The Dark Maiden Saga – Part 3: The End?
Well could this truly be the end of this wonderful saga? It all depends on my readers' comments. If this part sucked, I'll end it. If not, there will be more to come. For now, just read the story and let the plot decide.
Start of Part 3 – Kenny's Quest
Kenny decided to leave his armor on so that he could surprise Misuki. He walked around the streets of San Francisco around the midnight hours. Usually there would be some "activities" that go on at this time. But the streets were plain. The only noise came from the cold wind in the night. Kenny was somewhat afraid. Afraid that his sister might be dead or worse. He thought about how he might have to fight his sister when he met her. But he knew that Misuki would remember him after 20 years. One of the Demon Gods appeared in front of him. Kenny got into a defensive stance and drew his sword. The Demon God was Shin Akuma. "I've heard stories about you young Kenny. You had sacrificed your life to save another. Sounds like Ryo. But it wasn't my fault that weak demon tried to kill them. That little demon was a renegade who tried to make us look bad." Kamazu replied, "Who are you? How do you know my name? How can I trust you?" Shin Akuma started to surround himself in a crimson red aura and he gazed his eyes into Kamazu's. Although Kamazu tried his hardest to resist, the glare was too powerful and he fell into corruption very easily. Shin Akuma said while his eyes still glared into Kamazu's, "Your dark powers are no match for mines. Your dark powers only give me an assist in my corruption. You will obey me now. You will kill Misuki Kuragawa. She has forgotten about you. She'll see you as an enemy. Join me and I will help you get back at her. Ryo cannot help you either. He's too busy talking with the elders." Kamazu replied in his hypnotized trance, "I shall do as you say Master Akuma. I feel that my bond between me and my cousin is fading. I believe she won't ever come back to me." Kamazu bowed and then was teleported with Shin Akuma back to the Underworld. This sounds like trouble for our friends. The Underworld has acquired someone that could easily match their strengths. Want to know what happens next? Keep reading and you'll see.
The next day...
All of them had a good 12-hour sleep each so they felt pretty energized. But Jane and Shin were the first ones to wake up. They were at the table talking to each other. Misuki, Melissa and Amanda went down and decided to join their conversation. Shin felt pretty bad for Jane but Jane felt even worse for Shin. Jane said, "Being with only my father is pretty saddening. On top of that, I'm poor so I can't get anything good. I was lucky I even met you guys." Shin replied, "Well at least you had your father. The rest of us here are living without our parents. But ever since we've joined up, I feel like I'm part of a great family." Misuki hugged and kissed Shin for that comment. Shin felt a little embarassed but then decided he needed that sort of care in times like this. Melissa and Amanda decided to make some breakfast for them. After breakfast, they decided to talk some more to pass the time of boredom. Since there wasn't any sign of grave danger, they decided to try and relax. It was tough for them to sit down and do nothing because they were used to being up and running about fighting demons. It's been about a week since they did anything good. Misuki's armor changed a little. Her armor now has blood red vein lines on it. She also had her demon slayer name changed to Kurumi, Dark Shinobi Blademaster. They were about to go back asleep until they flipped the TV on and looked at the carnage in the other neighboring cities caused by someone of great power. Misuki rolled her hand into a fist and got pissed off. "Whoever did this will surely pay for their evil deed. I don't care who it is. They'll pay." She then sensed a great power which matched hers a second later. Shin and the other demon slayers sensed it. Jane was confused as to what went through their minds. Shin turned to Jane and said, "Jane, you must stay here. This is far too dangerous for you. Someone of great power has arrived and you're the only one who can't endure his punishment." Jane glared at Shin and replied, "Nothing's too dangerous for me. I'm not your average human. I have weapons tthat could help out. Don't think I'm not staying here alone. We're a team and we'll need everybody's strengths combined. I may not have the power to sense energy levels but I know this for a fact. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Never giving up is probably the thing that can decide a difference in a battle with an opponent of any difficulty." Shin was going to say something but then agreed with Jane. They then went outside to check out what was happening.
Kenny's meeting with his cousin
Kenny could not wait to meet his cousin again. Not because he missed her, but because he wanted her dead any way possible. He continued his assault on the neighboring cities as he was approaching San Francisco. Misuki and her friends were transformed and they intercepted his path. They all landed and got in a battle-ready stance. Kamazu told them, "I only want the one named Kenoyashi. It is only going to be a battle between me and her. You other people better stay away or you'll suffer immediate death first from my hands." Kurami replied, "Kenoyashi does not exist anymore. She has vanished from this world along with her power. But you can fight me and my friends together. If you're so strong, why don't you prove it?" Kamazu replied, "Liar! I know she's here. I don't know what kind of shit you're pulling but you had better give me an answer! Your friend Ryo told me about her!" Kurami laughed and said, "Ryo does not know about what happened to Kenoyashi yet. And why should he know? There's nothing left for Kenoyashi to fight for. You want a real fight, then you'll fight all of us at the same time!" Kamazu charged at all of them but quickly went for Jane first and stabbed her right in the heart. Jane gasped and coughed out blood as well as had blood spray from her wound. Kenshin saw this happen and then kicked Kamazu in the back. It barely affected him and he pushed Kenshin back a good distance. Lady Faith tried to grab him from behind but got a hard punch to her gut and was knocked out. Mysterya tried her elemental attacks but they were reflected back at her and she got very weak. Kurami got pissed off and said, "You're pretty good but good won't get you by me." Kurami flew down at light speed towards Kamazu and kicked him hard in the face. The blow cracked his helmet and it started to come off. He turned around to cover his face but was stabbed hard by a sword from Kurami. Kurami twisted the sword and violently took it out. It carried some human body parts with it. Kurami was shocked and transformed back into Misuki and cried a little. The mysterious warrior who had attacked her was just like her. The armor retracted from the stranger and revealed the badly wounded body of Kenny Kurama, her cousin. Misuki used her dark powers to heal him. She wondered why he was so strong against them but so weak against her. She thought it was because he knew her and that he didn't want to harm her. Some dark energy flowed out of him. It was the energy that brainwashed him.
