Far Gone

See disclaimer in the Prologue

On the way down

I saw you and you saved me from myself

I won't forget the way you loved me

On the way down I almost fell right through

But I held on to you

"On the Way Down"

Feeling the light beat against the lids of his eyes, Kumo let out a muted moan and opened them slightly, peering out from behind his long thick lashes. Realizing what the light meant, he slowly sat up and rubbed sleep out of his face. Looking around and wincing at the damage from the previous night, he reached over and shook Kaze's shoulder. "Wake up."

The sleepy gunner obliged, staring at his companion blearily through the thick brown curtain of his hair. "What time is it?"

Kumo shrugged, gesturing to the window. "Midmorning, maybe. We seem to have surfaced."

Kaze used his Magun to lever himself up, then peeked at the floor. "It looks like a tornado hit this place. Did we really do that?"

A touch of pink flew to Kumo's cheeks, but he nodded. Their clothes and the bedclothes were still strewn haphazardly across the room, covering the floor almost completely.

"Um... Kaze?" The gunner turned, realizing that the touch of pink had spread to a rosy flame across Kumo's whole face. "Thanks for not getting angry when I freaked out."

"I would have freaked out too, if I had your abuse record. I'm surprised you even let me keep going." Kaze sighed, shifted, and shook his head. "When they said that the first time hurts like hell, they weren't kidding. I couldn't believe how painful that was."

Kumo leaned back against Kaze's firm chest, closing his eyes. "Only in the beginning. And compared to what... what I've felt before, that didn't hurt much at all." He paused, then spoke again. "Kaze... that was your first time?"

The brunet averted his eyes, embarrassed. "Yeah. That's pretty pathetic for my age, but it's true."

"No, no, it's... it's kind of romantic." Kumo smiled wryly. "That's what I had planned to do... before, anyway. Save myself until just after the life-bonding was complete. It's alright with me. Besides... last night was my first real time."

"You acted like it." Kaze bent down and kissed the top of the green-eyed swordsman's head. "So afraid... my little virgin."

"Not anymore." There was a note of amusement in Kumo's voice. Pushing himself up, the young man stretched. "Uggh. I need a shower." As if sensing Kaze's reaction, he quickly added, "ALONE. I need to get clean... I'm still all sticky, and so are you."

"What if I want to come too?" Kaze teased.

Kumo laughed. "Then you'll have to either use your own showerhead or wait your turn."

"Or else what?"

The white-haired swordsman tapped the tip of Kaze's prominent Western nose and smiled impishly. "Or else I'll tickle you."

The corner of the gunner's mouth twitched. "Won't work. I'm not ticklish." His cerulean eyes sparkled wickedly. "But I think you are."

Before Kumo could react, Kaze shoulder-tackled him over and pinned him against the mattress, mercilessly brushing the fingers of his left hand across his little swordsman's flat belly. Kumo squealed, then tried to fidget away, caught in a helpless spasm of laughter. But no matter what he tried, Kaze had him trapped and wasn't letting go, something that suspiciously resembled a smile curving the left corner of his mouth. "Stop it!" he managed to choke out at last, tears on his cheeks. "Kaze, seriously, stop, I can't breathe!"

Reluctantly, Kaze removed the hand. Kumo lay flat on his back and waited for his fit of giggles to subside, gasping for breath. "Oh, God, I can't even remember the last time I laughed that hard!"

Once his love was back under control, Kaze leaned down and gently kissed Kumo's lower belly. The swordsman's only reaction was a happy sigh, so the gunner decided he could be a little bolder. His soft kisses moved in a gentle line across Kumo's skin, crawling slowly up to his navel. As he licked its rim, Kumo whimpered; as he licked harder, mimicking a thrusting motion, Kumo arched his back and moaned. Like the rest of him, it tasted sky-sweet even under the thin film of last night's sweat. Kaze loved that taste.

Kumo poked Kaze in the hip with a toe, his words coming in another husky moan. "Don't."

Kaze froze. "Don't what?"

"Don't stop." Kaze smirked and continued his line of conquest, his kisses becoming increasingly rough and leaving faint marks on Kumo's light skin. When he pulled back to let out a slow breath against the swordsman's belly, he was pleased to note a hitch in Kumo's breathing as his abdomen prickled into gooseflesh. As he went back down, Kumo pulled him up, kissed him hard, and lay back against the bed. They loved each other, gasping and moaning, until the mattress rattled and shook.

