Wow, I apologize in advance for the crappiness of the upcoming fight scene. It ends badly, it starts badly, it middle is bad…ly. Anyways, sorry about that…

Fortune 22- Come Back to Us, We Love You

"It's you again!" Blai and Sayako said at the same time, both pointing an accusing finger at the other. "You're the one that wanted to take over Star's body," Blai said angrily, at least now he understood why. He was not going to be afraid any longer of admitting that he was in love with the girl, had fallen in love with her while they were traveling together all that time and he was going to tell her as soon as they got Star back.

"And you're the one who didn't want me to," Sayako said with a shrug before her gaze fell upon the giant EscaFlowne. "So this is the dragon you were annoying me about," she muttered but her voice carried around the room so that everyone could hear.

Hitomi looked at the strange woman, "What's going on?" she asked, not that she was expecting much of an answer. This strange person seemed too lost in her own world to pay attention to anything else. "I don't understand why you can hear it while I cannot…"

"STAR!" Hitomi yelled, trying to get the girl's attention.

Sayako jerked out of her trance and looked over at the brunette, "What do you want? You're bothering me."

"Who are you? What's going on?"

The devil woman held up a hand to tell Hitomi not to go on. "I suppose I'll explain things to you. I'm kind enough to grant this last request of that bitch who used to own this body…

"My name is Sayako," Hitomi gave a sharp intake of breath, she had seen that name on the note all those years ago, the very same note that had warned her of Star's misfortunes. "I am the embodiment of all resentment and hatred. Have you ever heard of what happens when you taint the heart of one that is pure?" She didn't wait for them to answer. "They're hatred becomes pure, and the only thing that allowed me to become real was for a certain ceremony to take place. It wasn't completed, thanks to that girl's family. But after all this time, it's finally done." She held up her hand and exposed the mark on her wrist for them all to see.

"You helped me out before," Star said as she stared at the sleeping angel. She did not dare take a step closer in fear that she would be burned by that brilliant light. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

The voice echoed throughout the darkness, "We are asleep. We can never wake up."

To her great surprise, the angel's eyes opened and she slowly, gracefully sat upright. "What do you mean?" Star asked.

"I mean you and I will remain here for an eternity. Even after your body dies we shall be trapped here. There is nothing left that can stop her."

"Who?"

"The devil…"

"So then, where is Star?" Hitomi asked, on the verge of tears. That was strange, she hardly ever cried since she first came to Gaea.

Sayako shrugged again, "Asleep. But she'll be like for a very long time." Blai's hands balled into fists and shook at his sides. The dark-haired woman didn't notice and she turned around, stepping gingerly over Arekusa's dead body, and made her way to the dark throne in the shadows of the room.

The young prince lunged forward and tackled the strange woman before punching her in the face. He pinned her down with his knees.

Star gasped in surprise as she felt something invisible hit her face. She looked at the angel and noticed that she had a mark in the same place. "What's going on?"

"She finished it," the angel said. At the other girl's look, the winged one went on, "she finished the ritual. That means she doesn't feel pain and her body doesn't show injury but ours do…yours feels pain mine does the latter. That's why we still exist."

The teenager looked at the glowing woman angrily, for she seemed to glow with an inner light, and said, "I used to think that I existed only to live for the people who died that day. I'm sure you know it," she added coolly before continuing, "but it took me long enough to realize that you're never supposed to be alive for other people. You're alive for yourself. Saying that we exist to feel her pain or to bear her injuries, to make her immortal," she paused and grimaced as she felt another blow on her face, "then we aren't existing at all."

"That is because we don't…"

Blai punched the girl again and would have continued to do so if she hadn't broke into laughter. Not your generic evil laughter, but it was so normal that it left shivers running up and down the boy's spine. The bad guy wasn't supposed to sound so normal.

"Do you think hurting me will do anything? No, I told you, everything was complete. The only people you're hurting are the ones inside of me…the two that are asleep. Do you still want to try," she smirked. She knew the three of them would not want to her that sad little girl resting inside of her. Human attachments made a person weak…how pathetic.

The young prince stood up and released Sayako from his hold. "If there's no other way…" he heard his father say, his voice sounded strange but maybe that was because of the EscaFlowne. Out of the corner of his eye the boy saw the white Melef rush towards Sayako but he didn't register the movement until his father had sunk his sword into the girl's stomach.

Both Star and the angel shouted and reeled over in pain as a wound spread across the angel's stomach. "They are trying to kill her," the angel said solemnly as blood seeped through her clothing around the wound.

"You're going to die…"

The angel shook her head, "I cannot. You and I cannot die until the one outside does. Until then, our wounds will heal," Star hadn't noticed before that the wound had stopped bleeding, "and we will be forced to take it all."

Sayako glared up at the man inside the Melef, ignoring large blade going through her stomach and the chair behind her. "I liked this chair…" she said angrily before holding up her hand and sending out what looked like a wave of darkness from her palm. The EscaFlowne stumbled backwards and the woman pulled the sword out of her stomach with a disgusting squelching sound, but no wound appeared. Blai looked angrily at his father, he was killing Star.

The devil woman stood up, her eyes glinting maliciously, and a blade appeared in her hand. She flipped onto the EscaFlowne and was about to thrust her sword through the gaps in the protective armor. "You dare to attempt at my life? You dare to take the life of the devil?"

"Stop!" Hitomi yelled with her pendant clutched between her hands, the pendant that made wishes come true…The woman looked over at Hitomi with an ugly grimace on her face.

"I see that if I am to do anything, you must be the first to disappear," and the girl jumped down from the EscaFlowne, landing easily on the ground before making her way slowly, confidently, to where Hitomi stood. The woman apparently hadn't thought that far ahead as her eyes widened in fright and Sayako stood almost sword distance away from where Hitomi was.

Blai jumped in front of Sayako which forced her to laugh, "And what are you going to do, little boy? Are you going to try to kill me to? Do I make you angry? Do I disgust you? You know…I find you interesting. This may prove stupid, but I think I shall let you live…"

Her voice trailed off as the young prince pressed his lips over hers and all his thoughts and feelings reached out for Star.

The teenager felt herself being lifted up. "What's going on?"

"You are being called," the angel said with a smile as a strange light circled around her. "And I am being called away…"

"What does that mean?"

"It means, she and I need no longer exist. Now that you know who you are, we will disappear…" her strong, comforting voice was already starting to fade away.

"What's your name?"

Star almost felt like her very molecules were splitting apart, as if she was blinking in and out of focus like a bad computer program. "Sani," the angel said before both girls disappeared.

Blai stepped back and someone fell on top of him. He brushed away the girl's dark hair and noticed the red at the tips and Star's face underneath. "What just happened?" he asked strangely but when he turned to look back at the others, Van and Hitomi were laughing with relief and disbelief. "Guess it doesn't matter then, does it?" The young prince stood up and lifted the girl in his arms before turning around to the others with a wide grin on his face and his cheeks burning red, he hadn't been planning on that. "Well, are we going home, or what?"