A blast from the past
After Kenny was healed up, Misuki flipped the body over and looked at the face. Even after 20 years, Misuki was finally able to identify that it was her cousin because she had seen pictures of him all over Japan when he was a karate instructor. But she didn't have the ambition to take up karate because of the tuner world. She wondered if he had remembered her. Kenny slowly got up and opened his eyes and looked at Misuki. He weakly said, "Misuki...it's been...so...long..." Misuki held his hand and said, "Kenny, I know. I've been waiting for the moment when we'll meet again. I guess it wasn't as pleasant as I had planned it to be." Kenny smiled and then fainted. The others were slow to get up. Lady Faith used her last bit of strength to heal Jane and then transformed back into Melissa who then fainted also. Shin and Amanda were back to their human selves also but were okay. Misuki carried Kenny's body and Shin carried Melissa's body. They went to Melissa's house so that they could rest and then talk when they were re-energized. Misuki laid her cousin's body on the couch and sat next to it. She looked down at his unconscious body and had flashbacks of when they were kids. The flashback was when they last saw each other. Misuki and Kenny were rolling around on the hills and smelling the flowers. Kenny picked up a handful of flowers and gave them to Misuki. Misuki accepted the gift and smiled at Kenny who then laughed. But then a black limo came and three guys in tuxedos grabbed Kenny and took him away. Misuki cried when the limo drove off. The flashback ended there and Misuki was weeping on Kenny's face. That seemed to wake him up. Misuki smiled when she saw her cousin wake up. Kenny slowly got up and when he did, Misuki hugged him tightly. "Oh Kenny! I've missed you so much. I don't want to see you leave me again." Kenny replied, "I promise I won't leave you ever again. We'll make up for the time we've been separated. I'm sorry about our reunion but my dark powers seemed to have given in to those demonic bastards." But in the back of his mind, he snickered. Not all of the brainwashing was gone. That portion then started to build up again and Kenny would eventually backstab Misuki and her friends and tell the demons every single weakness they had.
Kenny becomes part of the team (until he backstabs them)
Melissa and the others were rejuvenated and they were ready to talk. Kenny nervously looked around the room and saw the faces of angry heroes. "Look you guys, I am really sorry that I tried to kill you. I was just looking for Misuki that's all. Ryo had told me she had the power of Kenoyashi and that's all I needed to know. Unfortunately, Misuki had her powers changed around a little without Ryo knowing." Misuki apologized to Kenny about that and added, "He will be part of the team now until we can defeat those demons. I know you probably still don't trust him but the more power we have, the better." They gave Kenny a glare for a few more seconds and then they slowly smiled. Melissa, who was bandaged from her stomach to her chest, put out her hand and Kenny shook it. Kenny made himself feel at home because sooner or later, his backstabbing will not be a secret no more. The brainwashing inside of him grew stronger little by little. But Kenny had control over it. Just then, Kenny and Melissa looked at each other and smiled but then they ended it quick. Melissa shook her head as well as Kenny did. This was no time to be passionate. The whole world was at stake and only the heroes had enough power to at least defend it for some time. But immediately, Shin had sensed something was suspicious about Kenny. He whispered to Misuki, "Your cousin easily trusts us. There's something wrong with this picture. I can feel a darker presence within him wating to escape." Misuki had felt this too. Although she did not want to admit it, she whispered back to Shin, "I know. Something tells me those demons have really found out how to harness the dark powers and control it. I'm surprised that you and I have not been affected." But despite their suspicions, they still wanted Kenny to at least lead them to the demons where his loyalty will be tested. Misuki looked at Kenny and said, "Alright Kenny. You're gonna be with us. Don't try anything stupid." She put out her hand. Everybody else slowly put their hands on top of each other and then Kenny put his hand in. He then said, "Don't worry. You can trust me. That's a promise." But Shin didn't think so. But he had to leave that aside until they meet up with the demons. They then morphed (except Jane who just prepared her fire bow and arrows) and went outside and looked up at the sky with determination.
More warriors? I thought 5 was enough
When they got outside, they decided it was best to keep a low profile so they de-morphed and Jane put her bow and arrows back. They walked to wherever they could sense those damn demons. Just then, a young girl who looked like Misuki except a little younger had approached them. The young girl asked, "Which one of you is Misuki Kuragawa?" Misuki replied, "I am. And who the hell are you?" The young girl was surprised and replied, "You mean you don't know your own sister? I'm Shimiko Kuragawa. Your twin sister, well sorta." Misuki then thought about it and then said, "Oh I'm sorry. How ya doin Shimi? I barely even recognized you. But I thought you had died from cancer." Shimiko replied, "Well I guess I have some immune system." That comment put more suspicions into Misuki's head. She then motioned that she wanted to talk in private. The others just went on to look for the demons while Misuki and Shimiko went into an alleyway.
