A/N: Can you guys believe this? I'm actually updating within a few days time. Is this a sign that I'm finally getting my act together? Well, let's not go so far as to say that, but we have certainly hit a new record concerning update speed. The reason for this is because the content below was originally part of chapter 56, but I decided that this section of that chapter needed to stand on its own...and then I added some stuff here and there to make it all dramatic and stuff. Long story short, here we are with a really quick update this time. I hope you guys will enjoy the emotional roller-coaster your mind is about to go on. Best wishes and God bless you all!

Disclaimer: I'm too excited to write a proper disclaimer. Yu-Gi-Oh and Sailor Moon aren't mine. This is a Fanfiction. Blah. Blah. Blah. Let's just get to it!

Warnings: I should warn you guys...but I'm not going to. Just be prepared for some emotionally disturbing themes within this chapter. And...I gotta rate the chapter M for some...gore later. Ugh...I thought we were done with that! Oh well. Sometimes things don't go as planned. On to the chapter!

Chapter 57

This Silence is Mine Part 1

Peace.

It's a feeling I haven't felt for a while now.

From the moment my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor, I've been slipping into a ravine full of darkness.

Change was something I'd always been pretty resistant to, but my father's diagnosis transformed my life in ways I never could have imagined.

Memories of packing barge into my mind accompanied by shouts from my mother to hurry when it was time to leave for the airport. I see Serena, Ami, Rei, and Lita all standing around me as we gather our transformation pens into the center of the circle we'd made. I remember the sound of the PA system when it called out my flight. I remember the forlorn expressions on everyone's faces before turning my back on them to venture into a new life.

Domino City, while beautiful, was a symbol for all the drastic changes I couldn't adjust to.

That became apparent shortly after we settled into the new apartment. Mom's behavior became erratic and abusive practically overnight. Even now, I can still feel the sting of her hand on my cheek, and all because I'd swiped an extra piece of bacon.

Mom had always been fairly stern, but that particular moment was pushing the boundary.

Distracted and fumbling through an unfamiliar city, I came across the local rapist. Clearly my luck was abysmal, but I was confident I could fight my way out of the guy's clutches. Thankfully, I didn't need to because that was when Joey Wheeler stepped into the scene, distracting the creep just long enough for me to knock him unconscious.

Nice, easygoing, and cheerful, Joey became a light in my world practically overnight.

He was an easy person to get along with. Sure, we fought here and there, but the friendship we had didn't take any real effort in the beginning. His friendship was like slipping on a favorite coat I hadn't worn in ages. Even during our arguments, his presence was comforting to me, although I can't say I was really aware of that until recently.

Desperation made me toss that bond aside. I was determined to do whatever necessary to claim the money needed to save my father's life.

Duelist Kingdom became a testing ground for our friendship. Joey stood by me despite my betrayal. When no one else wanted to forgive or understand, he was right there defending me. When everyone else lost faith in me, he continued to place his trust in me.

Though unworthy of that trust, he gave it to me willingly. That's why bringing him to Japan with me, using him as an excuse to kill my mother, and writing that goodbye letter to him were all terrible, unforgivable mistakes.

His responses weren't out of character for him at all. Of course he'd chase me into the darkness. The bond we once shared was far too precious to him. There was no way he would have let me go without a fight.

He fought so hard to save me from the poison eating away at my soul, and nearly destroyed himself.

Joey Wheeler is a special person...and I never deserved his love.

But I'm so glad he chose to love me in spite of everything. The time we had together is my greatest treasure.

Damaging his heart the way I have is one of my deepest regrets, and there's nothing I can do to fix it. My feeble attempts to shield him from harm only made things worse for him. I can't help him pick up the pieces. That journey of healing is one he'll have to walk without me.

Given how much I've hurt him...I think that's for the best. He won't be alone. He has his friends back in Domino City. I asked Seto to look after him too.

Even if he was alone, Joey is strong. Whatever demons he has to wrestle with can't blot out the light of his spirit. He'll be okay. I know he will.

That knowledge is the source of my peace amidst a strange realm between life and death. Memories from different points in my life filter in and out of my awareness as my body sinks through a murky, black sea. Its thickness presses down on my chest, pushing me further into the depths of this frigid, inky abyss.

Breathing is difficult...it hurts.

The struggle to draw breath doesn't seem abnormal in a place like this. I welcome the dull ache in my lungs. I'll be numb to it soon enough.

