"Hey! They're launching the attack!" Chika called into the room where Dia and Riko were staying.

"Okay!"

Chika then left them to go tell everyone else.

"So, it's begun." Riko said.

"Yep. I hope this will be an easy victory for them." Dia nodded.

The two of them were still awake. Neither wanted to sleep with the impending battle. They wanted to know what happened. They were sitting on the bed quietly. Neither of them knew what to do while they waited for Chika to return with the final verdict of the battle.

After a while of waiting, the door to their room opened up. A person stepped in the room. After a few seconds, they both realized who they were. It was a knight from the Diamond kingdom.

"You guys aren't the only ones with knowledge of where to find a witch." The knight growled.

Dia and Riko stood up. They didn't know what to do. They had no weapons on them. The knight had a sword. He started to approach Dia. Riko threw herself in front of Dia. The knight let out a growl.

Riko didn't move. She stayed in front of Dia. She had no desire to let the knight get to her. Riko wasn't letting him get through to Dia. She'd die first. She had sworn to protect Dia and she was still keeping it even if that promise was made when they were still in the Diamond kingdom.

"Get out of my way!" The knight yelled and then he charged.

His sword went through Riko's chest. It narrowly missed her heart. She could've died on impact if it had, but now she was going to suffer a slow and painful death. Riko couldn't even scream. All that came out of her was a gasp.

"Riko!" Dia cried out as Riko fell to the floor when the sword was removed from her.

"Now that she's out of the way, it's your turn to die." The knight advanced toward Dia.

Dia stood frozen in place. The knight kept getting closer and closer. Dia was ready to accept her fate, when suddenly the knight let out a cry of pain. He coughed up blood. Dia looked behind him as he fell to see Yohane was there holding a bloody knife. Dia barely acknowledged her and just fell to her knees. She flipped Riko over to her back.

"R-Riko…" Dia cried.

"I-it's okay…" Riko mumbled as she tried to smile.

"It's not! You can't die!" Dia cried out.

"I'm sorry…" Riko coughed up blood, "But… I'd rather it… it be me…"

"B-but… I need you!" Dia pleaded.

"You'll be fine… without me…" Riko whispered.

"No! You can't leave me!" Dia shouted as she slammed her hands into the ground in frustration.

"W-why are you so stubborn? You can't change this…" Riko asked.

"Riko… I'm… I'm pregnant…" Dia said, "That's why I've been sick every morning… remember when we used that potion… well, this came out of it."

"I'm sorry…" Riko's eyes slowly fluttered shut.

"You can't die! What about our child!? They need you too!" Dia knew it was futile, but she kept pleading.

Riko took one last ragged breath and then fell still. The room fell silent. Dia sat there, frozen in place. Tears were streaming down her face. She didn't make a single sound. She didn't even register Yohane hugging her.

"I'm sorry…" Yohane whispered to her.

Dia finally broke out of her frozen state. She looked up at Yohane.

"I'll take care of her." Yohane said softly, "She's in good hands."

"C-can she still visit me?" Dia asked.

"She's crossed over. It'll only be in dreams that you could see her." Yohane sighed.

"You haven't crossed over?" Dia tried to clean up her tear-stained face.

Yohane shook her head, "Whatever my purpose was wasn't fulfilled. Until it is, I can't go over."

"If you're not crossed over, how can you take care of her?" Dia questioned.

"I can't stay over there for long, but I can go there. I can check on her occasionally." Yohane explained.

Dia let out a sob and then broke back down into tears. Yohane did her best to try and calm her down. It wasn't doing much. The only thing she could do was offer some support.

There was clicking coming near them. Chika ran into the room. Her ears had picked up the noise so she went to see what was going on. She stood frozen in shock at the scene she stumbled upon. Chika hesitantly walked closer and rubbed her face onto one of Dia's legs.

Yohane frowned at Chika. Chika returned the look. No matter what they tried, Dia wasn't calming down. Eventually she ran out of tears.

"Why don't you go get some rest for a bit. Go to Ruby's room." Yohane guided Dia away.

Chika followed after them. She got a message from Hanamaru about them winning the battle. Chika replied sadly that Riko was dead.

DIVIDER--

The mood dropped. Their victory was less now that they learned of Riko's death.

"Do you know what happened?" Kanan asked Hanamaru.

"No… all Chika has told me is that there was a Diamond knight dead on the floor when she walked in. How he got there is still unknown. Until Dia wants to talk, we won't know what really happened." Hanamaru replied.

"I just can't believe it…" Yō mumbled, "Another one is dead now…"

"We should head back as soon as possible." Mari stated.

"I agree. Let's start packing up." Sarah nodded and started giving the knights instructions.

"I hope they're all okay…"

"I'm sure they are."

DIVIDER--

"Onee-chan… wake up." Ruby gently shook Dia awake.

