Time to roll the Wheel of Excuses...Let's see...Was working. Got an Oculus Quest. Procrastinated and watched Youtube all day.

Well, whatever the reason, I think what happens here more than makes up for it. After deliberating with my beta reader, the story will be accelerated from now on! Enjoy…


"Gah!" Kenichi shouted as he clasped his arms behind his head, leaning back as he closed his eyes. "I'm out again! Sairenji, can't you cut me some slack? I've never played this before!"

Sairenji smiled as she took his cards, setting them in the deck she held in hand. "Yami-san has never played either, but she's doing well."

Eve sat at the other end of the coffee table to Rito's left, the blonde holding several cards in hand and looking between them and the bluenette, who was acting as the dealer for the game. "Your sister knows some interesting games, what did she call this again?"

"She made it up, I don't know what it's called." Sairenji responded, and Rito held his hand out to her, holding two cards face-down that she took and set into the deck before handing two more to him.

As the three remaining players continued their game, Nana stood behind the banister of the stairway with her eyes narrowed, watching Eve with a frown before she jolted as she felt a hand on her upper back, turning her head to face Mikan, who carried a plate of cookies in one hand as she smirked. "Stop worrying so much and just go in, Yami-san won't hurt you."

"Aren't you surprised at all?" Nana asked. "It's been weeks since she showed up, and after everything that happened, she's gone back to normal. Don't you think that's strange?"

Mikan tilted her head, shrugging her shoulders before her smirk softened to a small smile. "Look at her and tell me nothing's changed, Nana-san. Of course I was worried, and naturally I was really angry when I heard what she did, but I can't pretend nothing good has come of it. It used to be so rare to see her smiling, and even Rito's not as bad off as I feared. It's sad he doesn't remember anyone, but I think it's better that he's being more honest now. It would be nice if he had both, though…" She laughed, using her hand on Nana's back to push the girl forward.

'I come bearing gifts!" she called, moving the cookies with a flourish as Rito moved the cards on the table out of the way of the plate while Saruyama waved his hands from where he sat on the couch.

As she handed cookies to the people present, Nana stood still, confused by the Yuuki sister's actions. Of all people, she'd expected her to take the side protecting Rito, even over her friendship with the Trans. They hadn't met in almost six weeks, and even before then they hadn't interacted as much as usual, so she wouldn't have been so close with her anymore. Why was she immediately accepting this like it was normal? So what if Yami was acting more open, and so what if Rito wasn't so creepily optimistic anymore? He had stopped acting like such a beast, but this new Rito and Eve didn't sit right with her.

She cautiously stepped forward, scooting into the seat next to Kenichi and crossing her arms, choosing to keep her eyes off Eve and facing RIto, who tilted his head as he handed her a cookie before turning to look at his cards again.

"I've got to check to see if Celine's still asleep, you have fun here. Try not to burn the house down again."

"Lala-san isn't here right now, so that won't happen." Sairenji responded as Mikan turned to head upstairs, leaving the group to themselves.

Nana frowned, crossing her arms and leaning forward to look at the cards on the table. "This looks like a mess, is this really a game?" she asked, and Rito nodded as Eve set another several cards down in places that weren't already covered.

"Eve's dominating, she ran Kenichi out already and I'm probably going to fold soon too." he stated, sighing as he looked over the small set in his hands. "This is almost all her points, she just has to put down the December cards now…"

"It isn't difficult if you get lucky." Eve stated, rearranging her hand as Nana blinked.

"You don't need to be rude about it, I've barely played any card games." she responded. "Can I join when you finish that round?" If Mikan was going to ignore her concerns, then she may as well try to be happy with the situation. She'd done enough moping around in bed after all.

"Just don't look at my cards!" Kenichi said, laughing as he leaned back. "Since we're in the same seat."

"I don't think Nana-chan will cheat, it's just a game." Sairenji responded, reaching to tap the boy's knee before checking the deck she held and scratching her head. "Eh, Yami-san...I'm not exactly sure since this hasn't happened before, but there's no more December cards in my deck. I think you're supposed to play against Yuuki-kun now…"

"Always ends up that way, doesn't it?" Kenichi asked, rolling his shoulder to adjust his position. "Even with a card game, you two always end up duking it out. At least there's no blades involved this time."

Nana flinched at the statement, but Rito simply laughed as he thought over his turn. "As far as I know, you're just making all that up anyway. Eve's not the type of person to do that."

"Not anymore." the girl replied under her breath, before looking up as the table rattled under her elbows.

