Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?!

AN: So, so much pain. Credits to Nightwish.

On with

Chapter 25

All words seemed lost-there was nothing Mandy could do was stand and stare at the bloody corpse. Still there were no tears in her eyes. After all these years, she had never learned how to cry.

"Sadenning, isn't it? Now we both know what it feelsss like to lose something. Something...very close to usssss..."

Decarabia spoke, in a way much different than usual. His eyes closed, and for a second it looked as if the giant monster was holding something back-a forlorn look. To those who could see past his crooked appearance, a sliver of regret and depression swept across the face shrouded in evil. But when that moment passed, and his eyes reopened, they showed no feelings.

"He was a fisty one in the end, though, wasn't he? I'd wager his blood is stillllll filled with adrenaline. Hehe."

Grim was only a short way away now, but not close enough to prevent what happened next. Mandy, still heaving with rage beside the corpse, could stand it no longer. Fists ready to strike the demon, she ran at him, cursing and spewing whatever insults first came to mind. But it was only as simple a task as to look at her for Dec to stop her in her tracks. She was thrown back against the wall of the cavern with a flare of his wings; the amused look he wore only strengthened. Adding to this enjoyment was the fact that she now bled from several cuts and scrapes across her body.

"Red is such a wonderful colorrrr, eh? Let's see how you look wearing it."

He advanced towards her, his serpent-like neck craning to get a better view of her crumpled form. This was it, she thought. He was going to kill her, the army would lose, and humanity would be lost. But, as it has already been said, time after time, the enemy will make a mistake. A foolish desire to gloat was all it took. Decarabia lifted his talon as if to claw her as he had done to Billy, but he never touched her. Instead, he trailed the claw along the pool of blood now gathered beside the body. Dipping it down into the red liquid, he managed to get enough onto the nail that it was completely scarlet. Then, as revolting as it was, he flicked it onto her. Each individual droplet flecked across her face, her arms...everything. It took everything she had left not to throw up.

That was all it took.

He grinned and reached for her, but was stopped almost instantly. That final display of animus gripped at his charred soul like a hook, battering his already contorted mind. He had not always been this way. He had not always been evil. He had not always been so quick to give up, as he had to the power of greed. He would fight it. Images of his past life resurfaced:

Not a black demon, with wings like a bat and hooked beak like a predator, but white, silver, and head of a simple bird. He and his brother had always been close, as their parents were never heard from. At times they imagined they had been born of the earth, having no real mother or father. They always towered among other beings, but they never noticed. Nothing mattered but to play, be free, live. Live. He could not recall how it had happened, although Broxas had shared it with him.

He had died, in an accident that his brother said he would not understand. But Broxas had mourned over him for days. No other creatures of the Underworld cared that some bird had fallen. All but she.

Her brunette locks and caring face dried the tears themselves, and the eldest of the two found himself trusting her as quickly as if he had known her his whole life. Behind her eyes there was a sadness, but that would not stop her. She took pity on the creature, and placed her hand above the younger brother's heart. She moved to his beak as Broxas watched in fascination, and drew forth a single breath. That was all it took for him to be brought back into the world. Both he and his older sibling were so captivated by such wonderful new powers...they wanted to have their own. So much, in fact, that they followed the lady in white. Over the course of a millennia she showed them powers they had never dreamed of. She brought them along with her as she used her magic to bring back countless other souls. And with each passing day, their want-no, need- for such abilities grew stronger. And with each passing minute, their hearts grew blacker. So overcome with greed were they, that it began to show in their appearance and actions, and she was forced to lock them away. But they plotted. And when she released them after years, to eliminate a pair of worthless children, she thought perhaps they had changed. That over time they had reverted back to their old selves; that they were her allies again.

But her trust was thrown in her face, and now here he was. Black as ever.

That was hundreds of years ago, and he had never again given much thought towards his other self, that felt pity or mercy. But this new explosion of power had done more than just drown his evil heart; it resurfaced his old one. No one can be pure evil.

His old soul grabbed at the new one, of pure sadism. The force was so strong that he took a few steps backwards, his talons forced back onto the ground to keep his stabilty. Mandy looked on in confusion as he staggered and swayed, his wings fanning. Grim finally arrived as she continued to stare, and he looked just as baffled as she did.

"Tank goodness I caught up to you when I did! I got no idea what's goin' on wit him, but I say we just grab Billy and leave, now!"

Mandy said nothing, and he bent down to lift her from the ground.

"What is it?!...Oh."

Only then did he catch sight of the body, streaked with blood and dirt, and eyes that were always so eerily open. He also noticed the red dots across her clothes and skin, and put two and two together. He could think of nothing to say the releave the sorrow in the air. All he could do was keep tugging at her arm.