What I'm not numb to is the sharp jolt of thorns piercing through my flesh as a thick vine snakes its way up my leg. My mouth opens in a breathless gasp and the thick substance surrounding me rushes into my mouth, choking me further.

The taste is metallic.

It's blood.

I smile.

Within seconds, I feel another thorn-riddled vine taking hold of my wrist before slowly winding up my arm. The thorns scratch at my skin, tearing it piece by miserable piece.

A laugh bubbles in my chest.

More vines shoot out from somewhere in the depths, wrapping me in a cocoon of pure torment when the thorns pierce through my entire body. At some point I start screaming, but the sound is completely muted in my ears. The vines tighten around me, marring my flesh all the more while dragging me down into a pit of never-ending darkness.

This pain.

This sadness.

This torment.

It's what I deserve.

Another sense of peace fills me, dulling the physical agony somewhat. A sense of emptiness follows behind it and the tension in my body slowly ebbs away.

My chest is heaving as if I'm still screaming.

Maybe I am...

"Even in death...my suffering continues."

The movement in my chest changes and from that I know I'm laughing now, not screaming.

How much time passes with my heart caught between anguish and joy? Minutes? Hours? Days? Years?

The questions are lost in the void. Time doesn't exist for me here. Only the certainty of condemnation.

However, at some point the vines begin to loosen, and for some reason that sends jolts of electricity racing up through my limbs and into my chest. I groan a bit, barely able to discern that this is a different kind of pain.

Do you really want it to end this way, Minako?

My eyes open involuntarily. The sheer agony I'd been facing seconds ago vanishes. The vines are gone too. Rather than blood, I'm surrounded by water, and far above, I can seem what looks like sunlight glinting off the surface of the waves I'm buried in.

Well? Answer the question.

"This is how things have to end," I think in response, my body sinking away from the light. "This is the punishment for my sins."

A long sigh reaches my ears.

You have someone you want to live for, don't you?

Joey's face flashes in my mind. I close my eyes and shake my head.

"He's better off without me. I've...put him through too much. I don't want to hurt him anymore."

Silence reigns for another indiscernible period of time. Slowly but surely the vines wrap around my frame again, but the pain doesn't really register anymore.

I feel so heavy and tired. I want to sleep.

And yet, something within compels me to open my eyes once more. Nothing has changed from before. I'm still hovering between the light of the surface and the darkness of the abyss far below. The vines wither away from my ankles, but I don't float any higher.

You can't keep drifting in between like this. You must choose.

I open my mouth, expecting water or blood to rush in, but instead oxygen races into my lungs.

For a brief instant I'm awake, my body convulsing on a table. Specters of white surround me, their voices ringing out in a cluster of unintelligible noise. My ears catch the sound of rapid beeping from a machine.

It's...too fast.

I can't...

My body falls and I'm back in the water.

Fight, Minako! Your link in the chain is too unstable. If your consciousness fades now, you will die.

I open my mouth again, this time to speak.

"T-that's what...I want."

The familiar voice calls out again, chastising me.

Then why do you keep drifting in-between?

"I...don't know."

But you do know, don't you?

No, I most certainly did not. It never occurred to me that a soul could drift between life and death. In times past, when an enemy "killed" me, the darkness claimed me and I was gone. My spirit has never hovered like this. The vines, the blood, the torment, the voice...all of that is new territory. And quite frankly, it's exhausting.

Seriously, what does it take to rest in peace?

You have unfinished business in the realm of the living, Minako. That is why your spirit remains caught here.

By small increments, my body starts to float toward the light of the surface.

"Stop it," I mumble, my heart racing again. "I can't...I can't..."

Enough! Minako, I did not raise you to give up on life so easily.

For a brief instant, I'm too stunned to think. My body flies toward the light, and with a harsh gasp bursting out of my mouth, I break through the surface of the shimmering waves.

"Was that...Mom?"

Kicking my feet aimlessly against the current to stay above water, I begin to inspect my surroundings in the hopes of figuring out just what kind of afterlife I'd ended up in. What stood out first was the sky. It was a mixture of orange and crimson hues with thin specks of white clouds. For a few seconds I thought it was just late in the day here, but quickly tossed that line of reasoning out when noting how high up the sun actually was.

"Okay...that's a little strange."

Deciding to ignore anything abnormal about my surroundings, I start swimming along with the current and head north. It doesn't take long for my entire body to start aching from the effort, but I have to keep going in order to find out whether or not the voice I heard actually was my mother.