After they climaxed, they chose not to part, but sat up, still tied together, Kumo in Kaze's lap with both legs wrapped tightly around the brunet's solid waist. Kaze held him there with his left arm tight around the thin shoulders. They rocked slightly, exchanging tender looks and gentle kisses.

"Kaze," Kumo whispered after about half a minute. "We don't have much chance of evading Chaos in the long run. I was prepared to face my fate before, but now... I can no longer accept my death. Not when I've just learned what it is to live." A single tear slipped down his face.

"Hush." Leaning forward, Kaze softly kissed his cheek. "Don't speak like that."

"I don't want to die," Kumo said in a quavering voice, eyes filled with further tears. "I want to live. With you."

Kaze held him tightly, kissed the nape of his neck, and released him, parting from him. "Go clean yourself up, love. Get dressed. Have a cry. I promise, I will never let anything like that happen to you."

---

Lisa could tell from the moment they walked into the mess hall together. It was written all over their faces, not to mention implied by the sexual undertones in their physical closeness. And the way they smiled at each other, and the kisses they exchanged--on the lips, when before they'd always aimed for each other's cheeks--and Kumo's hair, wet from the shower, and Kaze's face, which he'd washed in the bathrooms. At least they'd had the decency to clean up after themselves, but in a place like this... Lisa knew she'd have to avoid Kaze's room and the infirmary, for fear of catching the heavy scent of sex that would surely linger there. They'd finally made love.

"Excuse me," she said softly, standing up without even pushing back her tray, ignoring the strange looks and protests that Ai and Yu gave her. She walked quickly out of the room, sat down in the hall, buried her face in her arms, and sobbed.

"Lisa?" It was Kumo's voice. Lisa tried to quiet down, even to look up, but she couldn't. "Lisa, what's..." The voice trailed off. "Oh, God. I am such an idiot." The black-haired woman managed to peek up, realizing that Kumo had gone pale, his face stricken with grief. "You... you love him, too..." He leaned against the wall and covered his mouth with one hand. "I should never have... I should've realized..."

"Don't mind me," Lisa told him. "I'm just being selfish."

"You're being selfish," Kumo repeated, sighing.

"I am." She sniffed, feeling foolish, and wiped off her face, smiling ruefully. "You need him much more than I do."

"But you never even got the opportunity to say it," Kumo protested. "You deserved to have a chance just as much as I did."

"I did. I wasted it being a coward and not saying anything to him for fear of being rejected. Then you came along and now he's smitten with you. And after what you've been through... I couldn't horn in for the world."

"But still." Kumo shook his head, still looking sad. "You're miserable now because of my choice."

"It takes two to tango."

"What?"

Lisa sighed. "Evidently it was Kaze's choice too, unless you raped him, which I find extremely unlikely." Kumo blushed. "I think you're just looking for an excuse to feel guilty about it."

"No... I..."

"Besides, once I get over being a selfish bitch, I can still be his friend."

Kumo shut up and stared at the floor, suddenly seeming very interested in the wood paneling.

"And, you know, I am going to be happy for you even if it kills me."

"You don't have to..." Kumo began.

"But I want to," Lisa reasoned, sniffing and wiping her face again. "I don't want to be the bad guy here. And I don't want you to feel guilty or miserable or anything like that."

Kumo gave in, smiling wryly. "Well, there's always Knave."

Lisa shuddered, although she smiled back. "He's way too old for me."

"Cid," Kumo supplied.

Lisa shook her head ruefully. "Miles."

"Ummm... any of the other guys around here."

"No thanks. I think I'll wait for someone who's more my type." Both of them laughed. "Go on, get. You haven't eaten anything, and you're probably hungry." Kumo opened his mouth to protest that he wasn't, but his stomach did the talking for him, and he shut up, blushing again. "I'll be fine. Go." Obediently, Kumo went, giving her one last look over his shoulder.

"He's such a nice boy," Lisa commented once he was out of earshot. "Maybe... just maybe... things will work out better for Kaze that way."

---

The day passed slowly.

Cid kept the submarine at nearly surface level; high enough that the sunlight against the water's surface cast rippling patterns all over the ship and the rooms. Because the water they were passing through had a high concentration of Elenium, the chemical that allowed the ship to run, he was crawling along at a snail's pace and even considering breaking out the oars just in case.

