Chapter 35

Dream's End

"I'm glad that's over."

Moka nodded as she poured a glass of juice for Yukari, capping the container and replacing it in the refrigerator before turning to bring the drink to her friend. She edged past Kurumu, who was leaning back in her chair, and handed the cup to the young witch before taking her own seat beside Kokoa, who was nursing her own glass already. "You and me both, Kurumu. I can't imagine what it was like, being under his power for a whole day longer than I was…" She shivered, glancing over to where she had left the Belmont laying upon the counter. "That was a nightmare."

"So, what was that thing, anyways? Or does anyone besides the Headmaster know?" Gin asked, stepping up to the table and turning his chair around. As he plopped into the seat, he draped his arms over the backrest before resting his chin on his wrists. His eyes darted over to where Ruby was leaning against the wall near the opening to the foyer, close enough to the living room to hear if Tsukune, who had claimed to need to rest for just a moment, called out for them. The witch caught his glance and shook her head; the Headmaster had given her no more information than the brief explanation he had offered to all of the newcomers from the Academy.

"The first time I saw him was when he first attacked me, and I hadn't heard anything about him before that," Moka commented. She glanced over to Kurumu, who nodded sullenly.

"Same here. That creepy old man sent Tsukune some books to read. Maybe he was trying to warn us in his usual roundabout fashion." Kurumu snorted uncharitably, but as she glanced back towards the living room her ire slipped away, replaced by open concern. "Tsukune might know more, but…"

"Whatever he was, I would feel a lot better if we had taken him out completely," Gin murmured, shaking his head as he straightened, rolling a sore shoulder. "Especially with that nasty memory-erasing power of his." At this, he blinked suddenly as a stray thought struck him. "Wait, something doesn't make sense. After he, he…"

"Stabbed us?" Kurumu suggested.

"If that's how he erased you, then yeah. After that, none of us could remember anything about you, right?" He glanced around at his other friends for confirmation before his eyes came to a stop on Kokoa. "Then why is it that Kokoa could remember Moka?"

Immediately all other eyes in the room turned to the younger vampire, who was in the midst of taking a deep drink of the tomato juice Moka had offered her. Her cup pausing in its descent back to the table, Kokoa blinked, caught off guard by the question. "I… don't know. To be honest, I had wondered why none of you were mentioning Sis on the way here, but I never would have guessed that you had forgotten her." Shrugging, she placed the glass on the table before leaning back with a smile. "As for me being unaffected, it's probably because I'm a vampire; whatever magic he used wasn't strong enough to affect me."

"No, that's not right," Moka pointed out. "After Kurumu was erased, neither my other self nor I could remember her. Did you forget her, Kokoa?" Her sister hesitated before nodding slowly. At this, Moka glanced down at the rosario she wore, as if listening to the voice of her other persona. "Maybe it was because only half of me was erased."

"Yeah, but the rest of us forgot you," Yukari pointed out, wincing apologetically. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Well…" Kokoa started, struggling to collect her thoughts. "I didn't exactly remember everything about Sis… mostly stuff from when we were younger, and a few other times recently when she came out-"

"You only remembered Inner Moka," Yukari deduced, her eyes wide. "Which means that you were still affected, but not as much as the rest of us."

"Most of us know Outer Moka better than her other side, so it makes sense that we would have more trouble remembering her if that part was taken from us. On the other hand, Kokoa grew up with Inner Moka, so she would be more attached to that part of Moka's personality. It's starting to make sense." Gin nodded to himself, satisfied with their conclusions.

"And, from what he said on the walk back up here, it sounds like Tsukune could only partially remember your other half." Ruby smiled at Moka, who blushed in response as she guessed what the witch was implying. "So both of your personalities are close to equal to him, I would guess. He couldn't remember you without your outer side, but he couldn't forget your inner side even without it." The shade of Moka's cheeks neared scarlet, and even the bead at the center of the rosario seemed to glow slightly.

"Still… that is one scary power." Yukari shuddered visibly, shaking her head. "Erasing someone like that, and no one even knowing that it had ever happened… how do we know that it hasn't happened to anyone else we know? What if he took someone else who was supposed to be sitting here with us?"

