New Helix! Yay! Thanks Osakalover16 for regaining my interest in this.

"How much further?", Osaka groaned.

"Just until we make it back to the path we were walking down earlier. I have a feeling Dagon may have been following us.", Kagura answered as they crunched through the fallen leaves, trying to find their way.

"Ain't Dagon gonna hurt us?", Osaka questioned.

"Not if he knows what's good for him.", Kagura answered.

"What'cha mean?", Osaka asked.

"Think about it; Dagon wants the same thing we do. Who would have thought that the freak that captured us would have been the right one in the end?"

"Wasn't it his fault this happened in tha first place?", Osaka asked.

"Not really.", Kagura said, shaking her head. "If it wasn't Tomo and Yomi then they wouldn't have created Koyomiko."

"Hm..", Osaka was deep in thought. Her instincts told her not to blame her friends. But...they were supporting a rather dangerous child. It was all so confusing to her. All she wanted was everything back to normal. Hopefully Dagon could provide her with that.

Kagura was more sure of her feelings. Koyomiko equals evil. It was a rather grim mantra but it was what she felt was right.

"I think I see the path we took.", Kagura said, motioning Osaka towards a break in the trees.

Indeed, upon exiting into the clearing they noted a bent tree that resembled a crooked old man. This was the path they had taken earlier.

"Do we...uhh..wait?", Osaka asked.

"No, they must have found our path by now. We go and meet them.", Kagura decided.

"Back tha way we came?"

"You got it."

And thus they began their walk in silence. Each had their own thoughts to deal with. But in the end, it was all worth it to them. It was not betrayal by any means. They were saving a friendship. Saving lives even.

'Not much longer and everything will be solved.', Kagura thought.

This brought a smile to her lips.

-------

The more Dagon thought about the situation, the worse it became. Yet, his race was a calm race. His outward expression masked a roiling interior.

The Beast.

Ho Mega Therion.

Apocalypse.

One day it had to come. But it was too soon. He had never expected to see the day. Surely, his race lived nearly three hundred years on average, but witnessing the Apocalypse never crossed his mind. He cursed himself, he had been warned by his father. He had been told the experiment was dangerous. Playing God...but it felt so natural.

He just wished that he could remove himself from involvement.

"There are people ahead.", one of the soldiers said.

The six soldiers raised their rifles and allowed the red laser reticules to hover on the heads of the two girls that came into view.

Osaka immediately dropped into a fetal position but Kagura remained standing and regarded the men with a cool stare.

"Ah, nice to see you again.", Dagon said.

"Nice to see you too.", Kagura responded.

Dagon was not fooled. The girls had set a trap for him, but he would not be the idiot here. He whispered a few words in his native tongue telling the soldiers to keep their aim as he walked down the slight incline to meet the two girls.

"There is a reason, is there not?", Dagon was not one to mince words.

"Why else would we be here?", Kagura grinned.

By this time Osaka had stood back up. She was shaking but felt she needed to insert some of her own wisdom.

"Koyomiko is an alien!"

Dagon chuckled.

"Well, umm..not really but...she has some really strange powers.", Kagura clarified.

"I'm aware that she can kill.", Dagon said.

"Kill!?", Kagura and Osaka said almost simultaneously.

"Kill like no beast that has ever been known. A peerless hunter.", Dagon said.

This slammed Kagura and Osaka like a two ton bucket of raw fish. They had seen Koyomiko hover Kagura. They had seen her read minds. They knew that one day she may be dangerous if influenced in the wrong way. But they had not even thought she could be a natural born killer.

"Tell me...Kagura...Ayumu, have you ever heard of Ho Mega Therion and the Apocalypse?"

"The Apocalypse...", Kagura entered deep thought. She had heard the term before...she just wasn't quite sure what it meant.

"You mean tha end of tha world!?", Osaka bursted out.

Leave it to Osaka to know.

"WHAT!?", Kagura screamed.

"Ya know, when the world ends. Tha Great Beast comes and we all die!", Osaka expounded.

"WHAT!?", Kagura screamed again. "DID YOU KNOW THIS ALL ALONG!?", she accused Dagon.