As Misuki looked back and the coast was cleared, she turned to look at Shimiko and slammed her against the wall. "Alright bitch. What the hell kind of shit are you tryin to pull? Mother and father told me that I was an only child! I don't know who you really are and I probably wouldn't care." Her eyes then glowed red as she got really pissed off at Shimiko. Shimiko gulped and nervously replied, "Please...try to understand me...there's things...I need...to tell...you..." Misuki then calmed down when she had a flashback of when she and Shin had created a portal. Misuki let go of her and stepped back a few steps and said calmly, "Go ahead. Explain yourself as best you can. I will not try to force answers out of you but I won't hesitate to do it if it comes down to that." Shimiko gulped and took and very deep breath and started her story. "The reason why you did not know you had a twin sister is because I'm a clone of you. This explains why I look like you in some ways. But that's not all. I also inherited your old powers when I was given a gem by a spirit. I do not remember what his name was but he had said that I needed to join up with you." Misuki felt sorry already and said, "I'm very sorry about the way I acted a few minutes ago. I didn't know about this. But I think I remember taking a blood test back in Japan before I came here to the United States. How about you join up with us. That will be by form of repaying you for trying to kill you." Shimiko did some thinking and replied, "Well I do hold a grudge against the demons for trying to recruit me. Besides, you'll need the help later on because of these two ninjas who are a type known as shinobi. I too became a shinobi just like them but only to study their strengths and weaknesses. I'm that important." Misuki decided this was more than enough and just patted her on the shoulder. "Welcome to the team Shimiko. When we catch up with the others, I'll introduce them to you." Shimiko smiled and hugged Misuki. "Oh thank you big sister. I promise not to let you down." That quote sound too familiar but Misuki held that thought in.
With that said, Misuki and Shimiko headed out to meet with them. They hoped that everything was alright. They did not want to see dead bodies of the heroes that defended this city. Shimiko then asked about how the others were. Misuki replied, "Well they're pretty much like me personality wise. But when we meet up with them, I'l probably tell you more."
The horrible truth about Kenny
They then sensed the demons' presence in a parking garage. They went to the parking garage and walked around all the different floors until they went up to the ceiling and saw the demons standing there with their backs facing towards them. Kenny went behind them and started to laugh along with the demons. Shin pretty much knew this was going to happen. Kenny morphed and said, "You foolish heroes fell right into a trap! You actually believed that I was going to join you in destroying the demons?" Shin glared angrily at Kamazu and said, "You fuckin bastard...I hope you die horribly like these demons." Kamazu replied, "I think it should be me who says that. Prepare to feel the wrath of darkness!" The other heroes quickly morphed and then split up to take enemies. Jane, Melissa and Amanda went after the three demons while Shin took on Kenny.
Just as the battle started, Misuki had felt a good amount of energy that seemed to be a mixture of light and dark. She quietly said, "Damn it...Not now..." Shimiko had also felt this and had the same reaction. Before Misuki could tell Shimiko to hurry, she was already going there. Misuki had quickly caught up with her and they both transformed when they arrived at the parking garage. They quickly made their way up to the roof where all the action was taking place. They saw Shin going up against Kenny. Misuki looked at the battle between the two men and said quietly, "Damn it. I should have known this would happen." She then looked at Shimiko and they split up. Shimiko had a submission put on Kenny while Misuki quickly slashed through the three demons. Kamazu and the three demons came together and were about to flee until the sky turned dark and lightning striked. From that dramatic natural disaster, two dark ninjas appeared.
This would even the odds or possibly put the heroes at a disadvantage. Kamazu and the demons fled back to Hell anyways while the two shinobis were looking at the heroes and figuring out how they were going to fight them. One of them looked at Shiruki and said, "It's been a while since we last saw you Shimiko." Shiruki then replied, "Well I wouldn't be surprised if I had saw your ugly face one more time. Face it, I was able to keep my humanity while you and your sister look like petrified victims of a horror movie." The other replied, "You will pay for your comment weakling!" Shiruki replied, "Don't forget, I'm a Dark Shinobi like you except I fight for good. I'm just as strong and weak as you two but at least these other warriors can figure out how to defeat you when I get hurt." The two ninjas levitated in the air and started to chant a ritual. Shiruki was about to charge at them when someone grabbed her from behind. The person who grabbed her was Lady Faith. Lady Faith then asked, "Now, what's a dark shinobi like you trying to help us? What Kamazu did to us just minutes ago, I've learned my lesson. You better give me a good answer as to why I shouldn't burn you with a holy fire." Shiruki struggled to get herself free. "Let me go! I'm not like him! Please, trust me!" That only made Lady Faith tighten her grip on her. "Now give me a good reason why I should let you go. You have 1 minute to think up of something good to say if you want to live." Kurami went up behind Lady Faith and pinched the back of her neck. "Let her go now Melissa. She knows their weakness which can be beneficial to us. I won't hesitate to let this thing take over this time." From inside the armor, Melissa was squinting in pain and started to shed tears as Kurami seemed to put more and more pressure every second. Lady Faith then let go as so did Kurami. The two ninjas disappeared while Shiruki was held back. Lady Faith then glared at Shiruki and asked, "Who the hell are you?" Kurami said, "Everybody power down..." They all powered down and Melissa realized that it was the girl they Misuki had talked to in private.
