Chapter 17: The End of a Dream (Part 2)

Somewhere in the Otherworld, shortly after…

Hisana

"Can you see anything?" Hisana called.

From where he stood high upon the roof of a demolished building, Axel sadly shook his head.

"Nothing. There's no sign of either of them."

The vampiress let out a worried sigh. "Alright, you can come down then."

She felt a soft hand place itself on her shoulder, and turned to see Roxas giving her a sympathetic smile.

"Don't worry Hisana, we'll find them." he said softly.

It had been nearly three hours since Evelyn had stormed off to look for Shinzo. Once again, Hisana felt guilty for not realizing her best friend's true feelings until it was too late. Without saying them outright, the demoness had revealed her last two secrets. One being that she was deeply in love with Shinzo, and the other being her resentment toward Hisana for being the sole object of Shinzo's desire. Axel also felt guilty, for he had unintentionally caused great hurt to the demoness who had remained kind to him and Hisana despite how she felt.

"I just don't get it though." he thought out loud as he came down from his perch. "If Evelyn knew about Shinzo's feelings for you this whole time, why didn't she try to stop you and I from getting together?"

"Knowing her, she probably wanted there to be some way for both me and Shinzo to be happy, even if it cost her own happiness in the process." the vampiress gazed down at the floor. "She never really cared about what happened to herself, and now because of that she's gone...I've caused her so much pain for so long..."

As much as he wanted to say something to make her feel better, Axel found himself at an unusual loss for words. The best thing they could do right now was keep searching. The tall pyro gave his girlfriend a caring hug.

"When we find her, we'll both apologize. But we can't keep searching for much longer, I can tell you need some rest. How about we search the next area, then call it a day?"

He felt her nod in approval against his chest, and smiled softly. The three of them walked on for a bit longer until they came upon a rather strange part of the world. For once, there was color in the sky above. However, the blood red lighting only served to make the new area seem unwelcome to outsiders. As they walked through what appeared to be a cross between a castle and a garden, they noticed large black vines covered in thorns stretched over most of the walls and passages of the building. Eventually they entered a large circular room with red heart shaped stained glass windows along the walls. For some reason, all of the windows were broken on one side. Hisana let out a loud gasp when she saw that there were images on the broken pieces, all of which were of her. The images on the mostly intact portions of the windows were of Shinzo in her human form. In each image, the older girl was either on the verge of tears or was knelt down with her face buried in her hands.

"Have you come to admire your handiwork, you ungrateful little bitch?"

All three of the room's occupants turned in surprise upon hearing the sound. Although it was a little deeper, the voice was nearly identical to Shinzo's. A woman with black hair, red eyes, ghostly pale skin, and sinister looking black armor emerged from the shadows of the room. To both Axel and Hisana's surprise, the woman's face was exactly the same as Shinzo's. The knight was clenching both her hands into fists, and glared straight at Hisana.

"Awful, isn't it, seeing the current state of her heart? How does it feel to know that all of this was caused by you?" the woman said.

"Her heart...? Wait, who are you?" Hisana said, drawing her zanpakutou.

"My name is Gaia Knight. I am the other-self of Shinzo Koutari. Another side of her, if you will."

"What were you talking about when you said 'her heart'? Does this place have anything to do with Shinzo?"

"This place is the manifestation of Shinzo's emotional pain and suffering. It is a world that exists within her, a place where she can put away all of her doubts and fears and live a happy life in reality. This is where I was born." Gaia gestured toward the windows. "These windows represent her hopes and dreams. When her heart broke, so too did her hope for a happy future with you."

"I...did this?"

"You're damn right you did! You have no idea how much she sacrificed for you, all for the sake of winning your love! She fought for you, she bled for you, she even died for you! And when she finally got her wish, when she finally had the courage to tell you how she felt, you spat in her face! All she ever wanted was your love, but you just couldn't give it to her, could you?"

Hisana was hesitant to respond, so Axel took her place. "Where is Shinzo now? If you're a part of her, you should know where she ran away to."