The buoying mood immediately sank, and the six teens exchanged terse glances amongst themselves before turning their attention to the nearest flat surface. What if Yukari was right? What if someone was still missing? They couldn't track down the monster that had attacked them, and since Kurumu had been attacked before Moka but had been released after, then it meant that anyone else held by the creature would be even farther gone than the succubus had been. Even if they found the creature, there was no guarantee that they could defeat him, and the Headmaster had claimed that only Tsukune had the power to best the monster. That particular fact was especially problematic, since Tsukune was currently fighting to recover from the earlier battle with their shadowy enemy. Still, even if there was only a chance of success…

"Maybe we should go out and look-" Ruby started, her suggestion cut off by the opening of the door leading out into the Resting Place's front yard.

"Alright, time to go," commented the bus driver, grinning darkly into the kitchen from his place at the front door. "We'll be getting back to school late anyways, and you all have classes or work to do tomorrow."

The response was immediate and loud, the various cries drowning each other out. Gin in particular was livid, shaking his head furiously as he stood from his seat. "No way! We're not leaving the three of them alone here with that creature lurking around outside. What's to keep him from coming back as soon as we leave?"

"We can at least stay till morning, right? We can all stand to miss a few classes, especially in a situation like this," Yukari pointed out.

"You all agreed to this before you came," the bus driver responded, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "You told the Headmaster that, as soon as you helped Tsukune out of the trouble he was in, you would come right back."

"But he's not out of trouble yet!" Yukari commented angrily.

"Is he ever?" the bus driver asked, smiling cryptically.

"Can we at least take Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu with us?" Ruby asked, her expression falling as the man shook his head slowly in answer.

"Say what you want, but you aren't going to make me leave," Kokoa promised dangerously, glancing surreptitiously to her winged accomplice before turning her narrowed eyes back towards the bus driver. He met the young vampire's eyes before reaching out to grasp the doorknob, opening it to allow to black-suited men to step into the house.

"Don't worry, these gentlemen are here to make certain that you return safely to school, while two of their comrades will be staying behind to keep an eye on this house. They'll be close at hand, in case Than- in case your visitor comes back." The bus driver reached into his pocket and pulled free a fresh cigar and held it out to the taller, bald guardian, who glared balefully at him before taking it and turning his back to the teens. A moment later he turned back, offering the lit cigar to the bus driver, who took it and pressed it to his lips, inhaling deeply.

"If the Headmaster had so much faith in these guys, why didn't he send them to start with, instead of us?" Gin demanded, crossing his arms before his chest.

"Ouch…" whispered the bald guardian.

"Because it was not in his interests to do so," replied the other man, who wore his grey beard braided into a single cord. He bowed slightly towards the teens, his expression grave and reserved. "Just as allowing you to remain here does not match his desires. Please, allow us to escort you back to the school; our fellows shall maintain a watch over your friends."

"Yeah, don't worry," assured the bald guardian. "We're professionals." His brilliant smile failed to encourage the teens, who shared concerned glances.

"Anyways, it's important to hold to your agreements. I'm certain that you girls could share several lessons you've learned over the past weeks concerning that topic, couldn't you?" the bus driver suggested, grinning as he tipped his hat towards Moka and Kurumu. The two shared a glance as they considered this, and faint trails of sweat appeared on their brows as they realized what 'agreement' he may be referring to. "Care to discuss that with the others?"

"Ah, now isn't the time," Kurumu declared, shaking her head hurriedly to answer the confused glances the others were giving her. "Maybe later, like when we get back to school."

"We should be alright now." Moka stared at the bus driver for a long moment, as if trying to decipher what his, and the Headmaster's, intentions could be. "We'll take shifts sleeping tonight, and we'll stay together so that the creature won't be able to catch one of us alone. I doubt that he would come back here anyways, after what happened when he fought Tsukune."

"That is a reasonable deduction," the grey-haired guardian agreed, his expression inscrutable. "A wraith like he expends a great deal of energy in order to sever the connection between its victims' physical form and spiritual energy, all in order to feed off of their essence gradually as they are reduced to nothingness. Deprived of your energies, and the power he wasted in striving to absorb you, he will be forced to recoup his powers before he can comfortably confront you once more. So, for tonight, you should be safe." The other suit-clad man stared at him with the barest hint of disapproval, but said nothing to refute the elder guardian's points.

"I still don't like this," Gin growled.

"And, in any case, how much worth would you all be in the case of a fight? You are already worn ragged; please, allow me to aid your recovery on our way back to the academy. That way, should you be needed once more, you will be able to fight the wraith with even greater knowledge and unity than before." Extending his hand towards the teens as he bowed his head, the older man met each of their eyes in turn. "I know that the Headmaster would not willingly allow irreversible harm to come to your friends."