Melissa went up to Shimiko and apologized to her. Shimiko looked at Melissa and smiled and said, "I know why you tried to hurt me. I just happened to join up with you unexpectedly. So forget the whole thing and be glad I'm not on their side." Shin looked and Shimiko and thought, "She sure looks pretty. I wonder why Misuki never mentioned that she had a sister?" Misuki then rounded up the rest of the team into a row and started to introduce them to Shimiko. Misuki started to point from Melissa and went all the way to Shin. "Now you already may have been acquainted with Melissa. The younger girl standing next to her is her younger sister Amanda. The other young girl next to her is Jane. And pretty much the only guy in this group is Shin." Shimiko took an interest in Shin and approached him. Shin kinda blushed when he saw her that close. "Umm...hi there..." Shimiko laughed a little and said, "I understand how you feel. You must be a lonely guy. I can sense it from within your heart. Your parents dying, you almost siding with demons. It's pretty depressing if you ask me." Misuki then said, "Let's continue our greetings and other talk back at the house."
Back at the house – Their stories
All of them took a seat on the comfy couches that Melissa bought from China. Shimiko almost wanted to fall asleep on it but decided to stay up and tell her story and listen to theirs. They were pretty anxious to hear Shimiko's story so Shimiko started to tell hers. "Well it pretty much started when Misuki and Kenny were separated. Misuki's parents decided they didn't want Misuki to be a lonely child so they wanted to have another child but they didn't want Misuki to find out how it was going to be done. Since Misuki's mother was a world renown scientist in genetics, she took her eggs and father's sperm and mixed it together. With the computers genetically altering the DNA, they were able to create a "super soldier". But mother wanted to have someone normal for a change so she pretty much added the stereotype of "sugar, spice and everything nice". What they got as a result was me. But I was kept in the lab all this time until the demon that posed as father freed me from that chamber and wanted me in the demon army. Although I was just an experimental lab rat, I knew better than to side with evil. Although I did not want to, I used the super strength given to me and threw him out into the ocean. It was then that some sort of shadow started to follow me out of the building. I had seen this shadow before while I was in the chamber. I thought it was another attempt by the demons to recruit me. I ran as far as I could but that shadow seem to follow me everywhere I go. I then ran to the harbor and jumped in the ocean, but that shadow followed me in there too. I was a pretty good swimmer and I had thought that I'd lose that shadow for good but swam in the water with supersonic speed. Since the water made me feel numb, I didn't feel the shadow jump into my body. When I came out of the water, I was pretty exhausted but then I had a strange feeling inside me. It wasn't an emotional feeling. When I finally settled down and dried, I got up and started walking. Just then, that's when the pain started. It was unbearable. It felt like somebody had stabbed me 15 times with different blades. I then started to see something purple covering my body. It was covering me so fast that I barely had time to scream for help. But as it was covering me, I felt a great adrenaline rush. It now felt like that I had a subconscious inside of me that communicated with me. The shadow turned otu to be Misuki's old power that she had abandoned after they met Jane."
Everybody thought long and hard about the story and had realized that Shimiko gaining great power was thanks to Misuki giving it up. But Misuki knew she had to give it up because it would gain more power by controlling her. "Shimiko, the only reason why I gave that power up was that it wanted to see more and more bloodshed. That adrenaline rush is only controllable for so long. I wouldn't be surprised if you will get into that phase of your powers." Shimiko thought about this and shivered. "I hope that won't happen." Misuki smiled and said, "If you have a strong peaceful will, then you'll have ultimate control. But since I abandoned it, it might be a little weak and may not have no control over you."
They then quieted down and listened to Misuki's story although everybody except Shimiko knew about it. "Well here it goes. Well my story of being a hero started when I was just having fun driving against Melissa and a couple others. Well while I was racing, I saw some smoke in the air. But it was a tough decision to either win or see what's going on. I'd figured someone's life was more important than money so I decided to duck out and check it out. It turns out that it was my house that was on fire. My mother died in the fire while my impostor father escaped. But when the fire department found a letter for me, that''s when I went to the park to see what he wanted me to find. It was a gem that did contain my old powers. I felt pretty much the same way you did Shimiko but I vowed to do my best to use these powers for good."
Shimiko somewhat cried when she heard the story but then snapped out of it and waited for the next person to tell their story. Melissa decided to go next. "Well my story doesn't really involve loved ones dying. The way I got my powers was when that damn demon Diablo tried to kill Misuki. We went to a church to pay our respects to Misuki's dead mother. The priest turned out to be Diablo in disguise and tried to kill Misuki for not joining with them. When that beam left the hand of Diablo, I had just enough reaction time to jump in front. You may think I was crazy but I just wanted to protect my friends. I was trained by the great warrior Ryukenshin and given my powers after I was done. It was a good reunion when me and Misuki met up in our armors. From that point on, I vowed to protect the innocent any way possible."