"Running away? Is that the only thing you got from her? You fucking idiots, she's not just running away! Hisana was her sole reason for existing, and now that Shinzo knows she can never have her, she's lost her will to live!"

Hisana's eyes widened in horror. "No...you can't mean-"

"She's going to kill herself!"

The trio all froze. Hisana began to shake with fear. She knew her rejection had hurt Shinzo, but she hadn't expected her to react so extremely. Gaia continued to glare at her, seething with barely restricted anger. Hisana fell to her knees in sorrow.

"No...I didn't want that...I didn't want her to die..." she said tearfully.

"Then what the fuck did you want? You told her you hated her, and to Shinzo that means you've brought her worst fear to life! To her, there is no longer any hope for the love she wanted! What better way is there to disappear completely than to die?" the knight's glare softened by a fraction as she closed her eyes. "Lucky for us, Shinzo is pretty damn hard to kill. It'll take her some time to figure out an effective method of suicide. I don't want to disappear, and she doesn't deserve to go out like this..."

Gaia summoned her twin greatswords and struck a combat stance similar to that of her counterpart. The other-self opened her enraged red eyes and smiled insanely at the vampiress.

"It seems that once again I must take matters into my own hands. I'll bring you back to her, even if I have to break every bone in your body!"

The knight burst towards Hisana with swords raised. Just before the blades collided, they were stopped by the sudden appearance of chakrams and a keyblade. Though it took a tremendous amount of effort, Axel and Roxas managed to push aside the large weapons. Gaia grit her teeth and leapt back.

"I don't have time to play with you two. Valkyrie!" she called.

As if on command, a lightly armored woman with white hair carrying a spear and shield flew dashed in front of the knight and slashed at the pair of former nobodies. With a gasp, Axel realized that not only did the new enemy have a pair of angelic white wings, but she had the exact same face and eye color of Hisana. The winged woman smirked at him.

"My, you really are handsome. No wonder we chose you." said the woman.

Axel and Roxas leapt back as the long spear slashed at them again.

"What do you mean, 'we'?"

"Can't you tell? I'm Hisana's other-self, Valkyrie."

Axel groaned as he readied himself for what he knew would be a difficult battle.

"I'm getting real tired of this shit..."

Meanwhile...

Evelyn

The oldest Koutari girl ran as fast as she could across the barren landscape. She knew exactly what her heartbroken younger sister's true intention was, and she had fled the castle in the pursuit of keeping it from happening. Evelyn didn't care that she had probably betrayed her closest friend's trust by slapping Axel and allowing Shinzo to try to force her feelings on Hisana. At least if the vampiress hated her now, then she could finally express her own hatred. Shinzo's scent became stronger as shimmering white ruins came into view. Evelyn's eyes widened a little in recognition. Even in its crumbling and decrepit state, she recognized the white crystal fortress that she had once called home. This is...our house. This is where I was born...I can't believe I'd forgotten it after all this time. This world, this place of pain and eternal darkness, this is my home. Her thought's were interrupted when the scent of blood suddenly arose in the air. A surge of terror went through her, and she doubled her speed. The tan demoness ran through ruined halls, ducked under falling debris, and leapt over rubble until she came across the source of the scent. The sight made Evelyn gasp in utter horror. Shinzo lay against what remained of a wall, and was currently in the process of cutting open her chest with her own sword. Blood and tears fell from the snow haired girl as she went about her deadly deed.

"It's all my fault...if only I hadn't lost control...I have to die...I don't want to hurt her again..." Shinzo paused as she split open an artery. "I'm a freak...a murderer...a monster...no one loves me...no one will miss me..."

"Stop..."

The younger girl froze for a moment upon hearing Evelyn's voice. Slowly, she turned to see the older girl's pained expression as tears fell down her face.

"Stop hurting yourself...I don't want you to die..."