"….irreversible, he says," Kurumu grumbled from the sidelines.

"The Headmaster told you that he would make certain that you would be here if you were needed. He upheld that bargain, but that's no longer the case. Still, if situations change, I'll have you back here before you know it." Without waiting for a response, the bus driver turned towards the door. Offering Moka and Kurumu a nod of farewell, he stepped out into the night, the two guardians trailing close behind.

Silence gripped the group in their wake as the teens exchanged tense glances. "Should we go?" Yukari asked, the concern in her eyes drawing an appreciative smile from Moka.

"Don't worry. If that thing is as weakened as they say, and with all three of us here, we should be fine. I'll keep the Belmont close at hand, and we'll be on guard tonight. In the meantime, you try to convince the Headmaster to either let you all come back here, or to bring us back to school." This was enough to convince most of the others, though it drew a dismayed pout from Kurumu, who knew that her time alone with Tsukune would be largely eliminated in either case. "Come on, we'll see you to the door," Moka prompted, resting a hand on Kokoa's shoulder as the younger vampire's crossed-armed obstinance began to crumble.

"We'll go, but the second you think that thing is coming back, you send us a message to get back here, alright?" When Moka nodded, Kokoa smiled darkly. "I'll be looking forward to paying him back for last time."

"Better later than sooner, as far as I'm concerned," Kurumu commented wryly as she and Moka walked the others to the door leading out of the house. They made a quick detour, however, as Yukari and Ruby led them into the common room, refusing to leave before they checked on Tsukune one final time. He greeted them with a tired smile, the dull pain he was enduring visible in his eyes, but his words of reassurance were just enough to salve his friends' concern. He bade them all farewell, and stayed sitting up and waving until he heard the door close behind them. Immediately thereafter he flopped back onto the couch, allowing the wince he had been repressing to reclaim his face.

Close by, Moka and Kurumu exchanged worried glances as they noted his expression. They watched as Tsukune rubbed at his temples, a painfully-sharp trickle of fear running down through their chests. Was Tsukune still suffering from the fight with the shadow-user, or was it something else?

"Is there anything we can do for you, Tsukune?" Kurumu asked, stepping closer to the couch. He shook his head in silent denial, smiling once more to fend off her fears, but neither she nor Moka were so easily placated.

"I know, I'll go grab a blanket," Moka declared as she turned back towards the stairs, relieved that she had thought of something that might help.

"Yeah, it is cool in here, isn't it? Who cranked down the air conditioning?" Kurumu asked, frowning towards the controls as Tsukune shifted uncomfortably nearby. "I'll adjust it in a moment, but first- do you want something to drink?"

"Ah… water, yeah," Tsukune murmured. The succubus rushed off to comply, leaving Tsukune alone in the room for the moment. The moment she was gone from the room, he let his mask slip, naked pain painted across his face. Eager for something to distract him from the anguishing surges, he glanced at the thing that had last drawn Kurumu's attention, staring towards the wall-mounted controls for the air conditioning. He quickly discovered, however, that this only led to even greater pain, and he barely managed to repress his grimace as Moka bounded back down the stairs, a small stack of blankets in hand.

"Here you go, Tsukune, this should help you warm up. It's practically cold enough to snow in here," Moka commented as she spread the blanket over him. She paused as she noticed him wince, even more noticeably this time.

"Watch out, Moka," Kurumu warned, giving the vampire time to move out of the way as she brought the glass of ice water towards their stricken friend. He smiled in gratitude, sitting up to accept the glass, but froze in place as he caught a glimpse of the succubus' face. Noticing his shocked expression, Kurumu likewise hesitated before glancing down at the small white stick protruding from her lips. "Oh, this? I found a bag of these suckers in the kitchen. Moka must have bought them. There were even some in the freezer, for some reason- Tsukune?" Her eyes wide, she leaned closer to her friend, trying to read through the blossoming horror on his face, the way that his whole body had begun to shake. "Are you alright?"

And that is when Tsukune began to scream.

"Come to me."

Upon hearing the words, it reacted without thought. If any had been able to see what was left of its form, they would have described what came next as the pale mist that had dissipated throughout the room coalescing into a vaguely human form, which immediately drifted towards and through the glass door that separated the bedroom from the balcony outside. Floating effortlessly across the open space beyond the balcony, as in control of its motions as a fallen leaf in a river, it finally drifted to a stop above the roof of the shed outside the room it had occupied before. The change in scenery did not disturb it; instead, it stood still, staring into the distance as if trying to remember what it was like to move, to think.

