His head felt as if it now weighed a ton. Not only that, it was spinning. The whole world is spinning. Lifting open his eyelids, Yuuhi saw the ceiling. What happened…? He tried to recall what happened. As he sat up, his still weak body gave way, and he toppled down to the floor again face down. His eyes were now gazing right into a bullet that lay planted on the floor, right next to where his head had been.

"Ao…giri…" He heard Tooya's weak voice calling him. He turned around, and saw Tooya struggling to get up. It was then that it all returned to him. A quiet night turned into the end of his world. The enemy had won. Not only do they have his sister, they also have Aya…

Ceres…

And his Sayaka, was their accomplice.

"Are you all right, Aogiri…?" Tooya asked as he held his spinning head, wincing one eye.

Yuuhi couldn't answer him. His eyes were staring blank. They were seeing the last images that were as though burned right through at the back of his eyes as a permanent photographic memory. The sight of Sayaka stepping back away from him as he reached out for her. His fingers trembled as his nails clawed onto the floor in disbelief. He truly loved her. Just as he thought he found someone…

"Aki…" Tooya suddenly remembered his child. He managed to stand up after a lot of effort, and with an unsteady pace, walked out of the room towards his daughter's crib.

No… Yuuhi was almost afraid to get up to follow Tooya. Not Aki too… He pushed himself to stand up and took his steps towards where Tooya had walked to. Stepping into the room, he saw Tooya kneeling on the floor, with his trembling hands grasping onto the frames of an empty crib.

"Tooya…" As Yuuhi called his friend's name, he turned around. Yuuhi could see the clear green eyes welling up with tears of despair. This was the first time ever he had seen Tooya shed tears. He knew how much Tooya loved his child. And this plague happened…

The plague of betrayal that Yuuhi had brought into his own home.

This was too much for Yuuhi.

His love was over.

His life was over.

His lips parted, and inaudible mumblings escape softly. Until it finally unleashed out as a roar of agony.

* * *

Finding herself once again surrounded in the familiar mirage of her vivid dream, Sayaka once again found herself enclosed in a dark vacuum.

"Oniichan!!!" she screamed, remembering that this was where a vision of Akira had appeared to her. "Are you here? Oniichan!"

"… Onegai… Oniichan…"

Then she heard soft echoes of muffled sobs around her. Turning around, she saw the tennyo that she once saw in her previous vivid dream, sitting silently in the darkness. She looked even thinner and paler this time. Sayaka opened her mouth, but no voice could escape her lips, as though she was trapped in a vacuum where no sound could travel. She called and called out to the tennyo, but even she could not hear her own voice.

Sayaka's eyes examined her face. She looked so… familiar. And something in her that Sayaka could sense something that felt almost… belonging.

Death… yes… that is what I want… Sayaka could hear her thoughts. This heart had been robbed of its happiness… forever. I will never love another… and if I can't have you… then let me…

…die…

But the mana that was in her arms started glowing, and it lifted from her embrace and floated in midair. As it glowed brighter in its violet hue, then suddenly, Sayaka could see an invisible force from the mana taking hold of the tennyo, and then a transparent figure lifted up from her body, as though separating from her, and was absorbed by the mana.

What was that? Sayaka thought, confused. She couldn't understand what she was seeing. Why does this vision she does not understand keep manifesting itself to her? What connection is it to herself? The mana lifted up higher, and higher, further away from the tennyo. The tennyo herself, collapsed, as though she had just lost her entire life force.

Sayaka looked at her. She wanted to go to her, and help her, but she couldn't move, nor could she speak, still. Is she dead…? But then the tennyo moved. She wasn't dead. But there was a strange gleam in her eyes that wasn't there before. Something almost… evil. Then her lips parted, and came out the words that immensely shocked Sayaka.