"What will you do if it is her? Kill her again?"

I nearly stop moving.

"No..."

"What? Did you think I'd disappear? I'm afraid not. I'm part of you, Minako-chan."

Shaking my head, I get back into the motion of swimming. The awful voice doesn't say anything else and after another brief period of swimming, my feet kick against the sandy ocean floor. The water slowly starts receding from that point, so I swim until the water hits about waist level, then walk until the water laps around my ankles.

From what I can see from a cursory glance, there's no land to speak of anywhere nearby. I'm as surrounded by water as I was before.

"What is this place?" I wonder aloud, taking a few more steps along the slippery sand.

While moving, my big toe smacks into something, eliciting an immediate hiss from between clenched teeth.

"You know, somehow that's the worst pain I've experienced today," I mutter, lifting my bare foot from out of the water while examining what has to be a glass platform. Stepping on top of it makes the water recede further, allowing me to fully see my feet.

"Are shoes not a thing in the afterlife?"

Laughing a bit at my own joke, I briefly catch sight of my hands and nearly fall over in surprise.

"White gloves!?"

I've been fully clothed this whole time, but up until this moment I hadn't had a real chance to actually inspect my attire. With the water flowing away from the platform, I take a good look at myself in my refection along the glass.

Biting down on my tongue, I take a shaky step back.

"I'm in my Sailor Scout uniform...but why? I..."

A swooshing sound interrupts my thoughts, and I move into a defensive stance while following the sudden sound with my eyes. In my peripheral vision, I just barely catch sight of a glass staircase manifesting nearby.

"That's..."

A bright light shines from beneath my feet, blinding me for a few seconds.

"What was that?" I question, blinking several times before looking down at my feet, which are now clad in the usual orange shoes that went with my Sailor Venus ensemble.

"This place just gets weirder and weirder."

Unsure of what to think, I peer at the glass staircase sparkling in the light of the sun.

What will I find at the top of those stairs?

Will I find my mother? What will happen if I do?

"Kill..."

Closing my eyes I suck in a deep breath. "Shut. Up."

"Kill...Kill...KILL..."

"Enough. Please..."

"KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL..."

I thought this horrible voice would leave me in death. Instead it's still here, begging me to give into a blood-lust simmering somewhere deep inside of me, but I can't understand why it's there. It shouldn't be there. Not anymore.

And yet I feel it. The sensation is faint, like a whisper, but there nonetheless.

"You aren't dead yet. As long as you live...I'll be here."

Clenching my fists, I refocus my attention on the glass staircase. "I don't have any intention of living, so you'll be gone soon enough. I just need to figure something out first."

"We'll see...hahahahahahahahaha!"

With unhinged laughter ringing through my head, I make my way to the glass staircase, determined to put an end to whatever it is that's keeping me alive.

At around 3 a.m., Suzaku Kururugi made an attempt to convince Joey Wheeler to get some rest. The blonde duelist, though exhausted from a truly horrific night, had no real desire to sleep. He wanted to stay by Mina's side at all costs; however, after having pushed himself physically and mentally for hours on end, he finally fainted on the way to the medical wing to check in with the doctors tending to the broken Sailor Soldier. He regained consciousness after a few minutes, but by that point, Suzaku was already carrying him toward his personal quarters. Joey made several protests about sleeping, saying things like, "I'm fine. Just clocked out for a second. No big deal man", but Suzaku didn't pay attention to the rambling and wordlessly knelt so Joey could get off his back before resuming his trek down the hall. After two or three feet, he stopped in front of a door, typed in a key-code, then pointed an index finger into the open room.

"Sleep. Now."

Suzaku's expression was completely blank as he muttered the words. Joey started to make another argument, but the knight's souring expression stopped him before he could really get the ball rolling on why he didn't need to sleep.

Satisfied with the blonde's silence, Suzaku lowered his arm and walked into the room. After a few seconds Joey followed, watching the knight as he withdrew a bottle from the nightstand drawer. He quickly set two pills on top of it before pocketing the bottle.

"If you have trouble staying asleep, take those with water," he ordered, his cobalt cape swishing out from behind him as he pivoted on his heel. "The bathroom is through that door over there and there's a mini-fridge in the closet stocked with water.

"Any food in the fridge?" Joey asked, watching Suzaku rummage through a drawer in the nearby dresser.

"Just water."