Shimiko also got a little emotional at Melissa's story but then waited patiently for the next person to speak. Amanda took her turn at telling the story. "Well my story isn't really that much but I'll say it anyways. Basically I got my powers when I defended Ryukenshin from those demons. I nearly died from that powerful attack the third demon launched. Ryukenshin sacrificed himself to keep me alive and thus I have the power of every force of nature. Before Shimiko could say anything, Shin said, "I'll start my storyu now if you people care." Shimiko looked at Shin with a bit of anger. "Of course we care dumbass! Now tell your fuckin story!" Shin got a little intimidated but told his story anyways. "Well those demon brothers killed my parents a few years ago when I was still a young teenager. I was fuckin pissed off that my parents died like that. They were only in their late 30's and had a good life going. My mother and father were karate masters and trained me to fight. So I wanted revenge so badly that I had lost my sense of alignment. I actually believed those damn demons when they said that Misuki killed my parents. I seriously regret believing that kind of shit from people like them. But those demons gave me great dark powers that I could control. But they wanted me on their side. Now Kenny is my replacement. I can't believe I have the same name as that bastard!"
Shimiko said, "That was an interesting story Shin or should I say Kenny. I hope that you will be able to show them how badass you really are." Shin replied, "Don't call me Kenny. That name makes me sound like a pussy. As for proving my toughness, hell yeah I will show those bastards!" Jane then said, "Look Shin, enough with it. Let me tell my story." Shin calmed down and listened to Jane as she started her story. "Well I'm pretty much the only one without these cool powers but I do have the element of fire which is found on my bow and arrows. Well I only joined this team because I thought I could gain some money to help my father out. You see, my mother was raped right in front of my eyes when I was a little girl. I vowed to avenge my mother somehow, someway. I think the men that raped my mom were working for the demons or actually demons themselves. Although I'm not that strong, I can sure provide some backup." Shimiko put her hand on Jane's shoulder and said, "I think you're pretty strong. Although you don't have cool armor like the rest of us, you can still be that one that can help the whole team. It doesn't matter if you're just a normal human." Jane smiled back at Shimiko. Shin grabbed the remote control and turned on the 50" plasma screen tv and it showed the news.
The reporter was reporting from the military base. "We're here at the military base here in the wonderful San Francisco where we are about to interview one of our finest soldiers. Although he is quite young, he is very valuable to our country." Just then, the camera moved and it focused on Sean Kumar. The reporter was escorted into a building so that she could finish the interview sitting down. "Now Sean...err...Mr. Kumar, do you know who these mysterious heroes are? And do you think they could help you in your military job?" Sean sat there thinking for a minute and then replied, "Look lady, I don't want to give out too much information about them. I'm sure they would like to keep it secret and I will fully respect that. All you reporters think about is the "front page" story. This is a military base, not Oprah. I've only just met them. I haven't asked them that many questions. We military personnel do not like to invade privacies from people like them. If they want to be secretive in their identities, let them. I don't even know why you're interviewing me." With that said, Sean turned around and started barking orders at the other soldiers. The reporter felt sad because she didn't get what she wanted. Just then, Kamazu came in from the sky, swooped down and grabbed the reporter. He then looked in the camera and said, "This is a message from the demon brothers themselves. If you don't want to see anymore innocent people to die, you'd better come down to Hell and take us on!" He then slashed the reporter's throat.
Shin's crazy plan
Shin turned the tv off and slammed the remote control onto the table. "Shit! What the fuck are they trying to prove! I will tear them apart and leave no evidence of it!" Misuki then grabbed Shin's hand and said, "Calm down Shin. You don't want your power to overtake you again. Refrain yourself!" Shin then gave Misuki the evil red eyes look and said, "Don't try and make me resist! I will make them burn in their realm and I'm going in right now!" Before they could stop him, Shin had already teleported himself down to Hell. Misuki slammed a fist on the table. "Shit! He's crazier than I would ever be. Shin will definitely die by the demons' hands. If only I had the guts to hold him back more and endure whatever pain he might cause to me." Melissa said, "Misuki, maybe it's Shin's destiny to at least weaken the demons for us. After all, if he does die, then he'll be with his parents." Misuki then pinned Melissa to the wall. "You don't get it do you! Shin was a good friend and you're gonna let him die! What the hell kind of good Samaritian are you!" Misuki then started to undergo an evil change. Melissa got scared for the first time since she got the crap knocked out of her when she defended Misuki from that beam. "Misuki...please...don't..." Misuki then smiled and replied, "And why wouldn't I hurt you? After all, you were always the sexy bitch. The reason why you won so many races was that you had people make you one-of-a-kind aftermarket parts. You weren't as educated as I was so don't even try to get me to listen to what you have to say!" Misuki then gave Melissa a hard punch to the gut and Melissa started to cough out some blood. Amanda then ran up behind Misuki to try and grab her and pull her away from her sister but suffered a punch to the gut as well. This blow knocked Amanda down to the floor and made her quite unconscious. Shimiko then went down to tend to the unconscious Amanda. "How could you Misuki? They're your friends and yet you now start to treat them like shit? What have you become?"
