(Final Preparations)

*October 22nd, 1920*

*1:00pm*

The afternoon sun shone in front of Irina and Felix's home as Kaede, Kazumi, and Bartok were getting ready to comfort John Claude in the morning.

"Can't believe that we're finally gonna face off against John and the others. I hope that all of our training is worth anything in the end.." Kazumi said to himself as he was polishing his sword for tomorrow's battle.

"Nothing won't go to waste! I believe in my heart that you and Bartok will be victorious in battle. You just gotta have faith" Kaede had spoken to Kazumi as she was met with a nod of understandment from him.

"You do have a pretty good point. We've all worked our asses off to get stronger so It's best not to allow my doubts get the best of me" Kazumi had spoken back as he smiled and gave Kaede a thumbs up while Kaede had returned the favor.

"By the way, how did the encounter with that Louis guy go? I'm surprised that he gave up Caroline and Adam that easily? Did he try to harm everyone?" Kaede asked Kazumi as she sat down on the sofa as she awaited her answer.

"Louis gave in pretty quickly and we did manage to get some closure as well before we invited them to your party yesterday" Kazumi explained as he proceeded to tell his story.

*Flashback*

Louis' arm was broken by Kazumi as his screams echoed throughout the alleyways before he was let go by Kazumi.

"Y-You fool! You honestly think you've won?! Damn you all to hell!" Louis cried out in anger as he pulled out his revolver from his pocket which made everyone jump in surprise and shock.

"Oh no you don't!" Bartok cried out as he quickly reacted to the attempted assault by quickly slapping the gun away from Louis as this caught him by surprise.

"N-No way! How can these brats be so damn fast?!" Louis cried out to himself as he put his hands in front of his face to shield himself from the upcoming punch.

"Take this! You bastard!" Bartok cried out as he delivered a hard punch to his cheek which sent him briefly flying before his body hitted one of the alleway walls which knocked him out cold.

"You did it! Thank you so much! You seem quite strong!" Adam said as he thanked Bartok for his brave actions as he walked over to where Louis was at and gave off a look of sheer disappointment before turning his attention back to the others and gave off a look of happiness.

"Thank you so much and we would like to say something to everyone as well…." Caroline had spoken to Tatiana and the others as she and Adam stared directly at the others.

"We're sorry for how we treated you yesterday and I hope you can accept our apology…" Adam spoke to Tatiana as he and Caroline's heads were down with a mixture of shame and guilt as they were met with a warm smile from Tatiana.

"You and Caroline had every right to voice our pain and hurt to me. My family is one of the most powerful and richest that will ever live. I truly feel like we should have done more to earn the Russian people's trust but I hope that me, Anastasia, Maria, Alexei, Olga, and the rest of my family could make up for the mistakes that we've made but I accept the apology. You are forgiven" Tatiana had spoken back to the pair as her words had made them tear up with joy.

"A true angel and an amazing human. Tatiana is always helping others in need. Always standing up for others by reaching out with her hand…" Anastasia thought to herself as she smiled at the sight of Tatiana hugging Caroline and Adam as she looked up towards the sky.

"I know that Mama and Papa are proud of us! I know that someday we'll die and be reunited with them in Heaven…" Anastasia thought to herself once more as she continued to watch Tatiana giving Caroline and Adam comfort.

"If you and Caroline want. Do you and her want to come to my friend Kaede's belated birthday party? The both of you are cordially invited" Tatiana had asked the pair as she released herself from the hug as she awaited her answer.

"Y-Yes! We'll accept it! It's a way for us to pay you back for the kindness that you've shown to us" Caroline answered back with great delight as she and Adam nodded their heads in confirmation which made Tatiana smile back.

*End of Flashback*

Kazumi had finished explaining the story as this had made Kaede smile warmly at what she just had heard.

"That's wonderful to hear. I'm glad that Tatiana was able to reach out to them. It truly makes me happy…" Kaede had spoken to Kazumi as she had seen Bartok walking towards them as he sat down on the sofa that was across from them.

"Can't believe we're gonna have our final battle in the morning. It's gonna be quite the event…" Bartok had spoken to Kaede and Kazumi with a look of seriousness in his face as he was met with nods from them.

"You're right. The battle for the future and souls of the Romanovs and even Yelena begins tomorrow. We must not give up! We'll do everything we can to defeat John and Peter!" Kaede had spoken back in a tone of motivation as she reached out her hand.

"Right on! They have shown me kindness and truly showed me that they were good and loving people! I won't allow those bastards to take it away!" Kazumi added on as he placed his hand on top of Kaede's hand.

"The three of us will conquer anything that will stand in our way! No matter the odds!" Bartok added on to the speech as he placed his hand on top of Kazumi's hand as the trio looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

"I come from a future where the Romanovs were sadly killed. BUT! WE can change that future! We have everyone's wishes and dreams in our hearts! Olga wants a future where she's happy and free from any pressure! Tatiana wants a future where she can also be happy and just to spread joy among people! Maria wants a future where she has many children and is married to Bartok! Anastasia wants a future where she becomes a successful actress and shares her personality to the world! Alexei wants a happy future where he can just be around those he loves no matter what his condition is! And Yelena! She wants a future where ALL of us can be HAPPY! We will win! We will change their fates and bring them to their bright futures! We will win!" Kaede cried out to Kazumi and Bartok as her words sent a jolt of motivation to them as their expressions became more serious as they nodded their heads in agreement.

"Tomorrow! Let's fight for everyone! And let's win!" Kaede cried out once more as she, Kazumi, and Bartok did a cry of joy indicating that they were ready for their final battle.

*John Claude's Place*

"Those fools. Why bother trying when they are clearly gonna lose…" Natasha said to herself as she watched their speech from one of the mini spy robots as she turned her direction towards the capsule and saw Peter Ermakov staring at it.

"HE sure has amazing power doesn't he? The moment John Claude unleashed him then he'll bring everyone to his knees. Isn't that truly a sight to see, Natasha?" Peter Ermakov had spoken to her as he continued to gaze at the capsule.

"Indeed. They may have trained for you and John but I'm sure that they won't be expecting HIM…" Natasha had answered back as she saw Peter Ermakov walking away from the room as he was taking off his upper outfit in the process.

"Heading off to train one final time?" Natasha asked Peter Ermakov as she awaited her answer.

"Correct. It's time for the Romanovs to finally die like they should have back in 1918!" Peter Ermakov answered back as he walked over to the training arena to complete his final moments of training.