A/N: Thank you for passing 1000 hits, even though it's not all really evened out in the stats.. Ah, well, nothing to dwell on over Christmas, is it? I wish you a Merry Christmas, a nice season, hopefully some precious time with family and friends. And we'll probably see again next year then! =)

Chapter Four

-Still Flashback-

Jona's wavelength could not reach here, but Red was too heavy –if she had to carry him unconscious as he was– to stay up in the air for more than a few minutes. Furthermore, she was weakened, so she would be lucky not to touch the ground for longer than a minute. Yet, judging from Jona's exhausted expression, he was probably unable to use his wavelength once again.

Just when Rin found that straw of hope to cling to, Jona's face twisted into a self-confident, triumphant smirk. She barely had time to feel horror and to start the thought of what he might still have up his sleeve, when he already jumped. A mid-air battle would usually be to her advantage since her wings allowed her to maneuver swiftly. Yet, carrying her unconscious partner made it impossible to dodge anything right now. So this is the finishing blow? Just when this thought crossed her mind, Jona used his bandages as a whip to wipe the two Shibusen students out of the sky.

When her body hit the ground, the impact made the street crumble. Rin coughed blood, then somehow managed to roll onto her stomach. She had been unable to hold onto Red when Jona's attack hit her. She had to find him. Even though her body was sore and did no longer intend to move an inch under her command, she forced it to twist her head in order to look around. Luckily, Red hat hit the ground only a few feet away from her, so she immediately started crawling towards his figure. She only had a chance to protect him if she was close enough to actually shield him from any further attacks. Right now, he was too much of an easy prey. And it was quiet. Too quiet. Where was Jona? This was his chance to kill them both and get it done with. Or had he already ran off? She hoped so. She wanted him to be gone so that she could be sure at least Red and herself made it alive. To assure herself that she only failed on avenging her brother, but did not lose both her partners to the same cursed kishin. Even though this was not about pride, she would never forgive herself if it came down to this. Rin reached out a hand. She could almost touch him now. Only a few more inches and-

Red's eyes flew open and his sudden scream filled the scene as all six of Jona's arms, made hard and pointy once more, pierced the boy's body with an impact that even lifted him off the ground for a brief moment. Blood splattered, and Rin's outcry got stuck in her throat.

Jona pulled away, causing even more blood to spill on the ground and the weapon girl, and made his escape. He had intended to finish her off as well, but in this last moment, he had felt something incredible evil emerging from her soul. Evil enough to scare him off and flee, before this demon could catch him.

Rin's body went completely numb. She was in such a state of shock that all her exhaustion and wounds were forgotten. She sat up and pulled herself the last few inches over to Red, then placing his head into her lap. While her mind was almost blank, there was an outburst of rage within her soul. Yet, this did not reach the surface, it was held captive in her subconscience – at least for now.

Rin did not understand how, but Red was still breathing. Only barely, but still breathing. She brushed some strands out of his eyes. She could barely see any skin beneath all the spilled blood, but it neither disgusted nor scared her. Her heart had already surrendered, surrendered to the one thing inevitable in life: death. Yet, she had never felt her heart become this heavy, she had never before experienced this level of despair. After all the lives she had taken and all the people she had watched die, she had thought that there was nothing which could get close to her heart anymore. However though she had been wrong, there were no tears. She felt them, burning inside of her, but she simply could not shed them.

"Rin." It was only a whisper. She barely heard him. Red also tried to move, to somehow touch her in those last moments of his.

She took one of his hands and gently entwined her fingers with his. "It's okay, I'm here. I won't leave you."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What for? I should be the one apologizing. I couldn't protect you even though you are my meister... I've been nothing but a burden for you. I-"

"Don't... don't say such things. I wouldn't want to be with anyone but you right now. And I'm sorry for leaving you all alone again. You deserve so much better than this..." Red chuckled and closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I'm pretty pathetic, eh? Now that Jun forced me to finally confess to you, I can't stay by your side anymore... It was just.. I was so scared that if I'd get in between you two, it would spoil everything we had."

"Me, too." Rin felt as if there was a tight grip around her heart, it's beat hurt in her chest. "I was scared too. I was afraid that if I told you I loved you and you accepted my feelings, there would come the day when I had to choose between you and Jun, and I wouldn't know which one to pick, since I loved both of you to the point that I'd die for you... I feel so stupid, now that I lost both of you but am still left alive. But maybe this is my own, private hell."

"Even if it is, you'll live, won't you? Just like it has always been. Right?"