The dark form of the wraith moved closer to it, but still it did not turn to face him, not registering his presence in the least. The skull-mask inclined, as if in confirmation, before its bearer came even closer, stopping directly in front of the ephemeral shape and staring into what should have been the face. Still the misty form showed no recognition, and the wraith leaned forward, almost touching the other. "Tell me. Where are you?"

Silence was the only answer for moments, stretching into minutes. Finally there came a response, a listless whisper almost obscured by the gentle breeze. "...don't know…"

The wraith leaned back, raising his right arm to point towards the nearby house, but the translucent shape didn't turn to follow his motion. "The people in there. Who are they?"

Again the long stretch of silence before another whisper. "...don't know…"

Nodding again, the wraith reached down to his waist, resting his hand upon the hilt of Charon. He drifted forward, looming over the spectral form, and stared down at it with his hollow eyes. The darkness around the pair seemed to deepen, and began to writhe as if hungry for the pale light standing before Thanatos. When he asked the final question, the wraith's voice was deeper, more powerful, as though his words were a grave ritual. "Who… are… you?"

For the first time, the ghostly shape moved on its own, lifting its head just slightly. The motion ceased almost as suddenly as it began, however, and with it died any hope of an answer other than the one Thanatos expected. Still came the pause, a wait of minutes that was nothing for an immortal being like the wraith, yet was its own eternity.

"…Don't know…"

Even though the words were all but inaudible, the wraith nodded in response. Charon came free with a graceful slide, and the wraith held the blade aloft and angled it towards the other's spectral chest. "You know nothing. You feel nothing. You are nothing." He pulled back the blade, tensing for the final moment. "So you shall become part of me."

And Charon dived forward, plunging into the chest of the emptied shade.

"Tsukune! What's wrong?"

"Moka, what happened?"

"I don't know, he just started screaming!"

Tsukune writhed on the couch, clutching his head as if trying to hold it together. The pain he had felt before was nothing to this; it felt as though his entire existence had been swallowed by agony. He couldn't think, couldn't do anything but fight from being swallowed by the pain. If the torment persisted much longer, surely he would pass out, or go insane; anything to escape…

Yet, in the midst of the torrent of anguish, there was a feeling that he could end it. He just had to forget everything that he had been thinking, forget the emotions and the images that had begun to trickle into his mind, forget everything. Yet still he clung to those fractured fragments, even though they were the source of the all-consuming pain. They were more important to him than anything else at this moment.

"The loudest scream… it sounded like a word. Did you hear it?"

"Yes, but… I must not have made out what it was, I can't remember…"

Though he never would have believed it possible, the pain began to grow, pulsing up and down the length of his spine, surging down each individual nerve to pass the agony throughout his body. As his entire body began to scream and surrender to the pain, however, an image drifted into his mind. He couldn't understand it, had nothing left with which to analyze it, but it grew gradually clearer: a girl, with violet hair and icy blue eyes, and cherry-red lips, with the stick of a lollipop hanging from them…

"Still… it would do a lot to reassure me, if we got married."

Her head, resting against his arm as they watched the movie together, sharing a rare moment alone…

"No matter what happens… we'll find a way."

A blue-haired head appearing from behind one of the ends of the couch, smirking at his surprised reaction as he realized he had guessed her hiding place incorrectly…

"Tsukune, I want to sleep with you."

Her soft smile, her unyielding determination, her fragile heart… The love in her eyes, the love that he felt for her…

"Moka… it looks like he's trying to say something…"

Both girls jumped away from the couch as Tsukune jerked upright. Though the anguish had fled in a flash, there was still pain in his voice as he screamed one final time. The name that he exclaimed rang throughout the Resting Place, piercing even into the night outside. It was more of an animal's howl than a human cry, the sound of unbearable loss and fear, and the silence that followed was the only response.

"You should no longer exist. Why are you here?"

Mizore Shirayuki smiled at Thanatos without answering, her frigid eyes staring into the endless darkness beyond his mask without fear. The wraith met her gaze for a long moment before glancing down at the blade of his sword, Charon still buried deep within the yuki-onna's ghostlike chest. He pulled the blade back out of her, replacing it at his waist before turning his gaze back to her. Mizore still hadn't moved, the faint grin frozen upon her lips as she watched the creature that had almost consumed her realize his failure.