"What is it?" Dia asked quietly.

"It's time." Ruby said.

The two of them left the room. Chika was waiting outside for them. She climbed onto Ruby's shoulders. The three of them made their way to the cemetery. Riko was going to be buried there.

The burial didn't last very long. It was quick. They said a small blessing and then placed the coffin in the hole. Once it was covered up again and a headstone had been placed, everyone started to leave.

Dia walked up to the grave and sat in front of it. Ruby took a seat beside her. Chika stayed with them as well. She curled up in Ruby's lap. They sat in silence, not saying a word. Yohane was watching them. She was invisible to the living. She watched the scene with sadness in her eyes.

As night fell, Dia still didn't leave. She had been there for hours now, just staring blankly at Riko's grave. Ruby remained by her side. She left occasionally, but would always come back. Chika remained at the castle once it started getting late.

When night fell, Yohane had enough strength to become visible again. She appeared and then made her way over to where they sat. Ruby jumped at the sight of her. The reaction wasn't as bad as the first time she saw her, but it was still pretty bad. Dia didn't even seem to notice her at all.

"Dia. You can't sit out here all night." Yohane stated.

"Who's going to stop me?" Dia replied.

"You need to go inside. It's not wise to remain out here in the dark." Yohane tried to reason with her.

"I know. Grave robbers and thieves come out to places like these. I don't care." Dia said.

"You've been out here for hours. Aren't you tired? Hungry?" Yohane asked.

Dia didn't respond. Yohane sighed. Dia wasn't listening to her. Ruby looked at Yohane.

"I understand you miss her. But, this isn't going to do anything. You need to move on." Yohane stated.

Dia's eyes flared with anger, "What did you just say?"

Yohane was taken aback by the sudden fury. She tried to think of what she said that might've triggered that. It didn't take much to figure it out.

"You need to move on. Crying over her won't bring her back." Yohane repeated.

"What gives you the right to tell me that! You think I'm going to just easily get over her!?" Dia stood up.

"No. I don't think that. But, this behavior isn't going to help you start moving on! You're trapped in the past." Yohane stated.

Ruby backed away slightly in fear. She had never seen Dia get so angry before. It was scary.

"You have no right to say these things to me! You can still show yourself! No one's getting over you because you can still be here!" Dia yelled.

"That doesn't mean anything! Just because I can sometimes show myself doesn't mean they aren't having to get over me! They still have to come to terms with my death." Yohane fought back.

Dia growled and it looked like she was going to charge at Yohane. Yohane knew she could easily turn transparent and Dia couldn't do any damage, so she wasn't at all intimidated by the threat.

"Get out of here. Stop telling me how to live my life." Dia growled as she moved closer to Yohane.

"I'm trying to help you. You're just too stubborn to see that." Yohane huffed in reply.

"I am not!" Dia threw a punch at Yohane. She was extremely pissed off at her now.

"Stop it!" A pair of hands caught her fist.

"Ri… ko?"

Despite having crossed over, Riko had somehow managed to make herself visible and solid. She stood between Dia and Yohane.

"Just stop! This isn't going to do anything!" Riko yelled at the both of them.

"How did you…?" Yohane stared at her in shock.

"I don't know…" Riko replied, "But… I'm not able to go back now."

"Why? Why did you do that?"

"I think this is better." Riko stated as she turned to look at Dia.

"Riko…" Dia was crying again.

Riko held out her arms. Dia ran into them and hugged her.

"I know it's tough… fighting isn't going to solve anything, though." Riko said.

"She's to blame." Dia stated.

"No. Both of you are to blame." Riko shook her head.

"Fine…" Dia sighed.

"Now, are we actually going to the castle? It's getting pretty late." Yohane asked.

"Come on. Let's go." Riko stated and started tugging Dia along with her.

Ruby and Yohane followed behind them. Ruby stayed a bit of a distance away from Yohane. She was still frightened about the fact she was a ghost. Yohane couldn't help but wonder if Ruby would behave the same way around Riko.

Just as they got to the castle gates, Riko suddenly started fading.

"I guess you're at your limit." Yohane stated, "You can only stay visible and solid for so long."

"You've been holding out longer." Riko replied.

"I've had time to get more strength." Yohane responded, "You'll get better at it over time."

"I guess I'll see you later." Riko frowned as she let go of Dia.

Within a few seconds, Riko had completely vanished from sight. Yohane could still see her, obviously. Dia and Ruby went to their room. The two of them were sharing for a while. It was Chika's suggestion. She didn't think it would be wise to let Dia sleep alone.

Yohane hung back with Riko. The two of them stared at each other for a bit. Yohane vanished from the living eye. She was only seen by ghosts for now.

"So, Dia and you used a potion huh?" Yohane asked.