Ai, Yu, and Lisa were hanging out in the main chamber, with Kaze sitting against the glass panel wall. Chobi was over by the radar controls, pestering Miles and Fungo. Knave was up at the cockpit, talking to Cid, and the troops ranged over the craft's interior restlessly.

Kumo had retreated into Kaze's room. He'd just finished moving his small collection of personal items from the infirmary; he'd paused when finished to stare out the window at the rippled patterns of light that played against the glass, and subsequently against his face.

For better or for worse, he'd gone too far to ever turn back now. He had almost recklessly entered a life-bond with Kaze, killed three people, thrown in his lot with the Comodeen, and was running for his life from the horrors of Chaos and his own past.

"Kukuriyu!"

Kumo flinched, then looked over his shoulder. Crux, who'd been wandering along the length of the submarine, had finally found him. She landed at his side, folded away her wings, and proceeded to scold him for "ditching" her.

"Sorry about that." He shook his head and picked her up. "You startled me. ...A lot has happened, and I was thinking. This is going to sound pretty stupid, but I forgot all about it."

"Kuu..."

"I know you think I'm hopeless. And, you know, up to a point, you're right."

She looked up at him with an unspoken question in her golden eyes.

Kumo sighed and shook his head, letting his soft hair spill across his forehead. "Hopeless. Without any hope... any hope at all." He flopped down against the freshly made bed, looking into her little face. "These poor people don't have any idea of what I've dragged them into just by joining them. I don't think Chaos and Oscha will stop at anything to get me back, and they want to kill Kaze... and probably you now, as well, seeing as you've betrayed them to stay with me. They've only seen shadows of the things that could be if they're caught between a rock and those two, and they still believe that they can get away. But I know. We'll spend the rest of our lives running. If we're caught, we'll be killed. It's not a question of 'if' we'll be caught, either... more like a question of 'when'." He sighed again. "I don't want to get these people into that kind of situation, but what can I do about it now...? And... there's a wild element involved, too." He paused, then smiled sadly. "I'm telling you this because I know you're one of the three closest friends I've had in all my life." She smiled back and continued to watch him, listening attentively. "I'm in love." Her eyes widened, then she looked down at her hands. "And... if not for this, I'd be the happiest person in the world. If we go down, my love will go down too, and I... I can't stand to let that happen to him. Yet..." He sighed, and in his eyes, she could see the look of a newly caged creature, or perhaps one that had finally grown unable to bear its cage any longer.

Kumo got up, letting her stay on the bed, and paced. "I'm trapped here, Crux. Trapped between something I want to avert, want to avert with all my soul, and the knowledge that I cannot avert it. No hope. There's been no hope for so long, the word sounds strange to me. The only thing I can imagine doing is... giving myself up. Violating my soulsworn bond. As ridiculous as it may be... to save my beloved."

"Kuuu," she protested, standing up and shaking her fists in front of her chest.

"I know," he said softly. "I'm afraid to do it, but... I can't let my friends die like this."

She threw her arms as far around him as she could, hugging him with all the strength in her body, and tried to keep her heart from breaking as his tears fell silently into her hair.

---

Aside from the shouting that originated in the galley, the submarine was quiet.

The concentration of Elenium had finally gotten so high that Cid was forced to shut off the submarine's engines, relying on the Comodeen crew to row the huge craft forward. While more practical and definitely safer, it was the slowest possible way to move forward.

Kaze was asleep against the glass wall, long legs stretched out before him. Kumo, also sleeping, leaned against his side, legs tucked politely beneath him, letting Crux sit in his lap. Lisa and the twins tried to wait patiently for the engines to start again, well aware that they weren't far from the final goal of Teros.

"Thank you all for waiting!" It was Cid's voice. "We're about to move into an area of the ocean with a lower concentration of Elenium. Once we have, we can get the engines running again!"

As soon as he'd finished speaking, a cry rose from the galley: "There's no more ocean left!"

And the submarine dropped onto solid ground with an ear-rending crash.

---

"My Jane...! Oh, man..." Cid, taking in the heavy damage to his beloved creation, head-slumped.

"No one expected the water to just end like that," Ai said, attempting to comfort him.

The submarine had dropped straight down after passing out of the ocean--a several-mile-high wall of water was just behind the party; they were now stranded in a forest environment.

"What's going on here? Do you know?" Lisa asked Kumo, who was standing and looking up at the ocean's abrupt end with an inscrutable expression.