The knight withdrew a flannel shirt and pants then glanced at Joey. "We're roughly the same size, so these should fit you." He placed the items on the foot of the bed. "There's extra soap in the cabinet beneath the sink. I just restocked on shampoo too if you need it."

"Um...thanks."

"It's the least I can do," Suzaku answered, sighing. "Besides, you heard what I said to Kara. I have no intention of letting Mina off the hook for her crimes."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, I know. But...it's just that..."

"Try not to worry," the knight interrupted, walking past the blonde. "I'll let you know if there are any substantial updates on Mina's condition. Get some rest now while you can."

"Sure. Okay."

All Joey heard in response to his words was the click of the automated doors closing.

And then there was nothing but the roar of his own thoughts.

Walking down the hall toward the elevator, Suzaku was in a similar frame of mind. Though he had given constant reassurances to Joey, he wasn't certain if Mina would survive the night.

It scared him to think about how attached he was to their plight having only encountered the two of them briefly before now.

Grief over Rei's apparent death also tore at his heart. He wanted retribution for the loss of someone else important, and it didn't feel right to want to give aide to her killer.

And yet he did, almost desperately.

That first night in Azabu Park, Rei had asked him to stop Mina from shooting her mother.

He was too late.

She pulled the trigger before he could prevent her fate.

And then she laughed...and it was a sound full of hysteria mixed with guilt. He knew the sound well. The same chuckles of mirthless laughter spill out from his lips whenever he finds himself entangled in the darkness of his past.

It was the sound of someone who wanted to die.

Suzaku knew, perhaps better than anyone, the raw hatred Mina felt for herself.

The vengeance she tried to claim against E.E. was never truly about her. Mina's actions were nothing more than a desperate, rage-induced suicide run.

No one could have stopped her. She didn't want to live past this night. That much was undeniably clear in the eyes of the Japanese Knight of Britannia.

Even so, her body still clings to life. The machine monitoring her heart within the medical bay continues beeping. Though a machine is assisting her breathing, the doctors have already picked up signs that she might regain the ability to breathe on her own fairly soon, much sooner than what's possible for an ordinary human in this state. One doctor even notices how strong Mina's brainwaves are even while unconscious. Other small abnormalities register one by one in the various tests performed. X-Rays taken at 1 a.m. don't match the ones taken at 3 a.m.

But despite these radical improvements, Mina's heartbeat is irregular. The burns on her chest remain an issue in terms of providing care for the internal damage.

She should have died long before this moment. Her heart has even stopped twice only for it to start up again with just a few high volts of electricity.

The doctors have no idea what to make of it.

Truth be told...several forces are at work here.

But whether Mina lives or not depends entirely on what she decides.

For the chain meant to bind her to this life is weak. It won't be enough to pull her back.

A subtle breeze passes over me as I climb the final step of the glass staircase. The air is crisp and cool, a stark contrast to the more warm and muggy air near the sea. Breathing comes to me more easily here, and the added oxygen entering my lungs dramatically sharpens my senses. The floral scent of lilies enters my nose, making it itch a bit from how abnormally potent it is. Bells toll from somewhere, creating an eerie feeling as I scan the area cautiously with my eyes. There's a lush courtyard full of topiary bushes decorated in the lilies I smell. There are roses here too and in myriad of different colors.

This place feels...familiar.

Swallowing the lump of nervousness in my throat, I look beyond the courtyard and take note of an immaculate palace the color of iridescent pearls in the distance.

With the bells still ringing, I take careful steps along the cobblestone pathway. Every few seconds I glance to my right or left when small bits of sound reach my ears. Sometimes squirrels and little birds meet my gaze when I snap to attention, expecting an enemy of some sort. At one point a massive monarch butterfly made me scream so loud that the birds in the surrounding trees took off in a violent rush of noise.

"Okay, get it together, Mina," I murmur to myself, taking a deep breath before focusing my attention on the marble stairway just up ahead.

I'm waiting for you inside the palace.

My heart immediately churns with guilt and disdain.

But with a shaky first step, my feet carry me up the marble stairway to a doorway with beautiful angels carved into the framework.

The door, though completely different in design, reminds me of the door that lead into E.E.'s throne room in Narita. I felt that same sense of foreboding then too, but at the time I was too lost in my rage-fueled mission to care. Things are different now. My mind is much clearer than it was then, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to face what's beyond the threshold.

"KILL..."

