I'm back, everyone! Did you miss me? ^^ Well, I promised another chapter, so here it is...even if I am in excruciating pain (think walking all over a college campus in sandals for a week). But...let's see. In our last chapter, Kia and Jin were having...err... "conflicting problems". So now those two are at it, while Kelsey is fighting Shishiwakamaru and trying to avoid Kurama...who is only HALF brainwashed. Yep, that's a new one. Ciu Sune...I don't think I've heard from you before...but thank you very much for reviewing. And YES, people, there WILL be a sequel! I just need an idea, so feel free to offer one. I will, of course, give you credit for it. But on to our story!

Jin: It's good to be back...those dorm rooms were awful.

Kia: Fine. Next time, YOU can sleep outside.

Jin: But the dorm counselors won't let me!

Kia: Well, you DID kinda...blow open the window...and it kinda broke...so maybe that's why. *sweatdrops*

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Kelsey winced as Kurama's thorny whip snapped across her left cheek, leaving a small trail of blood. She rubbed it ruefully, then yelped and slid under Suzuki's gurney as Shishiwakamaru leapt for her.

"That's not really going to be much help," the blonde youkai commented.

"Yeah, but neither will standing there and letting them kill me!" Kelsey countered. She crawled out again.

"You must believe me, I really don't want to do this!" Kurama insisted, as the whip came at her again. Kelsey was forced to do a sort of mid-air flip to avoid it. She landed wrong, and there was an audible crack as not only did she land wrong, she collided with the base of the gurney.

Suzuki blinked. "That can't be good." He looked over at Yusuke, who was stirring. "What a horrible mess we're all in..."

"And to think that all hope rests on the shoulders of...well..." The Youko hesitated, even as he started towards the blonde girl, who was clutching her right ankle, her features screwed up in a pained grimace.

"Teenage girls," Kelsey spat, somewhat bitterly. "Even YOU doubt us!"

"I do not doubt your abilities," Kurama corrected her patiently, raising the whip again. "I just think that it is rather unfair for you to have to face all of us..."

Back to Kia and Jin...

"This is getting me nowhere..." the brown-haired girl muttered. She was bruised, battered, her left side was one nasty mess, her hand was still bleeding from where she had clasped Jin's sword, and she didn't have enough strength or energy to use her wind abilities...nor the heart. *I HAVE to do something...*

-Kia? Are you alright?-

The questioning voice made Kia jump in startlement. She looked around...but there was no one there...no one there who would have asked such a question, anyway. Netami couldn't care less if she was killed, and Jin...well, Jin wanted her dead too.

-Kia...please answer me! It's Mikage! What's going on?-

Mikage! Kia mentally kicked herself. She'd completely forgotten that the fire youkai was a telepath!

-I-I'm fine, Mikage. Just having a little bit of trouble with an unreasonable Wind Master.-

-So Jin was controlled? Anyone else? Are you hurt at all?-

-Just a few scratches and bruises.- She didn't want her friend to worry about her. -Shishiwakamaru was also controlled, and they were taking Kurama in when I left.- She jumped aside just before she was impaled on the sword. She started to run again, warily keeping an eye on the small pools of blood she was leaving on the floor...she didn't want to slip. Then, it'd all be over.

-Hmm...I can sense you're in trouble. I've been working at telekinesis and teleportation...maybe I can be of help. Would you like a weapon? Just for defense, of course!-

-That would be great.- Kia suddenly suffered a crazy idea. -Mikage, I think I know which one...-

And back to Kelsey...

The girl had managed to knock Kurama out...by pure luck. Obviously, he didn't have the same grace when he couldn't control his body...and his body was so eager to kill her, he had tripped over her outstretched leg and gone flying into the stone wall. He would be out for awhile...but Shishiwakamaru was a different case. Obviously, such tactics wouldn't work on him. So she did something totally crazy...and totally Kelsey. She kept her sword in the guard position and stepped back. "It's just a jump to the left," she sang out, doing it. "And then a step to the riiiiiiight..." She did this also with much waving of the arms.

The look on the samurai's face was priceless. His brow furrowed in perplexity as he tried to figure out whether Kelsey was trying a new attack...or had just lost her mind.

"Put your hands on your hips...and bring your knees in tiiiiiight! But it's the pelvic thrust...that really drives you insaaaaaaane! Let's do the Time Warp Agaaaaiiin!"