"Mi…ka…ge…"

* * *

Aya opened her eyes, and found herself lying on a cold floor. Where am I? As she looked around, trying to find a clue, suddenly the wall on one corner parted from the floor and ascended up, revealing a glass barrier that led her to see through towards the next room. Behind the glass barrier stood several familiar figures she never thought she'd live to see again… so soon.

Her cousin Kagami, who had returned from the dead.

And… the face of her brother, Aki. But no, that isn't Aki. Miyashita Akira… Aya realized who it was. But then she recognized the gleam in his eyes. The eyes she saw in Aki when he had been possessed by Mikage Shiso. Yes, that is indeed Mikage Shiso himself.

"Hisashiburi, Aya-chan." Kagami greeted her with a smile on his face.

Then, another figure emerged between Kagami and Mikage Shiso. Someone unfamiliar, but Aya immediately knew who it was. And slowly, she felt a force overtaking her consciousness, and her surroundings went into pitch black darkness.

Ceres now stood there, taking over Aya's consciousness the moment Freya showed up. They were separated by the bulletproof glass barrier. Ceres' eyes gleamed in anger at Freya. As does Freya's eyes gleamed with hatred towards her. Ceres lifted up her palm and gathered her tennyo chi into an attack sphere. As the force gathered atop her palm, Freya chuckled.

"It's useless, Ceres." Freya mocked. "Save your energy. This glass is strong enough to withheld tennyo forces." She said again, then, she turned towards the people around the room. "Leave us." Freya commanded briefly to everyone in the room to leave.

Kagami smirked, and stepped away to exit the room. Mikage Shiso, however, stood there unmoving for a moment. There was an odd gleam in his eyes that appeared the moment Ceres emerged out of Aya. His eyes looked as if he was trying to remember something. Something he had felt for Ceres.

Ceres' let the her chi dissolve and she went closer towards the glass. "Mikage!" Ceres called, pressing herself on the glass barrier right in front of Mikage. She was shocked, seeing that her husband had taken a new form. A human form. "What is this? Whose body have you possessed!?" she exclaimed. Then she remembered Sayaka, and the brother whom she had heard looked exactly like Aki. Suddenly it all made sense to Ceres. She stared in horror at the two figures in front of her. "Please… come back to your senses!!!" she pounded on the glass in her desperation to bring her beloved Mikage back to her.

Freya inched closer to Mikage and kissed his cheek. Then she placed her palm on his chest, and Ceres could see something glowing within. Mikage closed his eyes as the force within him took over his mind, and Ceres' eyes stared in disbelief when she saw the glow morph into a familiar form. She could see a mana inside the human body.

The mana seeemed to be the power behind Mikage's possession. As it glowed, she could see a violet glow extend out and enclose around Mikage. When he opened his eyes again, there was blankness in his stare. He lifted up his hand and pointed his finger towards Ceres. "Ceres…" he hissed maliciously. "Die…"

Ceres' eyes widened in shock and disbelief at what she's seeing, and what she's hearing. She was left speechless as she watched Mikage turn his back around and walked away. "Do you really want him that much, Freya?" Ceres hissed at her nemesis. "Do you really think that you've secured his love this way? He is merely a mindless puppet under your evil spell. That is not love!"

Came to her reply was a mocking laugh from Freya. "All I want is to make you suffer, Ceres." Freya smiled. "I have taken him away from you and that appeases my soul. You shall taste the agony of my pain millenia after millenia. You now know how it feels to have someone you love taken away from you…" She smiled victoriously.

"The boy Mikage possessed…" Ceres said, stepping back from the glass. "What will become of him?"

"That boy Akira?" Freya asked. "And his poor little sister Sayaka. Or at least that's what they think they are…" she suddenly broke into a laugh, an amused laugh. "So Ceres… Would you be interested in hearing the truth of what they really are?"

* * *

Mikage?

Before she could think of another thought, the tennyo disappeared. And the mana that had drifted away returned to visibility. It descended slowly in the pitch black darkness. Sayaka could see the transparent figure that was of the tennyo trapped inside its violet spheric frame. Then the mana's glow faded.