Nana had pushed herself to lean forward, her hand planted on the corner she sat near and scattering the cards nearby as she stared at Eve with narrowed eyes. "People don't change that quickly." she said, surprising even herself with the venom in her voice. She was keenly aware that the humans around them were staring at her, but that statement was too annoying for her to care. "Saruyama-san is one thing, but you can't be joking after what you did."

"Nana-chan, what-" Kenichi started, before turning as Sairneji set a hand on his shoulder.

"We promised Yuuki-kun that we wouldn't judge Yami-san, but Nana didn't." she said, her voice filled with concern as she looked over in Rito's direction, the hand holding Rito's friend tightening as she grit her teeth. "And this really isn't something we're qualified to interrupt...It's up to him."

Rito had rolled back to sit on the ground, having dropped the cards in his hand out of surprise at the sudden action, and he looked on in silence, confused by what was going on. He'd barely talked to Nana since meeting her, and she hadn't seemed like a particularly angry person. If anything, she'd been avoiding contact as much as possible, even when her sister encouraged it.

Eve, on the other hand, had frozen in place, her eyes tracking down to stare at her cards as she set down another run, acting as though the table was still in perfect layout as it had been. "This wasn't a sudden change, it was the result of two years of this ecchi idiot who kept on badgering me when I tried to push him away. In that time, I learned about how humans process emotions and memories on my own terms, but it wasn't until I let Darkness escape again that I was able to make use of that knowledge. As I am no longer a Trans, I want to change my personality as well. Isn't making light of tragedy something they do all the time?"

"People who commit a crime and then laugh about it are psychopaths, not human!" Nana responded, swiping her hand and sending cards scattering off the table and onto Rito's lap as the boy blinked.

"It seems she was more deeply affected than she let on." Nemesis mused, standing by the tree she'd found herself near when she first woke up in this new mental landscape. The breeze from before had died down now, but the grass below her feet was still soft and the tree still felt real. "You won't know, but that's more than just a few weeks worth of steam she's letting out."

She'd been relatively quiet since initially introducing herself to the new Rito, simply basking in this relaxed world she lived in. His remaining memories were clearer to her now, almost impossible to avoid now that they tickled her feet with every step coming down on the fragile blades.

The crystal forest had been full of memories, but they had been locked away in unyielding glass that hurt to touch, but here, she could run her fingers along the lone tree and feel every crevice of the wood without fear of injuring herself.

This was the true core of Rito's being. After stripping away everything that had mounted to form the shells that he thought were his true self, all that was left was this one center, the thing that truly marked what it meant to be Yuuki Rito.

That's wrong, isn't it? Rito thought in response, the breeze kicking up at his worried tone. I mean, I know what happened, but don't people need to reach a breaking point to react like that?

Nemesis couldn't help but sigh as she felt the wood vibrate under her touch. Normally, she would be happy that he continued to make use of this core of himself. Even without the useless optimism he once had, Rito was a person who always forgave, who believed that anyone should be treated with kindness that they didn't deserve.

She had made the mistake once of choosing not to get involved, and in doing so, her efforts had backfired and sent him into remission. However, she was an experienced deceiver, someone who had spent her entire life manipulating people. She was good at understanding when someone could not be saved.

Nana was a threat not only to Yami, but to Rito as well. She wasn't going to do nothing and let him get hurt again, not when she'd realized what Mea had wanted her to do in the first place. At the time, she had been acting as though she was simply living in another body, just as she'd done when she still lived within Mea, but after finding this new mindscape, she had felt a change just as Rito did.

She had developed a sense of protectiveness about this strange human who had accepted her even knowing her old intentions. It was an odd feeling, wanting to care for someone who she had little attachment to, and though it was true that it was partly her survival instinct as she now depended on him to keep herself healthy, there was a little more to it. Like Yami, this boy had convinced her to let go of her past and focus on something new. It was a different process and far from romantic attraction, but like Yami, he'd made her more human.

"Not everyone is capable of adapting as quickly as you do, nor do they all want to see the good in people. Ever since I can recall, Nana-hime has always been short-tempered."

That doesn't sound right, she looked more scared than anything at school. "Nana, sit down. Can't you stop yelling? Eve's not doing any harm now, even if she used to."

The girl's eyes were crazed as she turned to him, pointing her hand to the subject of her rants. "She's the most successful assassin in the galaxy, and it wasn't just once, but twice that she let herself go. It was a miracle the first time didn't hurt anybody, but the second, I can't even just say it's personal. It wasn't just you and me, she almost destroyed a neighborhood!"

"If I recall, I only damaged the road and barriers." Eve responded, though her monotonous voice was low now as she focused on remaining calm. "It was your tail laser that had real consequence."

Eve didn't actually hurt any civilians? But Momo told me there were casualties...