"Somehow, you have regained your identity. But that doesn't matter. You are still severed, and will gradually lose yourself until you return once more to this place. At that time, I will consume you entirely; this shall not occur again." The wraith drifted past Mizore, and she turned to follow him with her eyes as he came to the edge of the shed. "Until that time, I shall wait and recover my energy gradually. No matter how long it takes, I will devour you all."

"You have underestimated us." As she stepped towards Thanatos, Mizore's eyes gleamed like the aurora borealis, and her smile was cold enough to flash-freeze oceans. "And now, you are standing between me and the man I love."

"Yes…that one will be destroyed first. He is too dangerous to be allowed to-"

"I was speaking literally."

The wraith whirled at the sound of leathery wings beating the air somewhere above him, and he quickly pivoted to follow the blurred form as it raced towards the trees beyond the shed, raising a hand to command his coiled shadows to lunge towards the intruder. It was too late, much too late, that he realized that the succubus had already released her cargo, and he turned back towards the sky in the direction of the house in time to see Tsukune descending like a vengeful angel, his eyes gleaming crimson in the darkness, his mouth curled in a snarl, his fist held back for a gravity-enhanced punch-

"MIZORE!"

Thanatos was thrown from the roof of the shed, shards of his ivory mask spinning through the air as a pulse of darkness erupted from his limp form. Tsukune landed heavily near where the wraith had been standing, barely keeping his face from slamming into the surface of the roof. As he pushed himself up, wincing at the furious complaints from his already-aching muscles, he still acknowledged that, especially after what he had just suffered through, punching the wraith like that had been decidedly gratifying.

That was when Tsukune noticed the presence at his side. He allowed Mizore to help him climb to his feet before turning towards her, drinking in the sight of her wide eyes, the almost-painful smile she wore. Almost instantly she flung her arms around him, pushing him back and almost depriving him of his freshly-regained balance. "You remembered me…" she mumbled into his chest, and almost immediately he could feel the chill dampness seeping through his shirt. "How did you know where I would be? How did you bring me back…?"

"Well, you weren't in your room, so I had a hunch you would be out here." Tsukune chuckled tiredly, shrugging his shoulders as he lifted his arms to return her embrace. "This time at least, I was lucky enough to guess where you would be hiding. And, as far as the other things go…" Tsukune pushed her away from him gently, smiling warmly down into her melting eyes. "I knew that something was missing, something important. Even with the magic that that thing used on us, it couldn't cover up the hole in our lives. You're too important to us- to me- to be forgotten like he wanted." Tsukune lifted a hand to stroke her hair, still holding her to him with the other arm. "I love you, Mizore. I won't let him have you."

"It was so cold, so empty…" Tsukune tightened his grip as he felt Mizore's legs weaken, and she let his arms support her. "If I hadn't heard you say my name at that moment, then he would have… I would be…" The yuki-onna shivered uncontrollably, and her fear stoked again the anger that Tsukune bore for the wraith that had been tormenting them.

"Not to interrupt," commented a voice from beside them as another figure leapt onto the roof of the shed, "but we're not finished here. Not until that thing is destroyed." Tsukune glanced beside him, nodding to Moka as she stood upright, the metal studs of the Belmont shining in the moonlight as the silver-haired vampire coiled the whip around her left arm. Moka flashed Mizore a relieved smile before turning in the direction that the wraith had been thrown. "But that shouldn't take long."

"Good to have you back, Mizore," Kurumu commented as she swooped back around, her wings beating hard once to slow her as her feet touched down on the roof. The succubus' smile was embarrassed as she took a ready stance, her nails lengthening dangerously. "Sorry that it took us so long to remember. Even after Tsukune said your name-"

"It's okay," Mizore interrupted, grudgingly pushing herself away from Tsukune. As she moved away from him, the weakness that she had revealed froze into an icy determination, and she glared in the direction that Thanatos had fallen. Even now the darkness there was twisting and contorting, proof enough that the wraith had recovered and was waiting to attack them once more. "It doesn't matter, not now." The snow maiden's hands froze into glass-sharp talons, and she stared into the writhing shadows as if daring them to come for her.

"Let's end this."

