and pulled out a nail from his belt.

"This nail, crafted in the fires of Ikaruga's Cauldron, contains a web that'll leave even the squirmiest of suspects unable to move!" Bang smiled and looked down at Arakune, flipping the nail around in his hand to show off to his awe-struck vigilante partners before pinching it between two fingers at gesturing it straight at the blob.

"So, any last words before you're locked away for good, you kid kidnapping ne'er-do-well?!"

"W-Wait, Mr. Bang!"

Bang blinked a few times as Shina's voice entered his ears. "That's strange. Your voice is more…feminine than I had imagined it would be." In the ninja's moment of being flabbergasted, Arakune sprung off the ground and took the form of a shark as he flew right over Bang and Nirvana's head and splashed against the ground behind them. He kept his form as he 'swam' through the ground towards the nearby sewer pipe.

Bang spun around and tucked the nail into his pocket, breaking into a sprint towards the pipe while exclaiming "HALT!" As Tao and Carl followed him, Shina was behind them all going as fast as she could to catch up, thinking to herself how odd it was that Arakune wasn't attacking anyone.

Arakune slipped into the pipe that was big enough for any of the three vigilantes to continue their pursuit, but a wall of aura was drawn before their view and Shina landed between them both with her hands swung up over her head. Screaming forcefully "HOLD IT…!" she paused and then added a more polite "P-Please…?"

Bang stopped on the dime and swung his arms out to hold off his two eager compatriots. Tao laid her paws atop Bang's rippling biceps and tried to haul herself over, exclaiming in disbelief "Awww come on Boobie Jr., you're letting Squiggly get away!" while Carl tried to duck under the arm as he yelled out "That monster tried to swallow Ada! I'm going to make him pay!"

"I…I can't let you guys hurt him!" Shina pleaded.

"Huh? You some sort of Squiggly sympathizer Boobie Jr.?!" Tao's outburst was reprimanded by a swift tap on the head by Bang, who turned his head to look at both his disciples while saying calmly "Now now, calm down. Lets hear Ms. Aurora out." He then sternly folded his arms against his chest and looked at Shina, nudging his head a bit forward to give her permission to speak.

Shina smiled after a sigh of relief and perked her head up. The three were anticipating the truth in their own ways, but none of them were as patient as Bang was. It was both incredible and respectful how the man could so nonchalantly shift between these two natures of his, which made it all the harder to tell him the truth about Arakune.

Bang was a man of many talents, and his heart burned not just with justice but for love as well. The one person he loved the most, however, was Litchi Faye-Ling.

"Yeah, but…" Shina recognized the snag that came about from his connection to the doctor. Would he believe that such a gross monster was connected to her? Even so, would he be jealous or accepting? Knowing what type of person Bang was did little to ease this predicament. So, without a second more of hesitation, Shina blurted out "A-Arakune was once a human by the name of Roy! And…and he was the person Litchi cares for the most in this world."

She could see the dejection on Bang's face immediately. His heart must've stopped beating for a moment, and his normally tan skin looked one shade paler. The man stared Shina in the eyes and was on the edge of his current calm as he asked "Is what you are saying true?" The girl closed her eyes and slowly nodded her head. It was the toughest nod she had ever given, and it was as though days had passed before she was done.

Bang closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Shina winced and dreaded the response.

"…How horrible. No wonder Ms. Litchi always seemed so…distant." The two opened their eyes at the same time, with Bang still as calm as ever while Shina seemed more perplexed by his choice of emotions.

"To think that her lovely smile hid such a tragic tale of love found and lost."

"Huh…? You…believe me?" Shina blinked a few times, thinking this was but a dream, but Bang's words were reassurance that it was the contrary "Did you not do the same when I said why I helped you?"

"…Yeah, true." Shina tilted her head and felt a bit embarrassed to have underestimated the man like that. Shaking off that embarrassment, she looked him in the eye and explained confidently "Anyways, if I can get to Arakune, I can use my powers to salvage Roy's soul and give it to Litchi."