Nemesis frowned as the wind picked up, the leaves rustling above her head as she felt the ground shift below her feet, a root sprouting from the ground and pushing aside the small blades of grass that surrounded it. "I can't speak for Momo-hime, though our intentions were once mutually exclusive. All I can say is that Yami's safety is now threatened by Nana's actions."

Why can't they both come to an understanding? Wasn't I the center of things anyway? "Things turned out okay, we both got hurt but we can both live on." he said, in another attempt to reassure the princess as he raised his hands.

Meanwhile, Sairenji and Kenichi watched in silence, the two having backed away from Nana to avoid being hit by her hand madly pointing forward across the table. "Nana-chan, calm down. It's fine if you don't get along, but everyone else doesn't care anymore. It's in the past, you can't-"

"What happened in the past took away my tail and Rito's memory!" she shouted, kicking her foot forward to send the table flying at the blonde, who jolted as her eyes went wide, though she didn't have the reaction time to avoid as she was flung to her back by the force of the wood smashing her chin as it flipped into the wall behind them, smashing the TV at the other end of the room in the process.

Kenichi immediately jumped up to wrap his arms up under her armpits to keep her from lunging as Sairenji abandoned her non-intervention plan in favor of rushing over to lift Eve's head up, touching a palm to her chin to inspect the damage. "What is wrong with you? Yami-chan wasn't doing anything, and you knew she wouldn't use her Trance to protect herself!" the boy shouted as the girl continued on her ranting.

Nemesis reached to grab one of the leaves falling from the tree, freezing as her eyes widened at the emotions she felt within it. She should know better by now, but it surprised her every time she found such a small yet influential memory.

A pair of young boys pointing and laughing at a black-haired girl on the ground, having scraped her knees after being pushed by one of them. The first-person view of Rito rushing to her aid, brandishing a stick and waving it to scare the boys off. The moment was saturated with the same desire to protect as everything else in his recorded memories, but this was special in that it had one other emotion, something barely hidden under the surface and directed at the boys rather than the girl.

Like this memory, there were two very different emotions this brought up in her as well. Concern, of course, but something else. She had never before thought she could fear a mere human, but this felt like the epitome of a phrase she'd heard before. "Demons run when a good man goes to war."

Inner Rito's negativity was different than this. This wasn't the product of her meddling, or his own confused thoughts grating on each other. This was truly how he felt about what he was witnessing.

Rito was angry.

As the boy pushed himself to a standing position, it felt like an eternity before he turned to Nana, who turned to his direction, and as she was about to shout something, her mouth closed as her eyes went wide.

"Rito, what are you…" Kenichi asked, his voice trailing off as Rito raised his hand.

In the crystal world, Nemesis would have heard a crack, but in this new meadow, it was dead silent as the wind stopped, and with no one able to react in time, there was nothing shifting the still grass as a loud slap rang out in the chaotic room, sending them into the same silence she was experiencing.

His voice was low and his mouth in a deep frown as Kenichi, shocked by the action, relaxed his grip, allowing the momentum from Rito's strike to send Nana crashing sideways, her shoulder clipping on the arm of the couch to send her face first to the floor.

"Get out."

The room was dead quiet as Nana stared wide-eyed up at him, groaning as she rolled to rest on her back and reached a hand to the mark on her cheek. It hadn't hurt, even with her weakened state, there was no way a human could injure a Devilukean, but the physical pain didn't matter. She made no effort to sit up, formed no words as she silently faced him from the ground.

"Rito, what are you doing?" Kenichi asked, looking between his best friend and the fallen Nana. "She went too far, but you've never-"

"I promised not to blame Eve, even if she was someone bad before." he responded, his eyes not moving from his glare. "To me, all I know is that she's been nothing but nice to me and the rest of us, and all I've seen out of Nana is avoiding her when she tried to apologize and attacking her when she wanted to move on. Eve told me when I first woke up, she didn't think I was exactly the same as I used to be, and she's right. I'm not going to let people hurt my friends, even if everyone else says I was her friend too."

"Rito…" Eve said, groaning as she sat up, waving away Sairenji as she tried to hold her steady. "Something like this, I already expected it. Nana is right about people changing, it takes a long time to overcome trauma, and she has every reason to hate me. I know I've done wrong, and it's deeply affected her. If you also turn against her, then she won't have anything left to trust."

Rito was quiet for a moment, before turning to face away from them, gaze pointed fixedly at the door as his hands balled into fists, his arms trembling as he shook his head. "That's not right. I'm not going to just go along with whatever I'm told, like the me from my lost memories did. If she wanted to be trusted, then she should have actually tried." He looked up, exhaling and loosening his fists as his voice steadied, though his tone didn't change. "I want to protect the people I do care about. I'm not going to let them be torn apart by someone I remember nothing but frustration from."