"Don't look at it, Mandy. Just don't look at him! If we don't move you're gonna end up just like dat!"

She refused to look at him, but uttered a firm command.

"Bring him back, Grim. Now."

"Now is not de time, child!"

"Do it!"

"I couldn't, even if I wanted to! I can't bring 'em back from de dead."

She fell silent. There was nothing else she could say right then, so she got up slowly.

"Fine by me."

Mandy shot her arm out towards Grim, and he jumped out of the way. But it was not he she was after, as it soon became obvious. As soon as he had loosened his grip on it, she snatched his scythe away, finding little difficulty in tugging it free from his bony hands. The skeleton tried to grab it back, but she was already sprinting away, as fast as her feet would carry her. Decarabia would not leave the cavern alive after what he had done, and the blonde would be quick to deliver his punishment.

The bird began to twitch violently as she neared him, his self-consious half still fighting to regain control.

"Stop it! It pleaded, "Stop this madness!"

Both sides tore his mind into two, but it became evident which was beginning to win the battle. Still shaking, the Jutanio began to squawk wildly, calling out a few certain names;

"Brrrroxas! Persssephone!"

He had lost both, in his hunger for dominance.

Mandy watched as the demon loomed to his full height, and the light behind his eyes began to flicker like a light switch. They were blood red, and then they were pale blue. Blood red, pale blue. Blood red...pale blue. They remained that color, and the half was allowed a moment to speak.

"Helllp me! Helllllp me!...Not what...aah, Wanted!!!" He screeched and ripped out a few of his feathers with his hooked beak, the pale eyes darting around, looking for someone to help him. Breathing deeply, he gave another spasm, and let loose a roar.

"Stop it! STOP IT!!! I don't want to hurt anybody!Oh, please..." He bore into the girl as he stood over her. She looked so tiny, so frail...he needed to apologize, if only...He was tired-so very, very tired...

The eyes flickered back to red.

"HRRROOOOAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

"Come here, girrrrl!"

Decarabia bellowed and resumed his former view of the girl. Yes, she looked so delicate once again. But this time, he felt no need to say he was sorry. He puffed out his chest and enclosed them within his signature force field, preventing her from running away if she wanted to. Not that those were her intentions at all. The Jutanio charged towards her, head bent low, and mouth open to rip through her. Mandy ran to the right, dodging a claw as it sliced the air above her. But the very tip caught her arm, and she screamed in pain as the cut was brushed by the cold nail. She swung the scythe around violently, slicing through one scaly talon, and sending the bird reeling and withdrawing his weapons. Blood splurted from the wound, a hideous, black liquid. It was as if he were leaking ink instead of the expected bodily fluids. But instead of the pleasure she had expected to feel while causing him pain, Mandy only stepped back a few paces and watched with wide eyes, feeling hollow and empty. This creature had revealed two halves to itself; and in this fight she was destroying both of the pieces of his soul.

Decarabia screeched and whirled, yelling in such frustration that the very ground began to shake, and the walls of the cavern began to tremble. Shrill cries bubbled from deep within, the madness within his body siezing his actions. Out of fury he bit himself, and the pain opened the gate for his softer self to step forward again. Blood continued to pour from his legs, but he refused to give up.

"Take me, girl! Take me!"

Mandy raised an eyebrow in confusion and uncertainty, bringing the scythe only closer to her face. To her surprise, the demon began to laugh.

"I understand now, don't you see?! I know how to fix this! Hahahaha!" A single tear slid down his cheek as he laughed in happiness and sudden understanding. It was a tear of acid, but a tear nonetheless...

The ground gave another leap as the Jutanio threw himself to the ground, his huge mass nearly knocking her from her feet. Though his limbs were twitching and clawing uncontrollably, still partially intent on hurting the child. She was forced to back further away in order to avoid being clipped by another dagger, only moving farther from the writhing creature. He squirmed again, and the past mind grew weary, barely hanging on. In a final pleade of forgiveness and succor, he forced himself to stretch his long neck out in front of the blonde.

"Kill me!"

"What?!"

Was the bird mad? The hollow feeling returned to her stomach, and the sense of an empty victory. But there was little time to address such matters, as the eyes began to flicker once more.

"Kill me! KILL ME! Grraaah!..DO IT NOW!!!"

It wanted to be the last remaining state of mind when he died. So, as she raised the silver blade above her head, the blue eyes used the last of their strength to see it happen. To watch as she slit his throat...to feel it happen as his mind-both parts of it-began to shut down, to collapse into themselves, and to cease to function. He could not replace the life he had taken by dying himself. But he could assure that no one else would die at his hands. This was the end of his existance, and he knew it well. He was dying, and yet he felt no fear, no sadness. He would not rule all universes. He would not rule alongside his brother. But he could join him. He knew it to be true as his vision began to fail him, as the pink and yellow blur before him brought down the scythe once more, and he was no more.