Bang grinned and told her "Then what are you standing around for? He'll get away if you keep waiting." Shina widened her eyes and then smiled, giving him a nod before saying "Thank you, Mr. Bang!" She then turned around and dispelled the aura wall with a diagonal wave of the hand, running into the deep, dank tunnel right after. Before she was too far in, Bang yelled out "We'll stay guard out here, just in case he tries to escape!"

It didn't take long for Shina to lose the light from outdoors, which was replaced by a few dim red lamps around the walls. Her shoes made a splash every time she stepped upon the sludge filled flow, making it's repugnant scent rise into her nostrils every time she did so. It was so noxious, like someone had eaten a rotten egg, shat it out, then had a skunk spray all over it. Only the bravest of fools would dare to crawl through this gunk.

"…Oh, yeah." Shina blushed and then laid a hand over her face, visualizing a gas mask and recreating it with her aura. Then she laid her right palm up against the air and condensed aura into a sparkling light to make it easier to see what was up ahead. The moment she did so, she heard the echoes of splashing moving away from her at a fervent pace.

Widening her eyes, Shina hastened after the sound. Rounding the nearest corner down the right path of an intersection, she made one misstep and slipped on some soapy gunk, causing her to stumble forward. Her hand latched out from the railing nearby and grabbed it before even a strand of hair could touch the ground. Pulling herself up with the heart racing, she looked ahead and could hear the sounds getting farther away.

"I can't let you get away Roy…Not this time!"

Running forward with all she had, Shina kept her hand held up to ensure she wouldn't lose her path. The sounds of him fleeing got closer and closer, but she could not make out his visage amongst the darkness. Then, suddenly, a mass of black goop sprung forth from the ground and spun around, planting it's pale white 'face' against Shina's own and making her heart jump so high it was like it had been lodged in her throat.

The 'face' was cold and wet, and smelled of the sewage more than anything else in this tunnel. Not even the mask could block that horrid stench, and Shina started slowly stepping back while feeling an unease welling in her gut. But the mass did not move along with her. It stayed in place, twirling it's 'face' around like a corkscrew tightening.

Shina looked him in the eyes and gulped, pushing that lump down and trying to stand courageous against the being before her. She slowly raised her left hand and asked "Roy? I-Is there any chance you're in there somewhere?" Arakune whipped it's 'face' back into place and raised it's body higher, but pushed it's 'face' out further.

"You…I remember you…"

Shocking Shina to the core, Arakune spoke not just with familiarity towards her, but also with a clarity that he had never been able to before now. The voice was that of a man tired and unsure. The girl's skin was riddled with goosebumps, and after a gasp she laid a hand before her mask and remarked "It is you, isn't it Roy?"

"Yes. For now, anyways. And you…you're the girl who helped Litchi reclaim my soul from this…This monster I have become."

"I wish I could explain why you remember me, but-"

"No, I've heard of this phenomenon before from the Professor…I believe it was called shifting…" Arakune shook his head left and right and then focused his eyes towards Shina, telling her honestly "But none of that matters now…You have come to try and free me again, haven't you?"

Shina remained surprised by what was happened as she nodded her head in a docile manner. Then, Arakune requested with soft bluntness "Please…Forget all about me." Shina widened her eyes and exclaimed "What?! No way am I doing that! You can't possibly tell me you're satisfied with this!"

Arakune's 'face' looked to his own body before speaking out with a degree of grief "This…was never what I could've possibly expected from my experiments." Then his voice got more proud, as he stretched and twisted his 'face' towards the ceiling before continuing "But look at me…Inside this body contains knowledge unlike anything anyone in this world has ever born witness to!"

"And it's tearing your mind apart…" Shina said with pity as she lowered her head. Arakune bent his 'face' down and swung it before her line of sight, telling her frankly "Yes, that was always going to be the downside to such knowledge. To comprehend the incomprehensible…Was always my goal, even knowing it might destroy everything I ever was, am, or shall be."

Arakune then pulled back into his own body and stared at Shina with a serenity projected that was unbecoming of such a monster. "I made my decision long ago…If my fate is to disappear forever, absorbed into this monster, then I'll be happy knowing it was only my fault in the first place."