"I have no idea," he said softly, shaking his head. "It isn't the doing of the Ocean Puzzle, but... I don't know how this could be. But then again... I haven't been in Wonderland for very long myself. Many things here defy expectations, and the laws of the original worlds... perhaps Teros is still close by."

A sudden shout drew everyone's attention to the sky. "Hey! Hey, you guys! Up here!"

The twins both let out happy yells as they saw the figure of a girl about their age floating above them, waving both arms above her head. "It's me--Lou Lupus!"

"You're flying," Yu said, pointing out the obvious.

"Are you sure it's not the legendary Ciel Lou or something?" Ai asked, giving her brother a smile and a sidelong look. Chobi, between them, let out a squawk of complaint; he was the heir of the Ciel powers that allowed the chosen chocobo of each generation to fly.

The girl named Lou touched down, ran over to the twins, and gave them both an enthusiastic hug. "Long time no see, you guys!"

She had short silver hair that stuck up in two earlike tufts and an open, pleasant face; her eyes were clear yellow, and strange marks like ovals with streaks running from their centers adorned both of her cheeks. She wore a simple green sleeveless dress that fell to her knees and pairs of brown, fuzzy arm- and leg-warmers, as well as a long red scarf and a cape of some translucent bluish material.

"Hey, you know what?" Lou said suddenly. "I haven't been able to find that guy Kaze-sama at all!"

"You mean Mister?" Ai jerked her thumb over her shoulder, pointing to where Kaze was sitting against the side of the submarine, having gone right back to sleep as soon as he'd disembarked. "He's right over there."

Immediately going pink in the face, Lou squealed and lunged. "Kaze-samaaaa!"

Ai, frowning, grabbed a fistful of blue cape, and Lou was stuck. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"This is Flying Water, isn't it?" the red-haired girl asked shrewdly as her brother, Lisa, Kumo, and the members of the Comodeen looked on. Crux, who had been next to Kaze, flitted over and perched on Kumo's shoulder. "Have you met Clear?"

Lou, ceasing in her efforts to get at Kaze, looked back at Ai, blank puzzlement on her face. "Huh? Who's that? Not me. I got this cape from my friend Mr. Bolbol!"

"Mr. Bolbol?"

"Yeah! He lives in a cabin not far from here. I'll take you to him right now!"

---

While Lisa, the twins, their friend, and the leaders of the Comodeen headed off to Bolbol's cabin to ask about the Flying Water, Kaze and Kumo parked themselves at the base of a tree outside. Crux, who'd been following Kumo around ever since he'd confessed the truth to her, took up a perch by his side.

The white-haired swordsman sighed and snuggled into Kaze's warm solidity, closing his eyes. He smiled briefly as he felt Kaze's lips brush against the top of his head, then shifted, sighed again, and drifted off. Since he'd slept almost all day while at Gaudium, he was used to dropping off just about anywhere, and within moments, he was safe in the arms of dreamless sleep, his friends on either side...

...until rough, angry hands pried him away from Kaze and shoved him into a sprawl on the ground. Looking up and trying to stifle a yelp of surprise and pain, Kumo realized that the one who'd removed him was a very pouty-faced Lou.

"Why are you hanging all over Kaze-sama like that!" she demanded. "I had it bad enough with Lisa when she liked him--what do you think you're doing, huh! Kaze-sama is all mine!"

All Kumo could do was blink, confused. "C...come again...?"

Lou seemed ready to burst out in another storm of angry accusations, but just as she opened her mouth, an equally furious Crux was in her face. "Kukuriyu!"

"What are you getting all loudmouthed about?" the little girl asked, giving the fairy doll a sidelong look. "It's true, so there."

"Kuuu...!"

"Yeah, well... huh?" Kaze had stood during the commotion and laid a hand on Lou's head, giving her a patient look before heading over to Kumo and helping him get up.

The swordsman smiled sadly at the two girls. "Settle down, you two." As Lou opened her mouth to protest, he continued. "Kaze is... an old friend of mine. We fought against Chaos together once." The little girl blinked and went "oh" as Kumo went on. "I didn't know that you were also a friend of his. I didn't leave you any room to sit down... next time, I'll give you space."

Blinking up at the swordsman and gunner, Lou smiled shyly and nodded.