Hearing the haunting, grotesque sound of that voice steels my resolve. I can't afford to worry about what's ahead. I need to settle whatever it is that's keeping me from dying.

The ghosts of those thorn-covered vines from before slip around my ankles again. Shaking the sensation off, I push the panels of the heavy door. It creaks loudly as I step into the massive grand foyer, announcing my presence to whoever might be here.

With my heels clacking along the cream marble flooring, I spin around in a single circle to take in the sheer beauty of the space. Up on the ceiling is a painting of angels playing music. A massive chandelier covered in amber and ruby crystals hangs down in a gorgeous spiral that's wide near the ceiling and narrows as it reaches toward the floor. The windows on either side of the spacious room are draped in curtains of deep crimson, royal blue, and the purest looking gold color I've ever seen. Outside those windows I see views of the ocean I'd been swimming in earlier.

After completing my little spin, I walk carefully to the center of the room, just below the massive chandelier. A short distance ahead is another staircase, a double-staircase this time. The stairs are constructed from the same cream marble covering the floor but crimson carpeting cuts through the center of both stairways. Beyond the gorgeous stairway was yet another ornate door decorated with carvings of flowers.

The sheer opulence of the space takes my breath away, and for a few seconds I completely forget why I'm here.

But then, from somewhere deep inside the castle I hear that bell tolling again.

Color drains from the room instantaneously. Though the opulence remains, everything takes on a white and silver color-scheme. Dust practically assaults my face as the door just beyond the stairs slowly creaks open.

Eyes watering, I cough a few times to clear my throat of what tastes like mold and decay.

"What's going on?"

I take a step back and nearly gasp at the footprint I' leave behind. There's a thick layer of dust and debris on the floor now.

"Okay, where did that..." Looking to my right immediately shows me where the sharp shards of glass and pieces of wood had come from. The windows are completely broken now.

The bell tolls once more. My eyes travel to the left to see the windows on that end of the room shattered as well. Some cobwebs hang from them too.

"Welcome, my daughter."

A fierce wind blows through the tattered remains of the windows, but the air billowing past is hardly noticeable amidst the terror shooting through my veins. My breaths begin to shorten and a shard of glass swipes past, tearing a small gash through my cheek...the same cheek that A.A. had cut with his knife.

"I can't do this. I can't face her."

"Minako. Look at me."

Water races down my cheeks when I close my eyes. The last thing I want to do is look upon the face of the woman who gave me life...

The woman I betrayed.

"Please dear, look at me."

Gathering all of my courage, I force myself to open my eyes.

Standing in the space between the open panels of the door was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.

This is the woman I had seen in portraits throughout Pegasus' castle at Duelist Kingdom.

Her attire is simple, a silver sleeveless blouse beneath a white coat that hangs short in the front and long in the back. This is paired with white dress-pants that have tiny silver threads sown into the fabric in a subtle pinstripe pattern, and silver peep-toe stilettos that sparkle in the natural light filtering through the broken windows.

The golden strands of her hair fall in waves past her shoulders and down her back. Specks of diamond dust cling to it, making her hair sparkle in a way that's other-worldly.

But what strikes me most about this woman is her face. Untouched by time or hardship, her skin glows bright and her eyes glimmer like real sapphires.

Her expression, soft and kind, is a mural for beauty itself.

"M-Mother?"

Without a word, my mother pivots on her heel to make her grand descent down the staircase on the right. Her every movement shines with grace even as she picks up speed halfway down the staircase. Though my legs are shaking, I practically run to meet her.

"Mom!"

The second she's within arm's reach, I throw my arms around her waist and bury my face in her shoulder. She presses her hands along my back, patting softly while gently kissing my forehead.

That single action breaks the dam I'd built around my emotions. All at once, violent sobs tear through my entire being as I cling desperately this woman who'd loved me my whole life. No matter how angry I was at her for allying herself with E.E. in the past, my greatest regret was making the choice to shoot her down.

There had to have been a better outcome than this.

"I'm so sorry," I whimper, leaning nearly all of my weight against her. "So sorry...and ashamed...of what I did."

She continues to rub circles along my back. ""Minako, I need you to listen to me. There isn't much time."

Nodding I reluctantly extract myself from her embrace to look at her face. There's no anger or malice in her expression, only concern...and love...for me.

"I don't deserve that. I don't deserve her love after what I did."