There was just silence.

Why am I seeing all this? Sayaka struggled to move but couldn't. If this is a dream I want to wake up! Kami-sama! Help me, please!

But then the mana suddenly flashed brightly, and the trapped life force inside it crept out and enclosed around the mana. Sayaka squinted as the brightness was too blinding for her eyes. The mana flashed brightly, and electrifying force surrounded it, mixed by the flashing hues of silver and violet. Something is happening. But what?

When it finally stopped, Sayaka opened her eyes again. The glow subsided, and to her surprise, she saw two little children cuddled in each other's arms beneath the glow. A boy, and a girl. And inside the boy's chest, Sayaka could see the mana glowing softly.

Sayaka's eyes slowly regained its clarity, and she recognized who they were.

What… what is the meaning of this!?

* * *

Tomonori sipped the steaming tea from the cup silently. His face was ashen. The room was quiet. The TV screen had blanked out and it now displays nothing but a blank infinite gray matter. He heard a beeping sound, and his eyes caught Tooya's hand pressing the eject button on a remote control and the DVD player hummed as it ejected its disc compartment out.

Tooya walked over to the device and picked up the unlabeled disc in his fingers. As he stared at it for awhile, then suddenly a crimson glow enclosed around it from his hand and the disc shattered into a million pieces and dissolved into air.

"Tooya…" Tomonori stood up at Tooya's sudden display of emotional outburst.

Kuso… Tooya cursed to himself as he slammed his fist onto the wall. He was now faced with a lose-lose situation at hand. The DVD that arrived in the Aogiri mailbox had shown him all the faces of his enemies. Mikage Shiso, Freya, and Mikage Kagami. It had shown him their evil plan; their hostages Suzumi, Aya, and his daughter Aki; and finally… their demands, for him to surrender Ceres' mana. Or else…

Or else they will all die… Tooya grimaced in frustration. But if I let them have Ceres' mana… what do they want with Ceres' mana…?

He felt Tomonori's hand grip his shoulder lightly. He turned, and saw his determined face. "Tooya…" Tomonori started speaking. "I am a powerless man. Even compared to Yuuhi, I'm weak. A mere mortal with no strength to contribute. But I can give you my strong faith. I believe in you, Tooya. You've defeated all this once. You will defeat this evil again." He said, his grip tightened on Tooya's shoulder. "And bring back Suzumi-san… to us."

"For Yuuhi's sake."

Tooya's eyes widened. "Yuuhi…" he repeated. "How is he…?"

As Tomonori shook his head, Tooya pulled himself away and stormed out of the room. He entered Yuuhi's room with fiery steps, finding Yuuhi lying on his bed, his eyes staring blank. The food that Kyuu-chan had brought for him lay there on the table, untouched.

"Nani atten da, Yuuhi!?" Tooya exclaimed.

"Just leave me alone," Came Yuuhi's lifeless reply as he turned his back towards Tooya. "No more… Tooya… I can't do this anymore…"

Tomonori arrived in front of the door just in time to catch sight of Tooya grabbing Yuuhi by his collar and pulling him up to face him. "That's enough moping around already, Aogiri!" Tooya exclaimed as he gripped Yuuhi by his collar.

"Let… go…" Yuuhi murmured. "It's all over Tooya! We'll never win!"

Tooya's eyes widened in shock as he heard Yuuhi's words. He promptly released Yuuhi, but then swung his fist and landed a hard punch right on Yuuhi's right cheek. Yuuhi slammed onto the floor from the impact of Tooya's powerful punch. Rubbing his cheek, he glared at Tooya. Yuuhi was not in a very good mood. And obviously Tooya has recovered completely, in that case…

BAM! Yuuhi lunged a punch back at Tooya, hitting him right on his nose. Tooya's body toppled backwards and knocked right into Tomonori. Before Tomonori could even react, Tooya already lunged back up, and the dagger appeared in his hand.