---

"Kaze-sama and the others are the only people I've met in Wonderland who don't care that I'm a werewolf," Lou confided after she and the others had resituated themselves against the tree. "Everyone else just seemed so scared as soon as they found out... they always acted like I was going to hurt them. But Kaze-sama is different. He, Lisa, Ai and Yu... none of them treat me any differently."

"Werewolf...?" Kumo blinked down at her. "On my world... there were legends that told of an ancient people who could change themselves into beasts at will. You... have that ability?"

Lou smiled. "Yup! ...Although, it's not always as easy as you make it sound. For my people... staring into someone's eyes is a sign of trust. If you have faith in each other, then energy is formed, and you can transform into your other shape! But, since... I'm by myself now... I have to use into a mirror and stare into my own eyes, and believe that I can do anything." She dug in one of the yellow pockets of her dress and pulled out a little makeup compact. Although the box was empty, the inside of the lid had a brilliant mirror on it, which the girl displayed proudly. "My friend Mr. Bolbol gave me this, too, along with the cape."

"It must be a useful strength," Kumo said appreciatively. He paused, then spoke again. "Lou-chan... your home world has also been destroyed, hasn't it...?"

The girl nodded. "By Omega... I've been on my own ever since."

"Kaze and I... have suffered the same fate, although it was Chaos who murdered our people. Someday... if we are still together... we will tell you what happened." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Even though it was so long ago... it still hurts to think about it."

"I understand." Lou looked like she did.

The cabin door opened with a squeak, interrupting their conversation. It was Ai. "Hey, you guys! We're going to head on to Teros--it isn't far from here at all. Are you coming with us, or what?"

"We are," Lou yelled back. "You think I'm letting any of you out of my sight now?"

She stood up and headed over to her friend. Kaze and Kumo exchanged glances of amusement and regret, and began to follow her.

"She's a lot like Aura, isn't she?" Kumo said quietly.

Kaze was silent, feeling the ache of the old wound once more. "...Yes."

"Let's go." But as they followed the children and the Comodeen, Kumo slipped his hand into Kaze's and squeezed it tightly.

---

They hadn't known what to expect, but this wasn't exactly it.

Teros was simply a huge field of solid blue ice. Nothing more, nothing less.

Ai walked up to the ice and kicked it suspiciously, then hopped back as a tiny bubble of ice crystal rose out of the sheet and floated in the air.

"This is it," Cid crowed. "This is Flying Water!"

Ai tentatively headed back onto the ice, then yelped in surprise as more bubbles of the substance rose around her. Her brother followed her, then Lou and Chobi, as the sea of ice rose into a series of shining glasslike orbs.

Kaze watched the children with a slight smile on his usually expressionless face. "The king asked for a lock to be built to guard the most precious treasure of the world. The finest locksmiths of the land produced three such locks--made of friendship, love, and wonder. The locks of friendship and love quickly crumbled, but the lock forged from a note of pure wonder held fast. The king was so pleased that he immediately set the lock and hid the key where no one would think to find it, where it lies to this day." Realizing that Lisa was staring, he shifted awkwardly. "...A legend... of my people."

"Your memory has been returning," Lisa stated simply, smiling. Kaze looked away, embarrassed.

"Allow me to introduce L'Amant cars 1 through 10," Cid cried, flinging out an arm to indicate the ten yellow supply cars he'd brought along. "This is their big debut!"

While he babbled on and on about the advantages of the L'Amant cars over other supply vehicles, ten members of the Comodeen headed out on them to begin collecting chunks of Flying Water, with Miles and Knave to direct their movement.

Ai sat down on an upraised portion of Flying Water and stared off into the distance. "Clear came here in order to hold in his Omega powers. As long as he was here, he couldn't destroy anything... where are you now, Clear?"

"Omega...?" Lou turned and stared at Ai, who was now completely spaced out.

Yu stared at the ground, a shadow of despair slowly creeping over his face.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked, coming up to him.

The young boy snapped back into reality. "Oh, it's... it's nothing. I was just thinking that it's been a long journey to get to Teros... that's all."

Lisa nodded, but secretly she knew that Yu was lying. The combination of depression and fear on his face... it couldn't have been something so simple.

A sudden explosion drew the attention of the Comodeen and their allies--one of Cid's new vehicles had just blown up, apparently for no reason at all.

"My L'Amant car number seven!" Cid wailed.

Miles dashed over to the driver, who lay sprawled on the ground. "Are you alright! What happened here... what's going on!"