Shina stamped her right foot down and exclaimed "And what about Litchi?! She loves you! Her heart's in shambles because she's doing everything she can to try and save you! Is all your knowledge worth tearing her feelings to pieces?!"

Arakune pulled back and hung his head down, remarking in a docile tone "…I've made my choice. At this point, it's too late to save me anyways. Even your method of wrenching my soul from this body is but a temporary fix to a greater obsession. Nothing would stop me from simply trying again…It is for Litchi's peace of mind, and perhaps yours as well, that I just be forgotten."

"Don't you realize how SELFISH you sound?!" Shina was absolutely fuming at what she was hearing, but without a care the man replied "As though you are no different in trying to save me."

Shina bit her lower lip and gasped, offended on a degree she rarely ever was. With face red with rage, her voice deepened and she said to him "F-Fine! If you're going to be like this, then I don't WANT to save you anymore. Litchi deserves better than you anyways!" Sharply spinning around, Shina stamped her shoes atop the sludge and started to storm off, with Roy letting out his last lucid remark towards her "…That, I agree with…"

Shina halted and looked a bit surprised by that remark, but by the time she looked over her shoulder the monster was long gone. Laying a hand on her chest, the girl felt a bit weird to see him go. Despite fighting to try and save him twice now, Shina found herself feeling a bit…pleased to have failed with Arakune. Even though they were her own feelings, she could understand them at all.

With a disheartened moan, Shina slowly turned her head around and began the sluggish trek out of the sewers. It took her half an hour to make it through, but as the light outdoors greeted her with a blinding flash she found that Bang was true to his word and stuck around with Tao and Carl. They were sitting on the ground as Bang regaled the two with stories of his past.

"…And THAT is how I forged my first nail! …And promptly lost it." Bang chuckled while Carl crossed his arms atop his legs and murmured "Wow…You're pretty cool Mr. Bang!" Tao tilted her head and remarked "Nyah. What's a Calldrone Scruffy Man?"

"Well Tao, a Cauldron is-" Before he could say anymore, the sloshing footsteps caused by the gunk on Shina's shoes caused him to glance over his shoulder and remark "Ah, Ms. Aurora, you've made it back safe and sound! And I assume with tales of victory and conquest!"

Shina cracked a small smile and slowly shook her head, telling him "He got away." Bang blinked a couple times and said "Is that so? Well, there's always next time I suppose!" Looking away from him, the girl rubbed the side of her head and started to walk past the group, whispering to them "I-I'm sorry, I gotta go…" Her departure left the trio confused, but only Bang looked at her and hummed curiously.

A few hours later…

Late night has fallen upon Kagutsuchi. The moon was high above, the stars were as bright as ever, but they were now joined by the colorful flashes and bursts from the celebratory fireworks all across the city. Shina laid atop the highest roof in Ronin-Gai, her arms folded behind her head while her body was stretched out so much the bottom of her shirt had been pulled up an inch.

She enjoyed the sights above and felt at ease. With a dulled expression, she rested here not because of depression, but out of a need to contemplate. Taking in the chill night air through her nostrils, she let out a lukewarm breath and thought back to Arakune's last words.

"As though you are no different in trying to save me."

Shutting her eyelids a bit, the girl whispered "Have I really been selfish?" She closed her eyes all the way and hummed as she thought back even further. Helping Noel fight Nu twice and Jin once, saving Litchi from Tager and then trying to get her Roy's soul, and then once more trying to free the soul from his monstrous form…None of that screamed "selfish" in Shina's mind.

Yet, what scratched at Shina's scalp was that most of what she's done in this world has little to do with the most important thing of all…

"Stopping Nu, and getting the artifact piece."

It was not that she had forgotten how important that was. It was just that so many failures to help the people she met managed to wear down on her admittedly fragile self-confidence. Yet, one could argue that perhaps had she not forced herself to try and help all these people in the first place that she'd have been better off emotionally.

"It's like I tried to have my cake and eat it too…"

But, thinking about this matter all by her lonesome, with no other people or problems to distract her, made her realize what was most important now.