"I'd clap if my hands weren't BOUND TO THE GURNEY!" Suzuki called pointedly.

Kelsey grinned sheepishly at him. "I'm kind of busy, Suzuki..."

"You're gonna have to do more than that!" He replied. "SHOCK him out of it before you two end up killing each other!"

"But what could possibly be big enough to shock him??" Kelsey protested.

"Hmm..." Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Kelsey, he knows you hate him. You let him know that every day. So...kiss him!"

"NANIIIIIIIIIIII?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR STUPID DEMON MIND??"

"You have a better idea?" Suzuki retorted. Both of them knew she didn't.

"Fine." Kelsey said huffily, sheathing her sword and walking over to Shishiwakamaru, who seemed surprised that his prey would come so willingly to death. But he would oblige her. He lifted his sword...and the girl stepped in, grabbed his wrists and shoved them down to keep him from lopping her head off, and kissed him firmly on the mouth. To her great surprise, she found that she actually liked it. She held the kiss for a moment, glaring over the samurai's shoulder at Suzuki (who was grinning widely), and Yusuke (who had woken up and was now humming love songs under his breath). Her eyes basically conveyed the message of "I'm going to kill you when this is all over." Hey, she had to keep up appearances. Then she stepped back, cautiously watching Shishiwakamaru for his reaction. His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated, and he gave his head a small shake, blue hair flying. "You DO love me!" He said in a tone of utter amazement and wonder, and crashed to the floor.

"Never underestimate the weakness of males," Kelsey informed the unconscious samurai with a grin.

"TOOK you long enough!" Yusuke called. "If only I had a camera...that would be great blackmail!"

The blonde made a face at him, and unstrapped Suzuki. "You can untie Urameshi," she told him. "I'm going to go find Kia." And she ran off without a backward glance.

Back to Kia AGAIN...

-Are you sure?- Mikage asked dubiously, after she had heard Kia's request.

-I hope so. Just please send it.-

-A-all right...-

The moment the weapon appeared in her hands, Kia realized that she had lost track of Jin. *You idiot!* She berated herself. *Don't take your eyes off him!* But, luckily, she was still attuned to the wind. She sensed the change in the air directly behind her, and didn't waste any time. She whirled and smacked the Wind Master as hard as she could with the one weapon that just might snap him out of it: a cookie sheet. Once it hit, she released it and it clattered to the floor.

Jin staggered back with a yelp, dropping his sword. His ears quivered slightly as he stared at the baking utensil. "A...cookie sheet?"

Kia nodded. "C'mon, Jin, TRY to remember! Remember how we met? You walked into Yusuke's house and I thought you were a gang member...and you were right behind me, and I hit you with the cookie sheet!" She looked into his clouded eyes for a moment. "Please remember!" she pleaded. "Jin, you promised me you'd never break my trust! I still trust you, and to prove it..." She sank down, resting against a wall. "If you want to kill me, I'm not going to stop you." Even if she wanted to stop him, she was too injured and too exhausted.

The redheaded youkai eyed her for a moment, then looked down at his sword, which lay at his feet. He seemed to be having some sort of inner turmoil. Kia's hope rose. Maybe she had gotten through to him!

Netami, bored and annoyed by her servant's hesitance, rose from her throne and picked up the sword. "Stand aside," she snapped at him. "I'll kill her myself." She smirked at Kia, amethyst eyes glittering with malice and maniacal glee. "I've waited for this day, Mirror Holder..." she whispered, just loud enough so that the girl could hear her. "At least you will be able to join your family...and once I kill your friend, the Densetsu no Kagami will be mine!"

Kia said nothing, merely shut her eyes. If Netami was going to kill her, she didn't want the sorceress' prissy face to be the last thing she saw.

There was a yell as the sword sought and found its target and struck deep, drinking its fill of blood.

Kelsey ran in a moment later. The scene that met her eyes was something she wouldn't forget for a very long time.

Netami stood, holding the sword, the blade coated with fresh blood. Kia was slumped against a wall, brown eyes wide with shock and horror at what had just happened.

Jin stood squarely in front of the brunette, a giant bloody wound just below his rib cage. He was panting raggedly, and his eyes, even though glazed with pain, were bright.

"Don't you dare touch her," he snarled at Netami. "I'll kill you."

"...Jin...?" Kia's voice was tiny, but everyone heard it. The Wind Master turned slightly and smiled down at her.