Riko shyly nodded, "Yeah. We thought that maybe if we did that and she got pregnant that they'd let us marry…"

"Where'd you get the potion from?" Yohane questioned.

"A traveling merchant." Riko replied.

"Do you want a child?"

Riko shrugged, "I don't really know… but, if Dia wants to have this child, I'll do my best to still be there for them."

"I'm glad to hear that. Otherwise I'd be beating you up right now. You can't abandon her." Yohane nodded in approval.

"I just wish she would've told me earlier…" Riko frowned, "Her and Maru kept it a secret from me."

"For a good reason. You have to understand that this is a sensitive topic. Sure, you might've agreed to the pregnancy before, but now that times have changed, they couldn't be too sure if the answer was the same." Yohane explained.

"I just felt so betrayed… she said we could trust each other with anything…"

"I know… I'm sure she'll make it up to you." Yohane said.

Riko sighed, "I'm sure she will… but, it won't change anything."

"Come on. You have to get over it." Yohane stated.

"If I would've known I would've tried to stay alive!" Riko growled.

"You know as well as I do that nothing would've changed. You had no weapons. You would've died one way or another. You should be happy you saved her." Yohane argued.

"I would've protected her either way!" Riko defended.

"Both ways would mean death." Yohane stated.

"Is there any way to, y'know, revive someone?" Riko hesitantly asked.

Yohane sighed, "That's delving into black magic. I would suggest dropping that idea."

Riko sighed. She wanted to be alive. She wanted to be there for Dia. But, as of now, she could only show herself for an hour at best. Riko didn't like that at all.

"Riko, you died a lot more honorable than I did. People will respect you." Yohane said.

"Even if you died like I did, you wouldn't be respected. No one would respect a witch. That statement means nothing." Riko grumbled.

"I'm just trying to cheer you up…" Yohane frowned.

"I just need some time…" Riko said and then she walked away.

Yohane sighed and went to go see how Dia and Ruby were doing. Dia tended to not sleep at all. She would just lie awake for hours and stare at the wall. Ruby, on the other hand, would constantly have nightmares. Yohane hated the knights who decided it was okay to show Ruby Riko's body. Ruby was scarred from it.

DIVIDER--

"Guys! Chika told me more about what happened!" Hanamaru stated as they stopped for a rest.

"What did she say?"

Everyone, meaning Sarah, Leah, Kanan, Mari, and Yō, gathered around Hanamaru to listen. They all were still curious about what had happened. It was driving them insane to know nothing.

"Apparently the Diamond kingdom found a new witch. They teleported the knight to the castle. He found where Dia and Riko were. From what they have found, it appeared he was only supposed to kill Dia and then take Riko back to a secret location." Hanamaru retold what Chika had explained to her, "Riko refused to let him near Dia, and as a result, she was killed. Yohane killed the knight."

"Is Riko like Yohane?" Yō asked.

"Yes. Well, I guess. She had crossed over. But, Yohane and Dia got into a fight and Riko somehow managed to appear. She's locked out from the crossed land now." Hanamaru explained.

"How are they doing?" Kanan asked.

"It's tough… Ruby's been having nightmares. Dia's just kinda been lifeless." Hanamaru said.

"Maybe now that Riko can show herself, Dia will get better?" Mari suggested.

"Only time will tell." Hanamaru replied.

"I hope she gets better."

"Guys, there's something I think you should know." Hanamaru said.

"What is it, Maru?" Yō moved to rest her head on Hanamaru's lap.

Hanamaru scratched Yō's ears, "Dia… She's pregnant."

"What!?" Everyone was completely shocked and confused.

"It appears that after the Ruby rescue, her and Riko decided to use one of those heir potions. You know, the ones that give you the male parts so you can have a baby together? Yeah, they used one of those and, well, you can see the outcome of that." Hanamaru explained.

"Is she going to keep it?"

"I don't know. That's something I'll discuss with her when we get back." Hanamaru shrugged.

"I can see why she'd be so dull. It's hard enough losing a lover, but having their child and them being gone, it definitely is tough." Mari said.

"What are we going to do with the Diamond kingdom now?" Leah asked.

"I'm not sure. It's really up to Dia and Ruby what becomes of it. They're the rightful successors to the throne." Sarah replied.

"Mari, are you going to return as Queen for the Shining kingdom?" Leah asked.

"I don't know. I've been thinking about it. I was actually thinking that maybe the Shining and Diamond kingdoms could combine into one." Mari replied.

"That might work. But, how exactly do you plan to do it?"

"I was thinking it would be a shared leadership. I would rule one half and she'd rule the other. But, we'd work together." Mari replied.

"You'll need a King at some point. And an heir."

"That's why I have Kanan!" Mari smiled as she pulled Kanan into hug.

"Oh… alright then. I guess you have a lot planned out."

"Yep." Mari smiled at the compliment.