"Yes." The shadows boiled over the edge of the shed's roof, and parted to reveal the hulking form of the wraith. Thanatos stared at the four teens, hefting his gleaming sword as he drifted slowly towards them. Around him, the tendrils of darkness twisted and strained onward, like a pack of hounds pulling at their leashes. Stopping a safe distance from the group, Thanatos turned his bone-white mask towards each of them in turn, as if drinking in a memory of what he intended to be their final moments. "This ends now."

And the shadows surged forward, eager to consume Tsukune and his friends.

"Are you sure we shouldn't get involved?"

Silence regained its hold over the two men as they stared through the trees in the direction of the battle that had just commenced. Both of them openly displayed their agitation and indecision, their fists clenched and their gazes rapidly darting between each other and the distant house. Despite their obvious desire to intervene, however, neither took a step toward the Resting Place; they had their orders, and those orders explicitly forbade their participation in the battle being waged between Thanatos and Tsukune's friends.

That grim fact did little to keep Gabriel and Michael from searching for a loophole, or an alternative; anything at all that would allow them to come to the aid of the four teenagers they had protected for these past weeks. Either way, they knew, this was to be the final conflict between Thanatos and Tsukune's friends: the wraith would be almost entirely drained, and would be desperate to fulfill his agreement with Fairy Tale lest his long-sought prize suffer for his failings. Surely, with Thanatos so weakened, they would be able to intervene without risking themselves and the Headmaster's plans-

Gabriel's head snapped up as he felt a pulsing at his side, and he quickly drew a slip of paper from his pocket. The card-sized seal gleamed with a pulsing red light, the sign of an alarm being sounded. "Michael, the wards have been tripped. Do you think that it's…"

"It isn't the traitor," Michael commented darkly, frowning at the seal intently. "He's already inside; he tripped them earlier, and hasn't left since. Someone else is trying to interfere." He gazed at his partner, the blond guardian nodding in response. "It's up to us to stop them, whoever they are."

That was prompting enough for Gabriel. Without another word the two sprinted through the trees, racing towards the point indicated by the seal. It was close enough, fortunately, and their previous anxiety added speed to their race through the forest. This was the moment where their hopes would either be realized or dashed to pieces, and they had no intention of allowing another outsider to influence that final battle.

A moment later they discovered the intruder, an older man who was delicately picking his way through the trees with nervous glances around him, jumping at every slightest sound as if certain he would be attacked. The guardians had favored haste over stealth, and as they neared him the man recoiled, naked terror on his short-bearded face as he looked around him for the nearest route of escape. Slowing as they came closer, Gabriel and Michael watched him carefully, scanning his features and trying to divine any indication for his purpose in crossing their wards, which should have been sufficient to keep any outsiders from carelessly blundering onto the grounds of the Resting Place. Stopping before him, recognition came to the two men at almost the same moment: perhaps it was the wide-brimmed hat he wore, or the gleam of fearful madness in his eyes behind his thick glasses, or perhaps even the desiccated cane he bore. In any case, their reactions were similarly synchronized, and their hands darted to their waists to grasp their materializing swords.

"No!" the man screeched, holding his hands before him imploringly. "Please, don't hurt me!" He cowered away from them, blinking rapidly as he looked from one scowling face to another. "I'm just an old man out for a stroll, picking mushrooms-"

"In the middle of the night?" Gabe asked sardonically, shaking his head. "Not going to work, Pestilence. We know who you are, and why you've come."

"Pestilence?" the old man repeated, confusion coating the word. He spoke it again, and again, as if trying to remember. "Oh, it's been a long time since I… he… ah, no, no, I'm not Pestilence; he must be dead, right?" He smiled pitifully at the two guardians, who took another threatening step forward, drawing a squeak from the elder man. "No, you're wrong! You must be! You still work for the old priest… right?" Faltering hope in his reedy voice, the man still held his cane defensively in front of him, as if ready to fend off their blades with its decaying length.
"We serve the Hell-King, the enemy of your master Death, yes. Which is why we have no intention of allowing you to help Thanatos in his plans to reclaim his soul," Michael declared.

"Reclaim his soul? No… no! He mustn't! I don't want that either!" wailed the intruder.

"Yeah, right," Gabe drawled, shaking his head. "You were one of his three loyal generals, the blight that swept across half of a continent. No doubt you have a repeat tour in mind for when you get his phylactery back to him, and we just aren't going to let that happen."