"I have been trying to destroy her for a reason, Kagura-san.", Dagon said.

"But how can...", Kagura was on the edge of hyperventilation. Everything had struck her so quickly and without mercy.

"We wanna help ya get her, Dagon.", Osaka said, raising her hand.

Dagon regarded the girls for a moment and then smiled. Everything was far too perfect. Even if it was a trap, he considered, they were but mere humans. All in one place, he could destroy them all if need be.

"Are you willing to lead us to our target?", he asked.

Kagura nodded. "They haven't gone far."

He motioned for the soldiers to move closer. Osaka was relieved that the laser reticules were no longer on her forehead.

"Time is of the essence.", Dagon said.

Kagura understood and gulped. She began to lead them. She didn't ask how he would destroy Koyomiko because her mind was too befuddled to even consider it.

All their trust was now in his hands.

-----

They could now see the town clearly. The group stopped at regarded the small hamlet for a moment. It was not far off, possibly only one more kilometre.

"Wow, we must be out in the boonies. That place is tiny.", Tomo pointed out.

Yomi became nervous at the sight of the strange town. It didn't seem to her like any Japanese town she had ever seen. The houses were larger and very individual, the tallest building looked to be the steeple of a church. She was put off but she kept quiet about it.

Instead she said to Tomo, "Where else would we go? I don't see another town for miles!"

"I wasn't complaining.", Tomo explained. "I just think it looks like crap."

Koyomiko tugged on Yomi's sleeve.

"Let's go, Kaa-san."

Yomi yanked Tomo along with her as the family joined up with Kaorin and Chihiro who had moved slightly ahead.

"What I'm wondering is...", Kaorin mused as they walked. "What do we say to them when we get there? We can't just tell anyone we got captured by aliens!"

"Just say we're hobos.", Tomo suggested.

"I'm not sure if that would work...", Yomi said dryly.

"Don't worry! I'll take care of everything!", Koyomiko said with a smile.

"What?", Yomi asked.

"I'll talk to people."

"Hey, good idea! People gotta listen to a cute little girl!", Tomo said with a chuckle.

"What will you say to them?", Chihiro asked.

"We were hiking and we got lost!", Koyomiko said.

"You're a genius!", Tomo spouted.

Yomi nodded. Koyomiko had to have gotten her brains from Yomi.

Kaorin was immediately put ill at ease. Gods know what Koyomiko would do. Kaorin shivered, thinking that Koyomiko was planning to use her mind powers on the people of the innocent little town.

"Hey! Look at that!", Tomo was screaming from up ahead.

She was pointing through the edge of the forest at a weather-worn dirt path that lead directly into the heart of the town.

"Wow, we made it.", Yomi noted.

"Yay!", Koyomiko said. "We're close!"

The direct sunlight felt good on their skin as they stepped onto the road. Everything seemed to be looking up! Going from the terror of the alien stronghold to a beautiful pathway that lead to solace was the greatest thing they had ever experienced.

Kaorin was the only one without a smile.

--------

"They're 0.3 kilometres from the town. What do we do now?", one of the soldiers asked as he spied the girls through his high powered rifle scope.

"Continue as planned.", Dagon said.

"Won't the people in that town be all freaked out though?", Kagura asked.

"If anything, they should be elated we are here to save them.", Dagon said. "It matters not if they understand why."

"So, we catch them now?", one soldier asked.

"Yes, we end this now. It should only take a moment.", Dagon grinned, flexing the hand wearing the Class C Vorpal Lysis Demodulator.

----

"What do you want with her?", Sakaki asked through gritted teeth.

Taito smiled as he held Kaede, who barely struggled.

"I was the first. The only male experiment. The product of my fathers. Kaede and me...we would make beautiful children.", he said.

"What!?", Chiyo exclaimed.

"What good does that do? What are you planning?", Sakaki asked.

"The only way for me to escape this damned place! Our children would be eight-helixed beasts! Far more powerful than the Dagon. For once, all the former experiments would be freed! Freed by my hands! We would have free reign to do as we pleased!", Taito laughed.

