Part 14

…

"What?! How in the name of all things holy and unholy did Kana manage to disappear?!" Talon simply echoed the sentiments of most everyone in the Hinata Coalition, which had just learned that Kana had been captured, somehow, by Baka-Alaskan. "That baka must have gone off to try and stop Baka-Alaskan by himself!"

"This is no good." Silver slammed her forehead to the wall. "That madman has both now. We're all screwed. It was nice knowing you folks."

"There's still a chance." Kanako interrupted the lamenting group. "He has to get Kana to react to the Book of Shadows first."

"What do you mean react?" Edwards asked. "If you ask me, that snake just stabbed us all in the back."

"He has to make Kana want to unleash the power first." Naru, who was leaning on her back on the nearby doorway answered. "If he can't convince Kana to allow the Necronomicon's power in him to flow out, then there's really no problem."

"Still, we better go anyway. Even the Book of Shadows in human hands alone is dangerous enough." Silver sighed. "I'll get the ships ready."

"No need for that Silver." Kanako said, her hands rose slightly, gathering every last shadow she could muster around the entire Coalition. "My shadows can take us all wherever I want. I just need to home in on the Necronomicon's power…on Kana…"

…

"Alaskan-san! I'm begging you! Stop this now!" Shinobu shouted over the sound of the whirlwind.

"You can't hide behind that wall of bone forever Kana!" Baka-Alaskan, with the Book of Shadows in hand, launched another blast of pure energy at Kana's defenses.

"I can try, can't I?"

Kana knew what he was doing: provocation. He didn't want to risk everyone else's lives in a battle so he left alone. He knew that Baka-Alaskan would never realize that he was the Necronomicon, so if Baka-Alaskan managed to kill him, there would be no more threat. And if the madman couldn't kill him, he'll simply destroy the Book of Shadows. He stood there, pouring his energy into maintaining his Bone Wall, a wall of human bones that was wrapped in a green flame, the flame of Necromancers. He had his crescent blade at the ready as he slowly began to step forward; he was intent on maintaining the Bone Wall until he was close enough for a sword attack. Anything else was too risky.

"Do you think you can stand the power of the Book of Shadows by yourself?" the madman mocked. "Then I dare say you are suffering form insanity!"

"I'm not suffering from insanity." Kana pressed forward with a grin. "I'm enjoying every minute of it."

"Kana, be careful!" Shinobu cried out with concern as she watched Kana persistently press forward, barely managing to defend himself against the blasts.

"This is the only way…" Kana closed his eyes. "Give my regards to everyone else."

…

"I can't home in on him…" Kanako's eyes were closed; she was stressing herself to find Kana quickly. The shadows were at the ready to transport Talon's entire fortress to wherever she wanted them to. Doing so, however, would be extremely taxing on her. "I can't find him…"

"Forte-san, get the Angel-tai together." Talon ordered. "Get your Emblem Fighters and find any signs of immense power discharge. Search pattern Beta. Report back as soon as you find something."

"Yes, sir!" Forte saluted.

Suddenly, Kanako fell down, almost collapsing on the floor. Motoko and Eijentu managed to catch her before she fell completely. She had become paler than before, almost as white as alabaster. She was weakened significantly and bloodstains on her clothing indicated that she was wounded. This was impossible; she hadn't been attacked at all. She knew why this was happening, it was her own fault. As Motoko sat her down on a chair, giving her a drink of tea before she resumed trying to track Kana down, she saw the surprised look from the few there that showed concern. They wanted an answer; it seemed she would have to give it to them.

"Why are you wounded?" Motoko asked, examining the bloodstain. "This is a sword stab wound."

"We are Soul-bound." Kanako answered, her voice strained, weak and in pain.

"Soul-binding?" Kitsune raised an eyebrow. "You don't mean…"

"Kana doesn't even realize it." Kanako smiled weakly. "It's starting to take effect. I'm incurring the wounds that he is incurring in battle. Once completely in effect, our separate souls will merge. Our powers will combine and…"

"If he dies…" Naru stammered at her realization. "You die…"

"Why?" that was all that Kebinu could ask the wounded dark lady.