"TOOYA!!!" Tomonori yelled in horror.

Yuuhi clasped both his palms to stop the dagger's point into stabbing right onto in between his eyes. As the violet glow extended out of Yuuhi's hand and merged with the red glow from Tooya's dagger, they created an electrical current that enclose around them, creating a barrier. Tomonori stepped backwards away from them.

"What the hell, Tooya!?" Yuuhi roared as he tried to push Tooya's dagger away from him.

"Are you giving up already so easily?!" Tooya roared back at Yuuhi. "Where is the Aogiri Yuuhi I know?! The man who won't give up hope, whose hands I will trust Aya and Aki into when the time comes?! Where is he, YUUHI!?"

Tooya's words suddenly struck an awakening inside of Yuuhi. What the hell am I doing? Then suddenly, the electrical current blasted into a mild explosion between them. Both Yuuhi and Tooya leaped backwards and landed at a distance across each other. The dust and the smoke settled, and they stood silently in their stance.

Tooya could see the fire once again flickering in Yuuhi's eyes. Good… He thought to himself. Then he lifted his hand up in the air, and the dagger dissolved back into his flesh.

"Tooya…"

"I need you to believe in me, Aogiri, just as I've always believed in you." Tooya said calmly, his eyes glimmering with determination. "We've defeated this evil once. And although Mikage maybe stronger now, but if we do this together…"

"…We can win this again… and take back onee-sama… Aya… Aki…" Yuuhi continued his sentence.

"And Sayaka." Tooya added.

At the mention of her name, Yuuhi's face changed. His expression turn into something that seemed… wounded. He didn't respond to Tooya's remark, but turned towards his brother instead. "Aniki… can you make the arrangements for weapons and several men?"

"Consider it done."

* * *

When Sayaka regained consciousness, she found herself lying on the floor inside a white-walled room. The containment chamber…? Why am I here? What happened…? She heard a voice humming softly nearby. Struggling to get up, she turned around and saw Suzumi sitting against a wall. Her eyes were closed, and she looked extremely pale. But there was a faint smile on her face, and her lips moved slowly as she hummed an indistinct tune.

"Suzumi-san…" Sayaka murmured softly. She was confused. Why is she here? Why is Suzumi here? What had happened? The images slowly returned to her memory. The first thing she remembered was seeing the mana enclosed in a large glass tube container in the laboratory. The mana she had constructed this whole time that is nearing its completion.

"Doctor O'Howell… sore wa…" Sayaka muttered in disbelief as she was led into the laboratory to do her final test and saw the mana. This was the first time she had seen her mana.

Alec nodded silently. But his face look troubled. Sayaka couldn't understand why.

Looking at the mana, she knew she was nearing the point of her freedom… of getting her brother back, and…

But she had hurt Yuuhi in the process. She had taken his love and… betrayed him. The thought was just unbearable. She had realized that maybe… she loved Yuuhi more than she loved Akira. But she can't abandon her brother just like that. She felt like she was cornered by a starving tiger at the edge of a cliff. She had nowhere to go.

"You did well, Sayaka." Freya's voice was heard echoing around the room.

Alec took Sayaka's hand and led her to her seat. As Sayaka stepped to follow him, suddenly something in her heart rebelled. She shook her hand off Alec's grip. "No!" she turned to look up at Freya, who is standing next to Kagami in the control room. "I have done everything you wanted me to… but I won't do anymore for you until you return my brother back to me…!"

Freya smirked. "Silly girl." She mocked. "All this time you really believed that you will get your 'Akira' back? Even if I wanted to give him back, I'm afraid it's all too late now…" Freya said as she flashed a pitiful look towards Sayaka.

Sayaka froze in horror. "No! What do you mean?"

