Author's Note: Howdy y'all! Sorry for not having an update last week. I usually write and post the chapters Wednesday nights, but I had therapy last Wednesday so I didn't get around to it. But I hope this chapter makes up for it! Some of the dialogue is taken from Bayonetta 2. The title of the chapter is taken from Yo Ho Sebastian by Cosmo Jarvis. WARNINGS: Anxiety/Depression/PTSD and its symptoms, and talk of death and afterlives.

Luka was running before he realized it. Not Jeanne. The thought kept repeating in his head. Not his best friend of the last six months. As he came up to Bayonetta, who was sitting on the ground next to Jeanne's body after defeating Gomorrah, he heard her crying.

"Jeanne...No…"

"Bayonetta...Hey," Was all he could manage at first.

She looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face. "She's gone!"

"I know. But...Maybe there's a way we can get her back," Luka finally said. Should I tell her about what Jeanne said happened between the two of them before? No. It'll just upset her more right now. Besides, it's not my story to tell.

The dark-haired witch quickly got up and wiped her eyes. "Let's do it. Whatever it is."

Enzo and Rodin gathered in the Gates of Hell as soon as they got Luka's call explaining what had happened and that he and Bayonetta were on their way. Almost as soon as they arrived, the two in question burst through the doors. The witch's eyes were red from crying, and she strode up to the bar with purpose, as Luka gently set Jeanne's body on one of the many tables around the bar.

"How do we save her?" Bayonetta said immediately to Rodin.

"Good to see you too," Rodin replied nonchalantly "As for your friend, dead witches get dragged to Hell. It is what it is. Jeanne's gonna wander Inferno, suffering for eternity. Them's the bricks."

The witch's expression contorted into a snarl, and she quickly pointed a gun at the bartender. "I didn't ask you to tell me what I already know, Rodin! Especially if you're going to be flip about it."

Rodin simply looked at her, not intimidated. "You know better than that. You're not the kind to let that sort of summon go out of control, Bayonetta. Somethin's up. The balance of powers that keeps things in check don't feel right, does it?"

"But she's not fully dead yet, is she?" Luka piped up before the witch could answer.

"That's right, Luka. You're only really dead after your soul's been completely absorbed into another realm of the trinity. But that's just a matter of time, 'cause I don't see no way of savin' a soul lost in Hell," The bartender said.

"What about the Gates...The real Gates of Hell?" Bayonetta said desperately.

Rodin shrugged. "I can't stop you from trying to use 'em, but I don't think you got a chance down there." He turned to move toward the almost-corpse on the table. "I'll see what I can do about puttin' her on ice for a while."

He reached down to grab Jeanne's Umbran watch, and handed it to the dark-haired witch. "You'll need this...The heart of an Umbra witch. The magic that keep your kind alive in this world for eternities. Should keep her body in this realm stable, but you'll need to reunite this with her soul if you're gonna try and bring her back. I figure you got about a day before it's game over."

Bayonetta opened the watch, and saw with slight relief that it was still completely lit up. She closed it, and magiced it into her summon void. Before anyone could stop her or say anything more, she opened a portal and disappeared from the bar. Time was of the essence now, and she had a fellow witch to rescue.