Misuki then looked back and and started to laugh sadistically at Shimiko and said, "Little girl, you do not know the extent of my power. I have power that's beyond your beliefs! You want to know what it feels like to be struck by Diablo? Go ahead and test me!" Shimiko froze when Misuki had said this. She then thought to herself, "My own sister...willing to kill me for something so trivial. Her dark powers are making her say things that she probably wouldn't say. I must help her calm down." Shimiko slowly got up and walked towards Misuki who was getting more evil every second. Misuki was surprised and waited to see what Shimiko was going to do. Shimiko slowly but nervously put a hand on Misuki's shoulder and said, "Please Misuki. Your friends do not deserve this punishment. Understand that they don't think like you. Even though I'm your artificial sister, I still do not think like you." Misuki chuckled and said, "Well you're right little girl. We all think different but that's the problem with people these days. We're never on the "same page" which then causes confusion which then ends up in fights like these. But don't think I'll calm down Shimiko. I do not have a soft heart especially when my life has been ruined by a bunch of demons!" Misuki then transformed and stared down Shimiko. Shimiko actually stared back into Kurami's eyes and said, "I'm not afraid of you. No matter what you look like, deep down inside you're still my sister and nothing will ever change that. I don't care if you slice my throat apart right now. If you're so evil, then prove it. Free shot at my chest right here right now." Seeing Shimiko dare her to actually do something that could damn well kill the young girl made her realize what she had become. Misuki ran up to the room and morphed back into her regular self, sat on the bed, put her hands over her head and started to cry. Shimiko did not want to see Misuki feel sad for what she was doing so she went up there to try and comfort her sister. Misuki sadly said, "Please Shimi. Stay away from me. I don't feel like myself today. I almost killed a family member. I don't want to be like my impostor father. If you want to live, just leave me and go as far away from me as you can before I hunt you down." Shimiko just stood there and said, "No. You're my sister and it's my job to ensure that you're feeling good everyday. I don't care if it takes you killing me to be happy, I just want to know that you feel good."
Misuki looked up at shock but before she could probably have thanked Shimiko for caring for her this much, her powers instantly took over. Her armor had morphed around her but she tried to resist. Since this dark power was more powerful than her old one, it didn't take "no" for an answer. They both went downstairs to continue their talk. Kurami had took over the once peaceful but determined Misuki. "Foolish human! Do you have any idea what you wished for? I wouldn't be this brave around me. Misuki cannot control me now because she barely resisted her old powers. I should kill you right now!" Kurami charged at Shimiko but Shimiko did not put up any resistance. As Kurami swung her sword at the defenseless human, she felt her attack go off to the side. When she missed, she fell down to the ground and clenched her wrists, causing her to drop her weapon. "No! This can't be happening! I must not let that human try and take control! I've gone too far to get what I really want most." Shimiko asked, "And what is it you want most Kurami?" Kurami laughed and replied, "Well it looks like Misuki hid every hint of my real plan. Let's just say Kenny will be replaced by someone better..." Melissa slowly woke up but still in pain. "Misuki...don't..." Kurami turned around to face Melissa and said, "Misuki doesn't exist anymore. That girl couldn't control her emotions thus releasing the true extent of my power which she cannot control well enough."
Misuki...dead?
Shimiko morphed and asked Kurami again, "What the hell do you want? Why does she have to be taken over by some dark power? Where does she fit into your plan?" Kurami then replied, "Misuki is my host. We dark powers are only ethereal spirits. She chose to try and harness these powers into her body. Dark powers aren't meant for helping innocent people. They're used for destruction. We feed off of bad "vibes" from the scared humans. We make their lives a living hell." Melissa then regained enough to at least talk smoothly. "Why must you do this to Misuki? She only harnessed the dark powers to use against the demons because they killed her parents. You can't do this to her!" Kurami glowed in anger and replied, "Shut the hell up bitch! There can only be one power of this kind around and I plan to keep it that way! You should feel lucky that I'm going to give you "heroes" a chance because my first target is indeed the demons but I won't do it for Misuki's sake. After that, your powers are next!" Before anything else could be said, Kurami had taken off to take people's souls for power. Shimiko would have liked to chase after her but the thought of leaving Melissa and Amanda together alone would only make them an easy target for the demons. Just then, Ryukenshin and Ryo came down. Ryukenshin put a hand on Shiruki and said, "Worry not young one, go after Kurami and destroy her. There is no hope left for Misuki to fight her own darkness now. You must end Misuki's life at this time and day. Ryo and I will heal these two and bring them back to their good strong selves." Jane then approached Shiruki and said, "I will go with you. Although I'd hate to end a life, if it must be done, then you'll need my "fire"power." Shiruki had smiled from beneath her armor but it wasn't a smile saying she was happy. It was a smile that would soon turn to tears if Misuki would die. Ryukenshin and Ryo shooed off Jane and Shiruki and the two girls left.
Kurami puts her plan into action (A bad ending?)