"Yeah. Now that there's nothing left for me, I won't even fear hell. I will live, and maybe I'll be able to save someone else one day, even though I couldn't save you."

"That's good to hear. I'd probably just give up and accept the fact that I'm a complete failure. But you're incredibly strong, unlike me. That's probably why I fell in love with you before I even knew you, or learned you were Jun's younger sister."

"Then why didn't you tell me back then? Did I scare you off?"

"No. I guess I just didn't notice it then. But thinking back now, everything's pretty clear. And it appears quite regrettable, doesn't it?"

"Guess we'll never know. That's just how life goes, I think. Na, it's more like what I've learned it goes."

There was silence for a second, then Red spoke again, "Say, Rin, do you remember what I told you last year, after my grandmother passed away?" His voice started to fade more and more.

"I do."

"Then, will you kiss me goodbye?"

His eyes closed as she bend down and pressed her lips to his. It only lasted for a second, then his heart stopped beating and his body dissolved beneath her. Again, the kiss obtained his soul, and Rin's hand clenched over her heart in pain.

At the moment the pain ceased and she came to realize that she was left alone once again, her mind snapped.

-End of Flashback-

"No way," Maka whispered stunned. She had seen Red Ravens soul once, and it had left her eyes wide, stopping mid-step in the hallway. She remembered Soul growling when he bumped into her. "There's just no way...," she whispered again.

However, no one reacted to her words. Both Jona and Soul were focused on the weapon girl.

Rin stood, just like before, between Jona and the two Shibusen students, her right hand clenched over the deep wound on her left arm. Blood flowed and soaked her white sweater, slowly turning it a feverish, alarming crimson. Yet, something was different from before the end of the 'story'. Her wavelength, previously an enraged burst with seemingly no pattern whatsoever, had completely calmed down. It was steady, as was her heartbeat. She knew this feeling well. It was anger, in some form, like a cold flame, that even scared the monster inside of her, since the cause was beyond its comprehension. It was a feeling that made her feel invincible without relying on that monster's power.

Soul, tagging Maka along, got to his feet when Rin turned around, leaving her back wide open for Jona to attack. Yet, he could not. Because he could see it, that cold flame that hushed the beast within her. It was the same as the last time he tried to kill her, and it still scared him just as much. All he could do, was stare at this flame and shiver.

Some strands that had escaped her braids during the fight were covering Rin's eyes, hiding her expression. A second past. Two. Three. Then she moved her head up just a little to stare right into Souls ruby orbs, and there was no need for words. He was a weapon, too, after all, and he had already protected Maka with his own body, which had left this huge scar across his torso. He understood her train of thought, and he could probably catch her feelings to some extend. So there was absolutely no way he could refuse her. This being the case, the only thing left for him to do was nod an approval and wait for her next move.

Rin reached out her hand, yet her fingers were not stretched, so she did not quite touch Soul's chest. She closed her eyes and focused for a moment, then she slightly poked him, right where his heart was, and suddenly became discarnate, literally falling into him. A second later, she was gone, but Soul could still feel her – within himself. Rin had somehow become a part of him, and he was startled by the power he felt now. "Wow," he said breathed.

"Wha... what's going on here, Soul? Where is Rin?" Maka's voice was somewhat panicky.

"Calm down, Maka. She's right here," he tapped his chest, then directed his words to Rin, "I don't know what this power of yours does exactly, but I feel.. invincible."

He felt her chuckle. "I knew you'd say that, Soul-san. Believe me, this is only the beginning... But you should transform now, so we can finally bring this to an end." Her voice echoed inside of him, just as if they were in resonance.

"Alright, let's roll." Soul felt excitement, it came along with the power boost. "Ready, Maka?" He did not wait for an answer from his meister and swiftly transformed.

Maka cried out in surprise as she caught the weapon in mid-air. Instead of the regular shape Soul took on, the scythe now had a second blade attached at the far end of the hilt, pointing the opposite direction. Yet, it did not feel this much different. The weight was the same, even though the balance was a little shifted. Even more, she felt that this was still Soul. Only a little more... powerful than usual.

"What is this?", Jona cried out before Maka had the chance to ask, his voice a pitch higher than it used to be.

To their surprise, the upper bodies of both weapons rose from the two blades, Soul in the front and Rin in the rear. The girl smirked, "I'm really sorry I didn't had the chance to show you at our first encounter, Jona Quinn. This.. is the power of a copy, and it will be the last thing you get to see in this world."

A/N: Well roared, lion! We'll see if Rin's threat is more than empty words or if anything unexpected happens again.