"I...didn't...forget...my promise..." He whispered. Then his eyes closed and he fell over halfway onto her lap.

Kia shook him. "Jin?" No reply. She shook him harder this time. "Jin!" The youkai lay still in her arms. Slowly, tears filled her eyes, cascading down to plop onto his pale face. "Jin, wake up...Jin! JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" A few sobs escaped her as she wrapped her arms around the body of her friend, pain filling every part of her body. "You bastard!" She yelled at him, hoping she could provoke him to snap at her. "Why did you do that?! You baka...you stupid stupid stupid Wind Master..." Seeing that he wasn't replying, the tears came faster and her sobs doubled.

Kelsey walked over to her friend and knelt, touching her shoulder gently. "Kia. We have...other business..." She looked over at Netami, who had casually tossed aside the sword and was now sashaying towards her uncomfortable-looking throne.

The girl gently propped Jin up against the wall, sending what was left of her healing power into searing out infection and closing his massive wound. Then she slowly stood up. The two walked together and stopped about three feet from the throne. They made quite an interesting pair. Kelsey was bloody, and her blonde hair was straggling loosely about her face and down her back. Kia was swaying slightly in exhaustion, and covered in blood also...hers AND Jin's.

"Netami!" Kelsey yelled. "You've made us really mad!!"

"Oh, no, I made the widdle baby girls mad," the sorceress mocked, smirking. "Whatever shall they do? Throw their pacifiers at me?"

Kia and Kelsey joined hands, Kia's right to Kelsey's left. Neither of them knew exactly what they were doing...but there was a calm voice in both of their heads, instructing them on what they must do...and the risks involved. But it was their only choice.

Silver and gold light suddenly appeared around the girls, intertwining with each other and slowly filling the entire chamber. Kelsey's hair slowly floated up, and Kia's own brown tresses escaped from her ponytail. It was taking all of their remaining strength...but not only physical. They were using every bit of willpower, every bit of determination, pain, and yes, even love to keep this up.

"We can't allow you to do this any more," Kia said in a voice that was hers...and yet, not her own. It was older, with more wisdom in the tone than that of which she currently possessed. It was, in fact, her voice. But it was the voice of the woman that she was to become.

"Netami, you will never be the wielder of the Densetsu no Kagami," Kelsey agreed, also in an older voice. There were also two more differences, one for each girl. The golden light had wrapped around Kelsey...and a pair of black dragon wings had emerged from her back, breaking through her thin shirt. The silver light had ensconced Kia, and she also had a pair of wings. But these were a mixture of white and light gray, with the feathers ranging in size and color.

There was one more thing to do. They had to summon three memories: Something that haunted them, something that made them happy, and something that they had done. For Kelsey, the memory of being locked in a dark closet by a psychotic baby-sitter when she was five sufficed for her bad memory. Smacking Shishiwakamaru with a schoolbag brought a smile to her face as she chose that memory of happiness, and her last memory was of the first time she had unleashed her power upon the Zankoku.

The memory that haunted Kia was of Mamoru hanging lifelessly from the light post and of hearing the members of his gang laugh. Her happy memory was when she and Jin had conversed with a small flock of sparrows. And her last memory was of a little girl hugging a very large fox around his neck.

The light flared, pooling in their hands and peeking from their intertwined fingers. Very carefully, they raised their arms...and then with a final shout, they brought them down, and there was a powerful explosion of silver, gold, and white light and a desperate scream from Netami, who had never experienced pain before.

Once the light faded, the girls slowly released each other's hand and stepped back, eyeing the pile of black ashes and a charred pendant...all that remained of Netami. Wearily, they headed back to Jin...but Kelsey's head swam, Kia's knees buckled, and they collapsed before they could reach him. They had used up all of their own power and all of their strength. And there, Suzuki (carrying an unconscious Shishiwakamaru) and Yusuke (carrying an unconscious Kurama) found them.

*OOC*

Ooh...cliffhanger of sorts. *sniffles* I admit, I got a little teary-eyed when I was writing this...but there's one more chapter left! Here's a teaser...

* Everyone ends up at Suzuki's place. But will Kia and Kelsey ever wake up? Or is it too late?

* A few confessions are made.

* Ashita drops by! And Z has a secret of her own?

Thank you everyone! Keep reviewing! Remember, I still need ideas for the sequel. ^^