But they were much too late. The time they spent chatting with each other at the house, Kurami had launched a nuclear bomb-type attack which had slaughtered all human life. Kurami had grown a lot more powerful from stealing all of the innocent souls. Just as Kurami was going to enjoy her fun, she had saw Shiruki and Jane so she fled off down to hell where the demons, Kenny, Shin and those two ninjas were her next targets. "Damn it! How can she suck so many peoples' souls so fast? Then we must be extra careful then." Shiruki looked down at some of the decaying bodies of innocent people when she said this. Jane froze in fear at the sight of all the zombie-like bodies lying on the ground. Just as both of them were going to give up hope just like that, Lady Faith and Mysterya had met up with them. Lady Faith approached Shiruki and said, "Hey, don't feel down in the dumps. We still have some time to defeat Shiruki and give these people back their lives. I know it may be hard for you to understand but we must believe we can do it. Even if everybody else except you dies, don't give up hope." Shiruki took some time to think about it and surrounded herself in a dark aura. "Let's go kick some evil ass." Melissa smiled from within her armor. But then she had realized that Jane was a human and her fire powers might not be enough to endure the time they would spend in Hell fighting Kurami. Lady Faith went over to Jane and asked her, "Jane, looks like we're gonna go down to Hell to finish this once and for all. Your help would be nice but I don't know if you can endure the powers of Hell. Are your fire powers enough for Hell?" Jane smiled and then glowed in a flaming aura and her eyes glowed orange. "Does this answer your question?" Lady Faith could feel the heat Jane was emitting. "Jane, let's go down to hell and save a friend!" Lady Faith stood straight and still with her arms crossed over her chest. She then chanted something in the ancient Zakarum language and she drifted down to Hell. Mysterya chanted a dark spell and did the same. Shiruki held on the Jane and then also drifted down but without the aid of any chants.
The Final Battle
When they arrived in Hell, they were greeted by a bunch of weak demons that attacked them with weak attacks. Lady Faith shot a big exorcising shockwave that vanquished the demons. "The Power of Tyr shall compell them." They continued to walk on as they looked around the cursed place. They saw dried human bodies hung up on a string with a look on their petrified faces. Jane almost wanted to hurl but resisted. "How could they have done this? What did we humans do to piss them off?" Shiruki replied, "Well there's only room for one species and the demons think it should be theirs. After Misuki is done with them, she'll come after us and if she does kill us, she'll have this whole world to her own use. We must get Misuki back. Even if it means we have to drain her dark powers." They all pretty much shut up when that was said. The continued to think about all the poor souls being tormented in this place. After a good long walk on the earth-like bridges, they saw someone sitting on some decorated throne from the distance. They rushed towards there and found that it was Misuki's human but unconscious body. But something didn't feel right. If the spirit had left Misuki's body, then Misuki would have been a rotten pile of bones by now. Shiruki wanted to go and try to wake Misuki up but the others knew better and held her back. Lady Faith said, "This looks too easy. She wants us to wake her up. That way she can strike a good quick attack and drain our powers. We need a good plan." As they stood there and talked out some details with each other, Misuki started to wake up. At first, it didn't look like she was possessed but when she tried to call for help, that's when the spirit took control. Kurami instantly jumped from the throne and right in front of the group. "Miss me? Well I knew you 4 would know it was a trick so I got bored of trying." She grabbed Jane and flew up. "You better watch how you attack me because little Jane here will instantly die from any of your attacks." The three demon slayers growled but still charged up some magic ball attacks. As they launched those attacks, Kurami stood there and waited and waited until just as they were about to hit her, she used Jane as a shield. Jane screamed in pain as the energy balls hit her but her element of fire had given her some protection so as she won't die instantly. Kurami dropped the injured Jane and laughed at her opponents. "Looks like you don't have good marksmanship. I can't believe you didn't take my word. What the hell were you three thinking?" Jane was in very bad shape. She had burn marks on her arms, hand, legs, and just about everywhere else below the head. She was coughing out blood as well as little sparks of flame. Kurami looked at Jane for a few seconds but then nodded her head "no". "I was planning on taking Jane's power right now but I'll respect that she's too weak and go after you three. Besides, I want to finish this battle in a place without this many lights." Before another word was said, Kurami chanted a spell that turned the bright flaming red Hell into a pitch black Shadow Realm created by the shadows of tormented people.
Although Shiruki, Mysterya and Lady Faith could fair well in the Shadow Realm, Jane was another story. Her fire powers were only good enough to endure Hell. Her weak body was instantly covered by the shadows and after the shadows sapped all of her powers, Jane was nothing more than a mere pile of bones. Her fire powers were transferred into Kurami. "Oops. Looks like the shadows were pretty hungry. Oh well. It won't be long until I get your three powers!" Shiruki had looked at the pile of bones and started to paint a picture of the young girl whom had gone this far to try and get revenge for her mother but then fall to an unfamiliar foe. Shiruki then looked at Kurami and asked, "So where are the other enemies? Did you steal their powers already?" Kurami didn't answer but summoned the unconscious bodies of Kenny ans Shin which look very beat up. Shiruki could not believe the sight. Kurami then looked at Shiruki and said, "You're next!" She then charged at her but then something had stopped her from attacking. Something or someone was holding Kurami back. Kurami growled as she attempted to attack Shiruki again. Same result happened but now Kurami started to feel pain as Misuki tried to gain control again. "Foolish girl! I'm in control now!" Kurami clenched her aching arm as she said this. But Misuki slowly started to gain control and replied, "This is my power now! You don't control me! I control you!" Misuki then increased her efforts in controlling the dark spirit which actually started to work. Shiruki then morphed herself back to her human form to help Misuki get a morale boost. "Come on Misuki! You can do it! Fight the the darkness!" Kurami then started to lose control and she fell to her knees and clenched her stomach. As Misuki started to get full control, her powers would flash on and off showing her armored form one second and then her human form another. But Misuki's control started to slip as the spirit put more power. Shimiko gulped, approached the struggling Misuki, knelt down and put her hand on her shoulder. "Misuki, don't give up. I'm here for you. Just close your eyes and relax. Think about the good times we and you can share. All of your friends are rooting for you no matter where they are. Dead or alive, they still care for you. That's what separates you from the parasitic spirit that feeds off of you." From inside, Misuki started to imagine all of the good times she had with the others but then she also saw visions of death from the shadows. Misuki did not want that to happen so she screamed at the top of her lungs, "You will not prevail spirit! I have friends who care about me! You are nothing! You don't have friends! You're just a piece of shit to me! Now let me go!" She yelled painfully and the armored finally retracted into her body. Misuki then stopped yelling but was very weak and could barely sit up. As she started to fall on the ground, Shimiko quickly grabbed her, lifted her up and set her down on the side of the throne. "It's ok Misuki. You've finally overcame the evil which nearly corrupted you entirely. You deserve a good rest." Misuki started to say weakly, "What...about...Me..." "Melissa and the others will be fine. All we have to do is revive them using a simple spell. Just rest for now. You've been through enough." Shimiko smiled as she said this. Misuki smiled back and then fainted.