"Because he has sacrificed everything for me, even now, he sacrifices his life for me, for all of us." Kanako raised her head and smiled. "It is time I gave something back."

…

"You can't last forever. Your wounds are slowly trickling your life away!" the madman gloated as he blocked a weak sword attack from Kana.

"I can last long enough to kill you."

"Is this truly the infamous Kana? The man who slaughtered entire hordes of Imperial Naru-Troopers? You are the unholy lord of the dark realm of the Church of Kanako?"

"I will show you the power you are facing now, Baka-Alaskan." Kana focused every last bit of his power into his next attack, all the dark energy he could muster, almost to the point of re-opening the Void since if enough dark energy is gathered in a single place, the Void, prison of souls, will be opened again. "As the agent of Darkness it is my sworn duty to keep this power from being released. At any cost."

"Then the cost will be your life!"

"So be it."

Kana leaped into the air, tossing his crescent blade away. Gathering every last bit of dark energy he could muster and drain away from every corner of the world, he knew that he would not survive. With his wounds, performing the spell he was setting up now would devour him. As the sun eclipsed completely, covering the land with a blanket of darkness, he closed his eyes and focused all that hew as into one last blow. This was the end that he was certain of as he began his descent. Alaskan had set up a powerful barrier but definitely not powerful enough to stop him. He wasn't sure if he had gathered enough power but desperation can make men do desperate things. As he came closer, his only thought was on Kanako.

"Descend!" he cried out as he drew near. "Holy Evil!"

The barrier had been shattered but Baka-Alaskan managed to evade half of the impact blast. It was a magnificent sight to see, the blinding swirl of black and white energy decimating the area of impact almost completely. The Book of Shadows was damaged enough so that the energy prison Shinobu was in was broken. She was, however, too weak to be of any use in battle. As for the madman himself, he barely managed to survive but Kana did not. He was sprawled out on the ground, battered, powerless and dying. He cursed himself, he knew he had failed. He thought he was hallucinating, seeing a massive swirling of shadows on the horizon. Then, there was pain.

"Now, tell me where the Necronomicon is." Baka-Alaskan demanded as he drove the sword through Kana's gut gleefully. "And maybe I'll let you live."

"Here's a bit of trivia for you." Kana grinned. He was dying but he had won. "I AM the Necronomicon."

"Damn…you…" Baka-Alaskan looked down to see two katanas, black as midnight, stabbed one through his heart, the other through his stomach. "I…can…not…fail…"

"Watch, Death, wait. Wait, Death, watch." Kanako was behind him, using her fleeting strength to drive the shadow katanas through him. "Steal life quickly but steal breath slowly."

"No…" Baka-Alaskan fell to the ground, dying. "I have failed you….Shinobu-sama…"

"You're dying, as am I." Kanako said as she laid Kana's head on her lap. Both of them were on their last legs. "We will die together."

"Die? How? You're a…goddess…" Kana was too weak to speak. Already his body was disintegrating, as was Kanako's. "Why, Kanako?"

"Because what good is it for me to live without you by my side." Kanako answered as their bodies kept disintegrating. She managed to say three last words before they completely faded. "I love you…"

"I love you too..." Kana answered as they completely disappeared.

It was a dramatic time, remorse and sadness over their deaths was the most prominent but there was also a sense of appreciation for their sacrifice. A shocked Shinobu and possibly heart broken Shinobu was crying in Talon's arms, as were Naru in Kebinu's and Mutsumi in Keitaro's. Motoko was visibly shaken, turning her face away as she began to cry. Kitsune had fallen to her knees, knowing no amount of sake can make her forget what she had just seen. Silver and the Angel-tai, military women that they are, simply stood still and closed their eyes. Talon, Forte and Eijentu each raised a gun into the air and fired seven times each: a twenty one gun salute. Edwards drove his weapon to the ground, regretting his crass remarks about Kana.

"I can just imagine what he'd say if he was in my place." Talon tried his hardest to smile despite his inclination to simply stand still and mourn. "Better him than me."