"Loyal…?" Though it was obvious to both guardians that this man was hardly in his right mind, what mind he had left, his laughter at this single word was particularly manic. Abruptly returning to his self with a greater degree of control, the old man shook his head. "You misunderstand. I-, we failed Death. He will be just as eager to see us dead as he will be to destroy you. No, I came here not to help Thanatos… but to try to destroy him! Through our old bonds, I can tell that he is weaker than he has ever been… weak enough to…" The old man shivered despite his brave words, sudden doubt in his bespectacled eyes.

Silence fell after this declaration as the two guardians glanced to each other cautiously, communicating through the wordless bond they had gained through decades of cooperation. Finally Michael turned to the old man with a grim face. "We still can't trust you. Anyways, the Hell-King has plans to see to Thanatos' end; your presence is not required here."

"We'll take care of this," Gabriel offered reassuringly, but there was an edge to his smile. "And, anyways, we owe you quite a bit as well. Consider this a head start, eh?"

"I'm not afraid of you," the old man lied transparently, clutching his cane. "You are nothing compared to Death… nothing. Do not underestimate Thanatos… or his new allies."

"Yeah, we know," Gabriel responded flatly. "They're on the list for a visit from our ass-kicking committee as well. So, why don't you just turn around and make your way out of here, and leave all the hard work to us?"

"Gabe." The blond guardian turned to his partner, a silent question in his eyes. "No chances this time. You see to it that our friend here is escorted safely away from the action; I'll keep up the watch for- for our expected guest."

Gabriel stared at his partner for a long moment, hesitating. "Are you sure? I mean, if something happens while I'm gone-"

"Then hurry back." Michael offered him a tight grin. "I can handle things here until you get back."

Another moment passed before Gabe nodded in forced surrender. "Come on, Pesty, let's see you safely out of the range of fire before I slip up and remember all the people you killed back in the day."

"Fine, I'll leave," the old man yielded, but he directed a final strange stare towards the goateed guardian. "But, if you fail, then we're all doomed. Please, keep that in mind. While I would be just as happy never seeing you both again, it would be far better than the alternative." Without waiting for a response, he began jogging heavily into the forest, leaving Gabriel to trail after with a smirk that was equally bemused and irritated. Michael watched them go until the darkness consumed them, and then turned back towards the Resting Place, making his hurried way back towards the battle there.

As he ran, Michael fought to sense everything he could about the fight between Thanatos and the four teens. He could still detect the monstrous energy of each of them, which buoyed his hopes; if they could only wear Thanatos down a little further, then perhaps they could bring him down completely. If they could defeat him, then it would be easy enough to keep him restrained until they could locate his phylactery and destroy it. He, and all of his comrades, had hoped for such a chance ever since their hard-won half-victory against Death and his generals. That they would finally see such a day… well, that most of them would see it, rather. Michael's face fell as the memory of a woman's face, her angled cheekbones and dark eyes and long ebon hair, flashed through his mind. He would give anything to have Azrael with them right now-

Even distracted as he was by his own grim thoughts, Michael still managed to react to the flash of motion that erupted from behind one of the trees. Snarling, he twisted as his hand dove to his waist; he knew that he couldn't dodge the first strike, but he could keep it from striking anything vital. Still the soft caress of the blade drew a loud grunt from him, and as his fingers closed around the hilt of the Judgment he gazed down at the sword still resting against his left arm, the edge still immersed within his bicep. The blade itself was familiar: unlike the European-styled swords used by most of the guardians, this one was distinctly Japanese, a jet-black katana. The man holding it was similarly familiar, and Michael glowered darkly at Sam's face, not yet realizing the meaning behind the nascent regret on the traitor's face.

It became clear a moment later as the numbness began to spread through his left arm, emanating from the still-lodged katana. Michael pulled away quickly, but stumbled as he fought to draw his own sword from its scabbard. Already his limbs were failing to heed him, and his thoughts began to slow as he realized exactly how much danger he was in. He stared again at the katana as the world around him began to dim. "The Silence… Azreal's…" He fell to one knee, his eyes widening as he fought to stay conscious. Forcing his head to tilt up, he met Sam's eyes a final time. "You killed her, Sammael. I'll make you…" His sentence went unfinished as he fell forward, nearly catching himself but failing to keep his face from resting on the earth. It took a moment more for the shuddering of his struggles to cease.