Ryo and Ryukenshin appeared as the shadows from the Shadow Realm started to disappear, revealing the rejuvenated city of San Francisco. Ryo looked down at Misuki and cried a little bit. "Misuki did not deserve this power. She had a good life until those bastards killed her parents. Damn those demons! Damn to Hell!" Ryukenshin said to Ryo, "Watch what you say Ryo. You might end up in Hell yourself." Shimiko asked Ryukenshin, "What about all the dead people? Can they be revived?" Ryukenshin replied, "Yes they will be revived. Ryo!" Ryo replied, "Don't worry Master, I know." Ryukenshin and Ryo stood next to each other and started to chant something. As they chanted, a white aura started to surround them both and then a bright light from the sky covered the city for a minute then went away as the ritual was finished. A few minutes later, all of the bones turned back into the bodies of the dead people who suffered at the hands of Kurami. But not all were revived. The 3 demon brothers, the 2 Shinobis and Kenny were not revived. Melissa, Amanda, Shin and Jane all slowly awoke confused. Misuki was still unconscious from the control struggle but her spirit was also very weak and couldn't do anything. Ryo and Ryukenshin disappeared as Melissa, Amanda, Shin and Jane walked over to where Shimiko was. Amanda looked down at Misuki's unconscious body and started to cry. Melissa then hugged her sister tightly to try and comfort her. "Amanda, don't worry. She'll be fine. She's just too weak from that spirit. Give her some time to rest." Shin looked at Misuki's body and said, "Let's go home. Misuki needs a lot of rest and we shouldn't bother her." Shin slowly lifted Misuki's body up on his shoulders and waited for Melissa to lead the way. Melissa felt too lazy and tired to walk so she said, "Someone just use teleport." They decided to teleport themselves and in an instant they appeared in Melissa's house.
The battle is over...
As they sat down and relaxed, they thought about the victories and losses suffered in these few years alone. They almost suffered more losses if it weren't for Shimiko. Misuki's body sat on the sofa where is was probably the most comfortable place besides the bed. Misuki then started to wake up. Her eyes slowly started to blink and open. Shimiko saw Misuki slowly wake up and went over and hugged her tightly. This of course brought a good deal of pain to Misuki as she yelled, "Shit! That hurts Shimi!" Shimiko let go and apologized to Misuki. Misuki then smiled at Shimiko and said, "That's ok sister. I've been through some stress that I probably would never experience again. I thank you all for giving me support when I needed it most. Without you guys, I'd be stuck being evil and alone for the rest of my life." The others smiled at Misuki as they thanked her for such a compliment. They were going to turn the TV on but they figured the news crew are more confused than they are. They then just decided to talk about their wonderful adventures saving the world and getting revenge upon the demons for killing loved ones.
A few more years later...(preview to Part 4)
As a preview to Part 4, this little piece of information might change when I write it.
Some interesting things have happened to our faithful heroes within this time advance. Young Jane went back to her father with lifetime financial support from Sean's military. Shin and Shimiko went back to Japan and married. They have told the others that they have not planned to start a family just yet. Ryo was given a second chance at living life as a human so he decided to spend it marrying Amanda. Same thing happened with Ryukenshin. Ryukenshin and Melissa happily married a month after Ryo and Amanda did. But whatever happened to Misuki? Did she marry? She decided that she could live independently and decided that with her powers still itching for a battle once in a while, she doesn't want to risk killing a loved one. Instead, she opened up her own dojo which was as big as a commercial building where she would train students in the martial art Mugen Tenshin Ninjitsu. She also had an underground training arena where her, Shin, Melissa and Amanda can train in their fighting. It could also be used for Ryo and Ryukenshin to practice their light magic so that it could be more effective. Our good heroes have gotten so famous that there are pictures of them in the billboards and they're making television shows based on their heroic deeds.
And now we end Part 3 of the Dark Maiden series. Stay tuned for part 4. I hope you will enjoy reading this while you await probably the final part of the Dark Maiden story. I appreciate all of you who have taken some time to read my fan fiction.