Freya's figure suddenly disappeared from where she was standing and appeared in front of Sayaka. "My poor little naïve Sayaka… I know the reality is so harsh for you to grasp, but sadly, it's the only truth."

Those dreams! Sayaka thought suddenly. Could they be…

"You may think them as 'dreams', Sayaka. But they're not. They are your memories. Memories that I have sealed away with my spell. The seal has weakened, and that is why you are seeing them as dreams you couldn't understand."

"You're lying…" Sayaka gritted her teeth in anger. "I have my memories… memories of my family; my father, mother, and Akira…!"

"Ah yes… the mirage I implanted to replace your sealed memory." Freya said. "Can you honestly tell me that you believe all that to be your true memory, Sayaka? Tell me that you truly remembered who your parents are… what they looked like… what it feels like to be held in your father's arms… or if your mother sang you to sleep at nights when you were little…?"

And slowly, it started to sink in, that what Freya said… are true. The more Sayaka tried to remember her childhood, and her parents, the more she couldn't remember. As if none of it had ever happened. She looked up at Freya with tear-filled eyes. "And… Akira… what about Akira…?"

"I'll tell you a story, Sayaka…" Freya started to speak after a long pause at Sayaka's question. "A story of a tennyo who fell in love with the man she could never have. For millenias long, she sat under a cherry tree in heaven, weeping over the man she loved. And she grew weaker, and weaker… and she was dying from her grief." As Freya spoke, she lifted up her palm and a violet glowing orb emerged on her palm. Inside it, Sayaka could see the images of the story she was telling. And as she looked closer, she saw that the tennyo Freya was telling her about, was the same tennyo she saw in her dreams.

"Five thousand years long, she shed tears filled with her unrequited love, shedding her life force along with it little by little. All those life force, love and true feelings were absorbed by her mana as she cradled it in her arms every single day. Until finally, at the point of death, her mana reacted to save her." The orb on Freya's hands showed a glowing mana. "It separated from the dying tennyo, taking with it the dying part of her soul far, far away. Taking all the emotions of love and tears of the tennyo inside it, the mana understood her wish and desires, and regenerated her dying soul… and gave her a human body. And as a gift, it also created for her a mirror image of the man she loved." By now, Sayaka had seen all the same images she saw in her dream. The images she couldn't understand were now being disclosed of its mystery.

"That tennyo, who couldn't have the man she loved… was me…" Freya said, and paused, as her golden eyes flickered. Then she continued to say what had immensely shocked Sayaka. "And the dying soul that separated from her… became you…"

"And Akira… is nothing but a soul-less vessel that my mana had created and breathed life into, for you, to nourish your soul with his love." Freya smiled. "How coincidental it was that I needed such a vessel for my dear Mikage… and upon discovering you both in your child form, I sealed your memory away and implanted a false mirage around you."

There was silence then, as Sayaka could not react to the shocking revelation that had just been disclosed to her. Lies… these are all just lies… aren't they? The tears that were brimming in Sayaka's eyes slowly dripped across her cheek. "Why did you do all this to us…?"

"Simple. Five thousand years of your moping and crying bored me to death."

At those heartless words, Sayaka was enraged. This woman is… is… a devil! A glow enclosed around Sayaka as her eyes turned gold and her hair extended out to a violet bluish hue.

"Silly little Sayaka…" Freya hissed. "Do you really think you could win against me?" Freya lifted up her hand and the violet glowing orb appeared again in her hand, this time it was crackling with electrifying force. Then it shot out towards Sayaka and enclosed around her whole body, electrocuting her to a point of helplessness. Locked in, unable to move, and having her strength sapped out, Sayaka was left powerless.

"Sedate her, and lock her up." Came Freya's command.

This is all a bad dream… Sayaka thought as she remembered what had happened, what Freya had told her. But then she shook off her thoughts as she saw Suzumi. She's weak… Sayaka approached Suzumi and reached out to touch Suzumi's hand.