As if hearing my thoughts, my mother shakes her head and rubs her thumbs along my cheeks. "Darling, there is nothing that could ever stop me from loving you. You were everything to me, baby girl. Everything. You hear me?"

"But I'm the one who did this to you, Mom," I cry, my gaze falling to the floor. "And then I..."

My mind flashes to the plane where A.A. forced me to gouge out Mom's eyes and hack off one of her arms. I lost myself in blood-lust, then carried those horrible feelings with me into E.E.'s lair where I just kept feeding the monster inside of me.

"KILL..."

And now it won't leave me alone.

Mom's expression shifts into one of sorrow. "The mistakes of my youth are what brought us here. I'm so sorry for that. If I could change things I would, but it's too late for all that. And now...you have a choice to you need to make."

"What do you mean?"

Closing her eyes, Mom takes a few steps back from me. As she moves, something on her person catches the light of the sun.

"There's...a sword against her hip."

Sensing my gaze on the weapon, she quickly unlatches the item from her belt.

"Do you truly wish to die?"

She unsheathes the weapon and my blood runs cold at what her actions implicate.

"What are you doing?" I ask, glancing at the pristine white blade.

My mother remains silent for a long moment, and though her eyes remain closed, I can see she's struggling to collect her own set of tangled emotions.

Then, in a motion so abrupt it catches me completely off-guard, she opens her eyes.

"DANGER...KILL HER..."

All I can do is shake my head in horror as black liquid oozes out of my mother's eyes. Pieces of her perfect skin chip off from her face like porcelain from a doll. Each piece that breaks off reveals the nerves, muscle tissue, and bone that would naturally lie beneath the skin.

"You and I currently exist in a realm between life and death," she says after a moment, a piece from her neck chipping off. Blood the color of ink oozes out, staining her white clothing as the liquid slowly drips down to the dust-covered floor. "Souls enter this realm when they have unfinished business in the living world. You need to go back now before it's too late."

"KILL HER. YOU MUST KILL HER TO LIVE."

Knees buckling, I crash to my knees against the marble floor. Tiny pieces of glass and wood break through my skin and the pinpricks of pain remind me of what's waiting for me, no matter what choice I make

Death was supposed to bring an end to all this suffering.

But now I know it won't. There's an abyss of endless agony waiting for me if I die now.

If I choose life...there's just more of the same thing because living means facing everything I've done and I never wanted that. The whole point of my crusade was to take vengeance, get what was necessary to save my father, and die so everything could stop hurting so much...but...

"KILL...KILL...KILL..."

"I can't take it anymore!" I scream, clutching at the sides of my head as hot tears race down my face. "Make it stop! Please! Just make it stop!"

"Nothing stops until you make your choice, Minako."

My breath hitching, I glance up at my mother. Disappointment lingers in her eyes and all the shame I feel from ending her life descends on me all over again. Living means making more life-ending mistakes. It's too much pressure for me to go on like this.

Another sob wracks through my body as I speak. "I can't do it. I can't..."

"You can't or you don't want to?"

One of Mom's eyes falls out of its socket unceremoniously, splattering to the floor in a sound that immediately makes me nauseous. Without breaking eye contact with me, she crushes the eyeball beneath her shoe.

"You'll sacrifice everything to fulfill your duty as a Sailor Scout, even at the cost of family and friends you claim to love," she says after a moment. "You'll die for the sake of the entire world, but you don't live for anyone but yourself!'

The words, harsh and scathing, leave me reeling with emotions I can't begin to process before she speaks again.

"There are only two ways to leave this place once you enter into it." She pauses, and during that pause I stare at the sword she continues to hold in a vice grip.

"DANGER...KILL...KILL...KILL..."

I bite down hard on my lower lip and taste blood almost immediately.

"This world, C's world, holds the spirits of those who have yet to cross over into death for one reason or another." With a sigh, my mother points the edge of her sword toward me. "My soul is cursed to wander this in-between realm for all of eternity because I have an immortal body in the real world."

Though I hear my mother's words, the information doesn't fully register.

Narrowing her gaze on mine, she smirks. "You're aware of my past dealings with E.E., are you not?"

My heart sinks to my stomach.

"I am."

Chuckling sardonically, my mother turns her back on me for a moment.

"Before hijacking my mind. E.E. gave me an Immortal Code."

Confusion distracts me from despair for a moment, allowing me to steady myself enough to get back to my feet.

"An Immortal Code...I don't understand," I whisper. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Another laugh spills from her lips. "Forget it. Telling you serves no purpose now. You have no desire to live."