End

:Epilogue:

Evil Naru Empire

Divided upon Mutsumi and Keitaro's return, with many thanks to Kebinu, Naru retained over eighty percent of her power. All of the Imperial territories were still hers, except for the SASA. Immediately, she began to order the construction of more and more Death Roaches, to further increase the power of the Imperial Army. Kebinu was crowned Emperor and married to Naru, with Talon as best man and Silver as maid of honor, just to piss them off. As for Mutsumi and Keitaro, they returned to the neutral territories and, after taking some of the CoK's northern territory, which Kana saw fit to leave to Talon, they established a new faction in the continuing War: The Legion of Mutsumi.

Shinobu and Su Alliance

Shinobu and Su return to find most of their territory decimated by war. However, oddly enough, someone in the Bank of Kitsune in KFH territory had arranged for a massive influx of capital into the SASA government's account. Kanako also saw fit to leave the Rent-A-Orc company under Shinobu's management. After negotiating a mutual defense treaty with both the Legion of Mutsumi and the Kitsune Fan Horde, they felt confident of their place and are currently creating a non-aggression pact with the Evil Naru Empire. They appointed Shiara, the Sadistic Shadow, to be their Prime Regent, taking over what was once the position of Baka-Alaskan and Shalashaska.

Kitsune Fan Horde

Still partying, they have adopted the Church of Kanako strategy of waiting for everyone else fight themselves ragged. Eijentu still has Forte Stollen as her personal bodyguard and secretary, Kitsune still hasn't declared an end to the celebration of the day the "Great Evil" was defeated. They are negotiating with Shinobu for the ownership of one of the eight Dragons Kana and Kanako left behind, as well as the services of several out of work Necromancers that ended up there. Thanks to Psi-Corp, the KFH now has an actually useful intelligence division. Using several technologies brought by former CoK scientists, they are now with a capable weapons program of their own.

Knights of Motoko

Different among the surviving factions, they have remained virtually unchanged, economically and politically. Motoko, however, has left someone actually capable in charge: Mint Blancmanche of the Angel-tai. Edwards is still Mint's personal secretary and is still torn between undying love and loyalty for Motoko and uncertain feelings for Mint. Uncertain because he's not sure whether or not the powerful young telepath was someone he really loved or was merely attracted to due to her telepathic powers. Thousands upon thousands of new recruits are undergoing training, with Motoko intent on getting more capable Knights in the ranks of the KoM.

Church Of Kanako

Without their Anti-Pope or goddess, the Church of Kanako, once the most feared faction and a military power second only to the Empire, disintegrated. Most of the scientists have ended up serving under the Kitsune Fan Horde. Several Necromancers and other non-Undead members of the Church have signed up with either the SASA or the LoM. The Dark Templar Special Forces have become Naru and Kebinu's guards. Whether they are loyal or are intent on destroying the ENE from within, nobody knows. The Vampires of the CoK however, remain within the CoK land, where there is no sunlight, and keep the dark rituals Kana established. The Cathedral is now used as a memorial to Kana and Kanako.

~END~

Kanako: *leaning back on her chair* There you have it folks. It's done. Feel free to do spin-offs should you so choose. *takes a sip of brandy* That does it! I hate my in-laws! Now I understand why Kana wanted to live as far away from them as possible! They're impossible to deal with, insanely nitpicky and frustratingly irritating! I have to get rid of them. I have to rid our home of them. I'll kill them if I have to. They're driving me completely insane! They're making me pull out my hair! I have to rid myself of them before Kana finally snaps and axe murders the lot of us! *calms down* My advice to all of you married people out there: Avoid the in-laws like the plague. Your marriage will be better and if it still doesn't work out, at least when you split up, you still retain your sanity. Not that Kana and I are splitting up, just so you know, you damn fangirls. What is it with fangirls and married men?

To Silver: Kebinu didn't DIRECTLY put me up to anything but, well, something about his reviews and e-mails made me think he was asking for it.


To Leon: You straighten him out. I have more important people to make enemies of. I have no time for small-fry like him.

To Kebinu: *readies her pepper spray, landmines, katanas and a wide assortment of shotguns* Stay away from me, you lap dog of Naru!

To Blight: Don't bother him with such details. "Bitterness" stays the way it is now.