At the touch of Sayaka's hand, Suzumi opened her eyes. She smiled faintly, and continued to hum softly.

"Suzumi-san…" Sayaka called.

"Sayaka…" Suzumi said softly. "Will you… watch Yuuhi for me… when I'm gone…?"

"Suzumi-san! What are you talking about?"

She took a deep breath. "I don't know if I have the strength to go on…" her voice dropped to the faintest whisper. "I don't know if I could survive another test…"

"But you have to!!! Suzumi-san!" she exclaimed as she grasped onto Suzumi's shoulders. "You said Yuuhi was all you had in this world… you are also the only one Yuuhi has in this world! You have to live through this for him!"

"Hope is all I have now… my body may not be able to sustain my hopes and my spirit…" Suzumi replied.

"Hope is all we need… Suzumi-san…"

Before Suzumi could answer, suddenly they heard the door clicked open. And Alec O'Howell entered the room, with a still smoky-barrelled gun in his hand. Behind him, they could see the body of the guard slumped on the floor.

"Let's go!" Alec exclaimed, as he ran to approach Suzumi. "I'll take you both out of here!"

"Doctor O'Howell…" Sayaka murmured in surprise. Yes… hope is all we need… "But what about Aya…? And Aki?"

"Their cells are contained with maximum security… it's impossible to break them out without getting caught… I'm going to take this only chance to take you both out of here."

"No…" she said. "I'm too weak… I will only slow you down… if we're caught, all hopes will be lost." She said, as she looked at both Alec and Sayaka. Then she grasped on Sayaka's arm. "You must escape… they must not… have your mana completed…"

"Suzumi-san, don't be ridiculous! I won't leave you here!"

"Please, Sayaka!" Suzumi's eyes suddenly retained back the last of her spirit. "All my hopes are in you now… this is your only chance to escape, and our only chance of any possibility to defeat all this evil…" As her grip loosened, she lifted her hand and touched Sayaka's cheek. "You have a strong spirit… and this is why Yuuhi loves you so much… just as he had loved Aya…"

Her words wrenched Sayaka's heart. "But I… had betrayed… his love…"

"If you truly loved each other… nothing else will matter…"

"Sayaka… we don't have time for this…" Alec interrupted, pulling on Sayaka's hand.

"Go." Suzumi said, her tears brimming in her eyes as she watched Sayaka and Alec pull away from her. She slumped back to the wall, feeling her life thinning at every ticking second. Slowly, she placed her palm on top of her belly. Kami-sama… please forgive me… She prayed silently. But this evil seed inside me… must not flourish to life… Her palm started to emit a soft glow. Then there was blood leaking out from between her legs. 

* * *

Alec led Sayaka creeping up silently along the hallways, avoiding any guards on duty, until they finally reached the elevator that will lead them down. Alec took out his card, and swiped it on the card reader. The elevator hummed to life and started descending down. Both of them watched the floor counter anxiously as it descended from the fiftieth floor. Twenty… nineteen… eighteen… seventeen… this was all going all too smoothly. Then suddenly, it stopped and an alarm sounded. The bright lights went off and was replaced by a blinking red light.

"Code red. C-Genoma main subject has escaped. All personnels proceed to all exits. Sealing doors in T minus ten… nine… eight…" The computer announced.

"Shimatta!" Alec cursed.

"Stand back…" Sayaka said softly and placed her hands on the elevator door. As the glow extended out, suddenly the door was forced open. The elevator had stopped in the middle of floors seven and eight, its floor and ceiling stuck in the middle of the door.

Alec leaned down and slipped himself underneath to jump down to the seventh floor. "Come on!" Alec exclaimed as he held out both his hands to catch Sayaka as she jumped off the elevator. Then they started running towards the stairwell. The door was locked by an automatic lock, but of course it was no problem as Sayaka managed to blast it off the wall.

Can we really make it out of here alive…? The thoughts ran wildly in Sayaka's head. Yuuhi…!