Only when Michael's body was still did Sam step closer, staring down at the body of his former comrade with an unreadable expression. When he saw the faintest motion, the guardian's chest swelling and falling, the traitor's face shifted into a triumphant leer. "Well, old friend, it looks like I'm not as good with this sword as she was. Lucky for you; the same wound from her would have killed you instantly." He leaned closer, holding the katana over the prone guardian. "Of course, I can still hack you apart right here and now, so it works well enough, I suppose." He flourished the blade over the still body before turning it back towards himself, burying it in the sheath at his side. "But no, I think I prefer you alive for the moment. At the least, I want to see the defeat in your eyes when I win. When I strike the head off of your precious master's shoulders. Only then will I kill you, when despair burns in your eyes." Straightening, the rogue guardian turned towards the Resting Place, but stopped instead. "Oh, and I'll be taking these as well. I prefer a different brand, but just in case your little friends are a little too observant…" He stooped to pull the sunglasses from Michael's face and lifted them to his own. "Hrm, they fit well enough. Anyways, it's been great talking to you like this, Michael. We'll have to do it again." Chuckling, the former protector strolled away, heading towards the battle still raging between Thanatos and Tsukune's friends.

Behind him, Michael's body lay still upon the earth. Sedated by the powers of his former comrade's sword, he would not wake for hours. Not even Gabriel's efforts, once the other guardian raced back to find his unconscious form, would be enough to pull him from his slumber. When he would come to, it would be in the Coopers' living room, stretched out upon the couch where Gabriel had left him while the blond guardian saw to the aftermath. Realizing the trap that he had fallen into, Michael would bolt upright and reach for his sword, desperately seeking for any sign of a continuing battle, determined to make up for his failings in any way that he could.

But, by then, it would already be too late.

Author's Note: Ah… wow. It's been a while, no? Uncharacteristically thus, I dare say. As you may have expected, I have reasons, but no matter how valid they may be, please allow me to offer my heartfelt apologies for the time that has passed since I last came bearing one of these chapters, as well as the too-sporadic notes I have left explaining my absence. Mea culpa.

Now, for said reasons, or, technically, reason: As many of you who have been following me for a while will know, I have been unemployed for a rather long time. Since December, actually, when I resigned my position as an appliance salesman in order to attend my graduation and receive my Master's degree in person. While I, and my wife, have been fervently job hunting since, our region's lackluster employment opportunities foiled us time and again, despite our degrees. The initial delay in the story resulted as that matter came to a head, with our student loan deferments rapidly running out. With that looming over me like a doom-laden tidal wave, I found myself traveling quite often to pursue any rumor of a job I found – which meant that I spent far too little time at my familiar desk, enjoying the time and privacy I needed to write on this, or any other, tale. That ended a couple of weeks ago as we finally returned home, and just as I resolved to sit down and finish this – I received a phone call.

A particularly fortuitous phone call, it would turn out, as it was from an acquaintance who, I soon discovered, had become the new principal of my old high school. A school that was private, and thus free of many of the usual constricting regulations concerning employment, and, more importantly, bereft of an English teacher. And so, to make a long story short (a task I am rather bad at, honestly ^_^;), I am now employed as a teacher for 7th grade, as well as Freshman grammar. Hooray for that, though I cringe to admit I am going in utterly blind. Still, my most utilized quote recently, before this matter emerged, was "The worst thing one can be is a teacher that doesn't want to teach." I have carried that as my excuse for far too long; it is time I learned to do a damned good job or die trying. Wish me, and my students, luck.

Moving on to matter less personal: only two chapters remain for this tale, along with the epilogue. I shall endeavor to have the next installment to you as soon as I can, but I do have in-service next week, and the first week of classes after that, so I have no guarantees of how much time I will have to work on this. Oh, and there's the small matter of not having an apartment either, so my privacy is once more non-existent… sigh. But! I have the next chapter fairly well-plotted, since much of it was originally meant to be placed into this one (I figured that you all had waited long enough, and chose to break it early). So, with any luck, I will be back fairly soon with the penultimate chapter. Look forward to the conclusion of much of this tale's conflict, as it should be a big one!

And, to conclude, thanks once more for reading. Thanks especially to my reviewers, but this time in particular I offer gratitude to all those who patiently waited for the next installment. Here's to calmer days ahead, an immediate exception aside, and to the conclusion of Into Dreams, which is not far at all. Of course, that ending isn't the finale of my efforts with R+V; far, far from it. No, even as this story ends, the next shall begin… and I've already begun work on that, as well.

But now, since I have so much on my plate, it is time for some well-deserved sleep.

~Wynn Pendragon