Only dead.

Ah, such sweet, glorious releif...

-GABM-

Mandy could see his enormous form stiffen up, his blue eyes roll to the back of his head, and the life escape him. Decarabia had been beaten by himself, and only he was to blame for it. A realization dawned upon the teenager as the dust settled around his unmoving form; this was the end of the war, the end of the turmoil and destruction. The rest of his army would not be able to continue without a leader to lead them, as they were little more than his puppets, and he, the pupeteer. Grim, who had not been able to help Mandy while she was trapped within Decarabia's force field, rushed over to her, Billy's body slung over his shoulder.

"You killed him, Mandy. I know when their time is up." He said quietly. She turned her head to face him, an expression on her face that he could not read.

"Then do your job, Grim, and let's get out of here."

"Child...your arm?..."

"What does it matter, now?" She sighed, and her eyes slid from the redhead to her bleeding appendage. Then she frowned.

Roughly, she slammed the scythe into his chest, and removed Billy from him. She took the carcass onto her own shoulder, and motioned for the Reaper to bring the demon to his rightful place. Taking a deep breath, Grim nodded, and walked over and through the pools of blood, over to the bird. The black form, the symbol of such anguish for so long a period of time, lay helpless. Grim closed his eyes, taking in the spirit's force floating around him. It was a much stronger aura than most other souls projected. But that came as little surprise. He needed only for the blade to touch the cool scales for the soul to explode from within; it burst out with such ferocity that even the blonde snapped her head back to see what had happened.

It was as though a shadow peeled itself from the Jutanio, rising up into the air around him. Blackness rose up, forming itself almost into the shape of a bird itself, squawking loudly. This black impurity of his soul continued to stream from the body, uncovering the new form beneath it. Steam seemed to come off the demon as it shrunk, deteriorated, and the black shadow drifted down. Sinking into the ground to finally reveal the Decarabia beneath the folds of darkness.

And there he lay, back to his normal size; no more the size of a skyscraper, but still larger than anything from Earth itself. He was beautiful, as the uglyness had completely melted away. Gleaming like a silver falcon, and no longer resembling a dragon or demon. His ripping talons were only for perching, his beak only for carrying food, his wings only for soaring on a bubble of air. This form, too, began to evanesce, dissipating and dissapearing like a vapor. The old Dec's soul also rose into the air, at long last set free by the Reaper's blade. This shining cloud came from the chest of the bird, and took on the shape of an orb. Glowing brightly, the circle began to hum, if one listened closely. Mandy and Grim listened in awe as this grew louder and louder, until the singing could be heard quite clearly. The Reaper had known some spirits to leave with song, but none so powerful;

How I wished, for soothing rain...

All I wished was to dream again;

My loving heart, lost in the dark,

for hope I'd have given my everything...

Once and for all, and all for once;

Evil my sin, forevermore...

And the silver form was painted black, as the shimmering orb rose into higher and higher, until it had escaped the cavern's bars. It was no longer restrained by the flesh, and so it had fled in joy. Those who were paying attention swore a second orb joined it right before it left Hell, dancing and playing with it, just like the times of yore. But the black form remained hovering only a few feet above the now useless body. The body which had again reverted itself to the form Mandy, Billy and Grim were so used to; the form of a monstrous demon. The black soul struggled, but seemed forced to remain alongside the body.

The blonde and the skeleton lept back and covered their eyes as flames erupted from the cave's floor, streaking up and around the dark carcass where it lay. It licked at the body and its soul, as the black shadow screeched and seemed to try even harder to escape. Shackles crept up from under the earth and sprung forward, magically latching onto the dead legs, and around the dead neck. Fire shot up again as the body was dragged down into the pit of Hell, sinking down into eternal remorse, and the black soul with it. Though screeching, it continued to slide down within the depths, until it could be heard no more. Nothing was left now of Decarabia. No body, no trace if a feather. Nothing but the scars and memories of those he had hurt to prove that he had ever existed.

Mandy and Grim turned to each other as the last remaining smoke cleared, and a mutual feeling of respect flowed between the both of them. They would never forget what they had just seen, though they had been the only ones. And it was a secret that they would never share, nor would they want to share.

Both left the scene of death, as the war was not over just yet, one carrying a weight upon her shoulders. Each noticed only as they began their march that all the blood had been cleared, and the ground was spotless. Hell had absorbed every last drop of both Billy and the Demon's remains.

AN: ...No one can be pure evil. Not humans, not hellish beings. We all have an outlet for kindness of some sort.