They ran round and round the stairwell, descending floor by floor, until they finally reached the ground floor. Upon exiting the stairwell, they found themselves greeted by a band of guards, armed and ready to shoot. Wei stepped up and he flicked his chain whip with a smirk on his face. "Going somewhere, Doctor O'Howell?"

* * *

Yuuhi sat alone silently at the parlor, staring at the garden, now wet with the pouring rain. It was almost dawn, yet the sky was dark, showing no signs of the sun due to the thick dark clouds.  He couldn't sleep, just as he haven't been able to for days.

It was cold, wintry, rainy night. Yuuhi could see the mist forming in the air from his mouth as he breathed in and out. He clutched the robe he was wearing tighter to cover his neck. Tomorrow night… He thought to himself. They had set the plan to infiltrate Mikage International tomorrow night. Tomonori and his father had helped arrange all the necessary needs of transportation and weaponry that might be needed, even an expert at such missions to lead through the passages.

It will all be over tomorrow…

He stood up from where he was sitting and made his way back into the interior of the house. But then, just as the lightning flashed, he could see a shadow standing still amidst the large trees. In reflex, he pulled out his chopsticks, ready for anyone, or anything. But when he saw who it was that emerged out, he froze in shock and his hand released its grip on his weapon. The chopsticks clattered onto the wooden floor and rolled towards the door.

"Yuuhi…" Sayaka called out softly, standing in the rain. She was soaked wet from head to toe from the freezing rain. Parts of her clothes were torn, and there were bruises and scratches all over her arms and legs. And blood dripping from her temples.

At the mere sight of her, Yuuhi suddenly forgotten instantly of how much she had hurt him. He stepped up without thinking, but then as he was close enough, he saw the gun in her hand. All the pain returned and he stopped his steps.

They stood there silently for a while, drenched by the freezing downpour. Yuuhi stared down at her with nothing but coldness in his eyes. Seeing his eyes, Sayaka reached out, to Yuuhi's surprise, and took his hand with her almost frostbitten palms. She cocked the gun in her hand and placed it in his palms, then guided the barrel point blank on her forehead.

"Even my useless life is not enough to pay for what I had done to you…" she muttered. "I'm not worthy of any forgiveness from you… If you kill me you'll end this all." End all this madness… The image of Alec's face still lingered inside her eyes as he was captured by the guards. He was screaming for her to run, and never turning back. He had sacrificed himself to be caught to let her run free. End all this… curse…

Yuuhi felt the coldness of the gun's physique in his trembling hand. His finger was right on the trigger. His eyes widened as he looked more into her eyes, and he looked as if he was really ready to shoot her. She closed her eyes. The most painful thing she ever experienced was looking into Yuuhi's betrayed eyes, and she knew not a single most fatal and mortal wound could compare to that wrenching pain in her heart. But then she felt the gun's barrel retracted from her forehead, followed by a light 'thud' on the ground, and arms enclosing around her, pulling her into his embrace.

"Baka…" Yuuhi murmured as he buried his face in her dripping wet hair.

Sayaka froze in shock. If you truly loved each other… nothing else will matter… She could hear Suzumi's last words to her repeating again and again. Slowly she closed her eyes and her arms coiled around Yuuhi's back. And when she opened her eyes, she saw again the faint image of Akira, standing in a distance watching them. But there was a smile on his face, and he looked… serene.

Then Akira disappeared, and Sayaka knew that was the last she'd seen of him. She finally understood now. Goodbye, Akira… I'll be all right now…

I have Yuuhi…

The cold rain was drenching his whole body, but he didn't feel it. All he knew was that she had returned to him, and whatever was in the past suddenly didn't matter anymore. He leaned closer towards her face and once again tasted the sweetness of her lips.

Yes… everything will be all right now…

And he swept her up in his arms and took her in out of the rain.

====================================================================================

to be continued…