Nana reached her free hand to grip the couch and pull herself to a sitting position, leaning on the seat as her legs sprawled to the side, her expression dark as she shook her head. "You have no idea how many times you've come home with bandages, how much you've tried to help her with her not showing any sign of changing at all. She's a liar, everything she's been telling you has been made up to take advantage of your amnesia."

Kenichi reached to drag her up to sit in the chair, somewhat more comfortable than on the floor, but his rough grip and the look on his face made it clear he wasn't supporting her. "You know that's not true, Yami-chan's really done her best to repent, and I don't know the full story but I bet she didn't end up that way willingly. She was doing really great after Darkness happened last time, and she hasn't hurt anyone since then."

"You know it was Mea who was controlling her anyway." Sairenji said, splitting her attention between helping Eve stand despite her attempts to push her away and watching Rito, who again now stood still as he listened to their back and forth. "You're just pinning blame because Mea-"

"Mea has nothing to do with this!" the girl shouted, kicking her feet forward to jump to a standing position as she raised a fist in front of her. "She said it herself, she didn't want anyone to get hurt either! She loves Rito too and just was trying to protect him in her own way, she didn't think Yami would just give in to her hatred and blindly attack everyone she saw as a threat!"

She was about to rush forward before Rito reached his hand out, grabbing her wrist as she turned to face him, eyes wide as he shook his head.

"You're the only person who thinks that. Eve is-"

"-a murderer!" Nana's voice was shrill as she screamed, trying to wrench her arm from his grip, but it held firm, and she glanced at his hand before waving her other hand to enunciate her words. "If Momo hadn't arrived, I'd be dead because of her, and if Aneue didn't recognize the danger, you would too! My life is one thing, but she didn't even care that you were supposed to be the person she was getting revenge for!"

"Yami-chan is the one who saved Rito's life too!" Kenichi shouted, and she whirled to face him. "You're just projecting what happened to you as the same situation as Rito's. Didn't you ever think that Yami-chan didn't want that either? The whole point of Darkness is that she loses control!"

"I don't-" Nana's voice cracked as she closed her eyes, slumping where she stood as she reached a hand to wipe her eyes. "I don't care about what happened to me. I hurt him too, that's what started it to begin with. It's because Yami attacked someone she cares so deeply about, it's that kind of betrayal I can't stand. There's no way I can ever trust someone who turned against a person we both-" She closed her mouth, her gaze slowly turning to Rito as his hand slackened, letting her go as he turned to face her again.

"If that's supposed to be your reasoning, it's a load of crap." he stated coldly, and her eyes widened as she fell backwards, landing heavily on the couch as he continued. "I know I was someone special to Eve before, and I'm not going to outright reject or accept until I know enough about her to make a decision, but you...there's no reason I should trust anything you say. Fights happen between family all the time, I bet you and Momo are always at each other's throats given how different you are. Family bonds are too strong to break from a single fight. You must not have had strong feelings if you've lost that so easily."

"It's not...It isn't that!" she responded, her voice growing desperate as she looked up at him, hands waving wildly as she spoke. "I've never been good at being honest with myself, but I figured it out now! This is really how I feel, I really do want to protect you, and she is too much of a danger to-"

"Eve is not dangerous!" Rito shouted, shutting her up as she could do nothing but watch with a terrified expression on her face, the shock of the normally quiet boy's outburst impossible for her to properly process. "You're right, I don't know what sort of things happened, but that doesn't matter. Look around you! Eve is being protected by everyone here, it's only you who still hates her! You're the only one who refuses to accept that!" He reached to grab her arm again, and with a tug brought her to a standing position, starting to drag her to the door.

"Wait, Rito." Kenichi said, holding his hand out to get the boy's attention. "You don't need to-"

"I do." he replied, cutting his friend off as he reached his hand for the front door. "I can't stand this anymore, I'm not letting someone who assaulted my family stay here."

Nana's movements were sluggish and jerky as her mind and reflexes fought between giving in and resisting, doing little but staring as she was spun around to land on the concrete landing outside the door as he stared at her, but before she could respond, he'd already pulled it closed, slamming it with a loud thud.

There were several moments of silence before Eve stepped forward, stumbling momentarily before regaining her balance as Sairenji let her lean on her shoulder. "Rito, Nana wasn't entirely wrong, you didn't need to go that far."

"No, I did. If I let that slide, then it would happen again and again. It's better to cut ties now before things get worse."

"It's too late for that." came Momo's voice as he blinked, looking up the stairway where she stood, her D-Dial in hand as she gave a frown. "This was bad timing, Father just arrived…"