For a few seconds I stare at the back of my mother's head and contemplate her words. She's right that the information won't change anything, but her words spark memories concerning Ophelia and how she was forcefully given an Immortal Code along with A1 as a means to trick A.A. into immortality as well. I've seen A.A. recover from fatal wounds...so then shouldn't Mom have...

Inclining her gaze over her shoulder, my mother answers the question I can't seem to voice.

"E.E. and I made a contract long ago." She shifts her gaze away from mine to stare out at the sea beyond the broken windows. "When she discovered our location in Domino City, she delivered on her end of the bargain...but it came at the additional cost of my sanity. After you killed me in Azabu Park, I could have returned to my body."

"Her betrayals just continue don't they? Mommy dearest really knows how to punish you."

Gritting my teeth, I try to control the rage bubbling up inside of me. That horrible voice continues goading me toward that path of vengeful blood-lust yet again, and for a few seconds I'm genuinely tempted to give in because I cannot begin to rationalize what Mom just said to me.

If she could come back all this time, then why on Earth didn't she!? Why would she hide away in this in-between realm while A.A. carved up her body? Why wouldn't she revive herself before A.A. put me in a trunk with her? Why didn't she just wake up and stop me before A.A. demanded I gouge out her eyes and hack off her arm for good measure?

Even if she didn't come back before all that...she should have come back and stopped me from walking into E.E.'s lair and ruining whatever future I could have had.

She could have prevented everything!

"LET'S TEAR HER APART!"

Ignoring the voice in my head, I direct my attention back to my mother. Her single eye appraises me as her left arm slowly detaches from just above the elbow. With a sad smile, she points her sword toward me even when the limb drops to the floor.

"I couldn't come back," she tells me, narrowing her gaze on mine. "Remaining here was the only choice left to me, Minako."

"KILL..."

"Do you honestly expect me to buy that!" I ask, clenching my fists by my sides. "You preach to me about going back to the living world, but you've been chilling out here all this time!"

In a movement far too quick for me to react to, Mom dashes toward me with her sword only to stop once her blade is mere inches away from slicing my neck.

Leaning closer, she whispers in my ear.

"In the living world, I'd be nothing more than a killing machine. E.E. made sure of that, now I'll ask you one more time. Do you still wish to die?"

A sudden screech of voices filter into the palace before I can reply. Most of the voices I hear are completely foreign to my ears but one stands out to me. The timbre of this voice rings familiar but I can't place it amid the plethora of other sounds shaking through the room. There's a rapid and incessant beeping, and I feel like there are hands on my shoulders even though Mom has already taken several steps away from me, almost as if the sensations I'm experiencing made her draw away.

Then, just as the noise begins to die down, my Geass activates. A flash of someone's memory appears, but it's too brief for me to make sense of. All I manage to see is a blurry image of a little boy's face.

A sudden peal of thunder roars outside the palace and is soon accompanied by those increasingly loud bells. A flash of lightning brings me back to the present moment and in grim anticipation, I watch my mother raise her sword above her head. Inky, black blood covers what remains of her face and clothes.

Don't die, Mina! Please! Joey needs you!

My eyes narrow on the lightning glinting off the glade. "No...he's better off without me."

I hear a sputtering from somewhere and then...

That's not true! Losing you now would break him, Mina! You can't give up! Even now he's still fighting for you. He keeps moving forward because he loves you!

"WE MUST KILL TO SURVIVE...KILL...KILL...KILL..."

All these voices in my head. They're too much, I can't focus on anything.

"We're out of time," my mother murmurs, her expression full of regret. "Either return to the living world or allow me to send you to the realm of the dead."

A sigh escapes me. "That's what I've been aiming for this whole time, but now I..."

"SURVIVE...KILL...SURVIVE...KILL...SURVIVE...KILL..."

You can still make things right with him and everyone else! I'll help you do that! I swear it!

My right hand twitches.

Please...

Silencing my mind, I watch Mom swing her blade down toward my head.

I better not regret this.

A/N: Well...this chapter. Yeah, I don't have anything to add to that. A lot of stuff just went down and I need to process it myself. If you guys enjoyed this chapter or are freaking out and want to yell at me for some of the information dropped in here, feel free to leave a comment on the madness within a review. I look forward to reading them. Thank you guys for sticking with this story and all its twists and turns! Best wishes and God bless you all during the holiday season.