"What good is that, Taito-san!? Would you give up your gracious nature all for your greed?", Chiyo spouted.

"I'd give up anything to save my race. And for being so nice as to let me take your daughter as my own...I will spare you two, and your friends. You can live with us in the new world!", Taito said.

"Why take revenge on humans? What have we ever done to you?", Sakaki said, her voice carrying unmasked anger at the insanity of this man.

"Existed! Us Tetra-heloids would not be cursed to be the Dagon's sex toys if you did not exist! I will make sure that nothing as horrible as us is ever created again!"

So noble...yet so twisted.

"Think about it, Taito-san! You look no different from us! You could easily be accepted into human society. Please, forget your grudge and come with us! Escape with us.", Chiyo urged, tears growing in her eyes. She had to convince this man. Everything...everything was on the shoulders of her and Sakaki. It made no sense.

'Why is fate so cruel sometimes?', she thought.

"Blend in to society, eh? Hah! I've watched humans! They can't even accept their own kind much less something different! Humans are a cruel species, they discriminate against anyone and everyone they can!", he retorted.

"You can't say that.", Sakaki said calmly.

"I can and I am.", he replied.

"We accept you Taito-san. We are not here to harm you or any of your brethren. We know Kaede is one of your kind, but we love her.", Sakaki said.

"She is your daughter!", he screamed.

"Even so!", Chiyo said. "Even if she wasn't, she would not find hate in anyone I have ever met. Yes, there are racists and those who discriminate, but they are rare in a world that is truly willing to accept people for who they are, and not base judgment on what they are."

Taito paused for a moment. Is this girl serious?

"Are you blind!?", he yelled. "I've seen the wars and the killings! Even if your skin is a different colour humans kill over it! There is very little choice in your world! You are how you are born!"

"Humans learn from their mistakes.", Sakaki explained. "In the past, the world was far less tolerant. Everyone makes mistakes and without those mistakes humans would not have learned what they have."

"Yes! A few hundred years ago many places in the world discriminated against and enslaved Africans because of the colour of their skin. But now, that type of racism is almost non-existent!", Chiyo said.

Taito regarded them with dark eyes; placing his normal bright blue irises under heavy shadow.

"And you think they would accept a freak like me who doesn't even share the same DNA? Not even the same basic blocks of life!", he said.

"Humans are more tolerant than you think.", Sakaki said.

"Yes.", Chiyo acknowledged.

Then she did something that surprised even her. Chiyo walked slowly up to Taito, who tightened his grip around Kaede's neck. She looked up at the man with pleading eyes. She could see the confusion that was wrought within him.

She felt so hurt by the man.

She knew he was struggling.

Sadness overtook her.

She hugged Taito around his waist. She held on tightly and poured all the love she had into that one action.

His eyes went wide. He had never been hugged before. He felt joyous to know what love is like. But to him, the emotion had no name.

Then came Sakaki, who did the same. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him with the love she would hug a family member.

A human family member.

"We love you, Taito-san."

"You are no different from us. You are...you.", Sakaki whispered.

------

"Wow! This feels great!", Tomo exclaimed as she skipped gleefully along the path. She felt free, less trapped.

"I wonder if they have good food there...", Yomi mumbled as she felt her stomach growl.

"Hey, Koyomiko do you know what-", Tomo began.

"NO!!!", Koyomiko cried and whipped around in a single swift motion.

With her enhanced senses, she felt the presences behind her. She heard the click and the release.

Pouring all her mind energy into a protective barrier she managed to deflect the small projectile that was headed straight for her.

It gouged into her arm before passing into the tall grass beside the road.

She let out a loud, pained scream.

Dagon and his followers stood only three metres away. He still had his hand held up from when he had fired the Class C.

In her daze, Koyomiko saw those beside Dagon.

He recognized Osaka and Kagura.

Rage filled within her. She could feel something boiling. Something ravenous and deadly. Her only thought was of elimination.

But she felt weak.

She felt the end was near.

But this newfound rage within her gave her strength to fight death.

The Apocalypse has begun.

The Beast has awoken.

-----