"All L'Amant cars pull back," Cid yelled. "Something's here!"

Kumo was staring past the destruction, his jadeine eyes wide with horror. "It's too late," he murmured breathlessly. "They're here..."

"Hello there," a familiar voice chortled with unholy glee.

Ai pointed, yelping. "It's that weird upside-down creep!"

Oscha had appeared, flanked by a huge mechanoid creation that seemed to have been behind the attack on the supply car.

"Return Makenshi-dono to us, or you will suffer the consequences," the sole Deathlord of Gaudium said in simpering tones, his boneless body wriggling in delight.

Lisa gasped in horror, staring at Oscha's robot. "That's... you attacked us with one of those before...!"

"We beat it once and we'll beat it again," Lou yelled.

Wordlessly, Kaze brought the Magun from beneath his cloak.

"No!" Kumo cried, his voice a desperate wail.

Everyone stared at him, shocked.

"If you shoot, you... you'll hit...!"

Lisa looked back at the giant creation, then cried out. "It can't be...!"

Within a glass chamber at the robot's center, the figure of a man with a tortured expression hung suspended in some strange liquid, gripped by the forearms and ankles by twisted cords and wires. Angry bruises showed starkly along his body; all that remained of his clothing was a strip of fabric slung low across his hips, granting him a bare shred of decency. His long crimson hair floated about his form as he was held there, unconscious, one of the heavy dark gray spikes on his forehead broken.

"If you shoot, you'll hit my brother," Kumo sobbed, trembling violently.

"Isn't it a dilemma," Oscha mocked. "You do know that he went through this to save you, after all... he was pathetically easy to capture, although he certainly served his purpose... he barely bought you enough time to save yourself, you know... he was nowhere near powerful enough to stand against meeee..."

"Let him go," Kumo demanded, his voice breaking into a wail. "Let him go!"

"I don't think I shall," Oscha trilled, laughing wickedly. "As long as the madoushi is in my possession, you can't attack... and you know the only terms I will offer for his freedom..."

Kumo shook his head, then stared at the ice, torn. I knew it. I knew it would happen like this... oh, why didn't I stop it all when I had the chance...!

Finally, he sighed and stepped forward. "Release him," he said tiredly, quietly, tears still twisting his voice. "Do so, and I will go with you."

"I have your word?" Oscha asked him, in devilish good humor.

Kumo nodded, his expression bleak from the gravity of his choice.

"No," Kaze whispered fiercely, catching hold of the makenshi's wrist.

Kumo turned to him with a wavering smile, tears starting to spill freely down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he said in a sad little voice. "I guess I really can't keep the pacts that I make... but thank you for showing me what it is to be loved..." He leaned forward and kissed Kaze long and full on the lips, then gently pulled out of his grip. "I won't ask for your forgiveness this time... I know that what I'm about to do is completely unforgivable." With that, he turned and walked away, heading straight for the machine and leaving Kaze, Lisa, the kids, and the Comodeen in stunned silence.

As soon as he came to a stop before the glass panel, it retracted, letting the liquid inside the chamber spill out. The cords that had encircled Kiri's wrists and ankles withdrew, and no longer bound, he fell forward into his brother's waiting arms.

Kumo gently lowered Kiri's battered body to the ground, lovingly stroking the wet hair and bruised side. "Lisa," he called softly. "Take him for me."

The young woman ran forward to kneel at Kiri's side, looking from him to Kumo and back again. "My God... these injuries... they've...!"

"I know," Kumo said softly, voice choked by the knot of tears that was quickly crystallizing into his throat. "He saved my life when I needed to get away from Gaudium, and now he's paying the price. He's just a soul... if he's hurt too badly now, his spirit will simply cease to exist. Please take care of him... let him pass to the other side..." He leaned down and gently kissed his brother's cheek, then stood and began to walk towards Oscha.

"But they'll--!" Lisa began, her voice raised in a cry of protest.

Kumo turned and looked over his shoulder at her. "I know," he replied, his voice a husky whisper. "But I can't let this go on any longer. Run away. Don't come after me. When I... when it's over... I'll know that you're all safe. Please, just go." He continued on until he had reached Oscha's side; the Deathlord gestured in the air and the two of them vanished into smoke and mist.

Kiri moaned in agony, opening his crimson eyes to stare desolately at the spot where his brother had been standing. "Kumo... you can't...!"

But he was already gone.

(TBC)