"Stopping Nu and getting the artifact piece will solve a lot more problems…and save a lot more people too. Not just the ones living on this world, but my people too. Of course, that's what this was all about from the start, wasn't it?"

Cracking a tiny smile, Shina quietly reprimanded herself "Oh Shina, you've been such an idiot these last few loops…But perhaps that cold slap from reality was just what you needed to regain focus."

Sitting herself up while opening her eyes, she curled her legs back and laid her hands across them, remarking with a more determined outlook than before "Right! Now I know what I must do! I know for a FACT that Alex'll go to the NOL HQ. He's never been one to get distracted. So next time, I'll go up there and either wait or catch up with him. Maybe if we combine our powers, that'll be the key to kicking her ass!"

Pumping a fist before her chest, Shina puffed her cheeks a little and let out a quiet "Yeah!" to keep her energy up. Then she looked towards the sky and thought "Now, how much longer until the time loop ends?"

"Aha! I finally found you, Ms. Aurora!" To Shina's surprise, her ears were assaulted by the hot-blooded cries of Bang once more. She turned her head and found the ninja standing next to her. He was true to his title, for she didn't even sense or hear him. Blinking a couple times she said "O-Oh, Mr. Bang! I wasn't…uhhh, expecting you to find me."

He sat down beside her with legs bent against his chest, remarking proudly "A ninja always finds his target, no matter where they may hide!" Shina stared at him for a little until he scratched the side of his head and admitted quietly "That may have come across more creepy than I had intended…"

Shina giggled, freeing Bang of his bout with embarrassment. He then looked at her and said "You have a wonderful laugh." When she was done, Shina blushed and with a brief nod said "Why thank you."

Then she asked "So…What's up?" Bang made no hesitation to say "You failed to complete your mission, didn't you?" Shina fluttered her eyelids and then nestled her face between her legs as she placed them together and wrapped them in her arms.

"Yeah…I guess I did."

"Say no more. I'm sure you have your reasons." Bang put his hands behind his head and leaned back, to enjoy the spectacle in the sky, his smile brimming his joy.

"Such a wonderful time of the year this is. Though I suppose in about five minutes, it will no longer BE this year."

Shina peeked at him with widened eyes and murmured "Five minutes left…?" She looked towards the sky once more. Soon enough, the light of Doomsday would come down. It would eclipse the stars, the fireworks, even the very moon itself until nothing of this city remained.

Seeing as this would be the last time she'd probably see Bang, Shina slowly glanced at him and inquired "Mr. Bang…If you wouldn't have been able to help me the first time, would you have kept trying?"

Bang turned his head towards her and remarked "What a curious question…I suppose if I must answer though, I'd say that I'd probably have left you be." Shina perked her brows up and said "Huh? But what about your 'try, try again' philosophy?"

"Certainly, my words still ring true. But when it comes to helping people with their personal matters, sometimes it's important to just respect ones boundaries. Had my advice not helped you, then while I'd have been concerned for your well-being, I'd be perfectly content with letting you go so someone else may have provided you with the answers you needed."

Shina cracked a smile, thinking of a certain someone she knew as she replied "Maybe I oughta consider that with a friend of mine. Well Mr. Bang, don't let anyone tell you that you aren't good at giving out advice. Heck, you cut down the yelling and stop having a vendetta against shirts and you'd make a good teacher!"

"Hahaha!" Bang roared with amusement before he replied "Perhaps I should make one of those my last minute resolution! …Your compliment is appreciated, Ms. Aurora. And what of you? What is your New Year's Resolution?"

Shina tilted her head a little and then felt the planet itself tremble. Looking towards the sky, she saw a bright light streaking down towards the city. Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath to brace for it's impact, she told Bang honestly "To do things right next time loop…" The ninja lifted his head in confusion, but would not get a word in edgewise before the light crashed down upon Kagutsuchi. The city was wiped out, but what it would not be able to destroy this time was Shina's regained determination. And next time, she'd come back with a vengeance more fiery than Alex's flames…

Next Time: The Face of Evil