Shinzo was too shocked by Evelyn's appearance to notice how much blood she had lost. Before she could formulate a response, her vision went black, and she collapsed. When Shinzo awoke again, she found herself laying on a large white bed, with bandages wrapped around her chest. She was about to sit up, when she felt something heavy keeping her down. Confused, the demoness turned to see Evelyn laying on top of her, with her arms wrapped protectively around her. Shinzo could see the remnants of tear stains on the older girl's face. She was...crying. But why? I thought she hated me? Feeling the younger girl begin to stir, Evelyn's eyes slowly fluttered open. The older girl looked over to where Shinzo was staring at her, and fresh tears began to flow.

"Ev-"

The rest of the word died in her throat as Shinzo suddenly found herself locking lips with the tan girl. Evelyn kept them locked in this embrace for as long as she could until she had to breathe. Shinzo stared up at her in shock, a bright red blush spreading across her cheeks. Evelyn smiled sadly at the sight.

"Don't ever do that again, you big idiot. You had me so worried, what would I have done if I lost you?" she said softly.

"Evelyn...I don't understand...aren't you mad at me, after I..." Shinzo averted her gaze as guilt racked her mind. "I hurt you...I threatened to kill you if you got in the way...I'm the worst...so, why did you save me? Don't you want me gone?"

Evelyn shook her head without looking away. "No. I will never leave your side, Shinzo. Yes, you hurt me, and for a time I was sad. But, it was not your hand that gave me pain, it was your heart."

"My heart? But how could I-"

Then it hit her. She should have seen it long ago. There were more than enough signs. There's something very important I need to tell you!...Why must it be her? She doesn't even love you!...I don't want to see you hurt yourself...I'm always worried about you...Please, don't get yourself killed...I don't want you to die... How could she have been so blind? Evelyn was right, her heart had dealt her a greater blow than her hand ever could.

"You're...in love with me..." Shinzo whispered.

Evelyn nodded. "I knew that you wouldn't listen to me if I told you how I felt. You were too much in love with Hisana. Even still, I waited. I chose to hope that one day you would see how much I love you, that you would stop chasing after someone else. But, as time went on, I started to lose hope, especially when you left to pursue your feelings..."

More tears fell from the older girl's eyes, but her smile didn't fade.

"I worried about you day and night when you left. I was afraid that something terrible would happen, and I'd never see you again. I made a promise, that the next time I saw you, I would tell you the truth. But when you finally came back, you wouldn't listen. You told me we were sister's now, and that we could still be friends, just as we'd always been, and you could finally have Hisana..."

Finally, she could bear it no longer. Evelyn cried out in grief, and buried her face in her hands.

"I don't want to be friends! I want you to love me, not her! That's why I didn't approve, I was jealous! Jealous because even though I was your best friend, you chose your own sister instead! Jealous because she doesn't deserve you! Jealous because she doesn't want your heart, but I have always given you mine! I love you! So please, just please, don't leave me alone again!"

The older girl hugged Shinzo close, and buried her face in her shoulder. Shinzo watched Evelyn let out tears she had been holding back for most of her life, and felt the painful truth conveyed in her confession. Evelyn had always loved the younger girl, honestly and truly, but Shinzo was too blinded by her own selfish desires to see it, and in doing so had caused her closest friend, who had never once betrayed her trust nor wished her harm, to become horribly depressed and jealous. Feeling tears of her own beginning to form, Shinzo returned the embrace.

"I'm so sorry...I've hurt you so much...I've been such a fool...I'm so, so sorry Evelyn..." she said between sobs.

A few moments passed, and finally neither of them had tears left to shed. Evelyn sat up again, still holding onto the younger girl. Shinzo looked at her in confusion.

"Evelyn?"

"I have...a request..." she said it slowly. Whether it was from emphasis or uncertainty, it was unclear.

Either way, Shinzo was glad to do anything that could cheer up her friend. "Anything, name it."

The older girl gulped, and her eyebrows furrowed for a moment as she tried to come to terms with what she was about to say. "Do you promise...that you will accept my request, no matter what it might be?"

"I don't have to kill someone, do I?" she was half-joking.

"No, nothing like that."

"Then I promise, if it will make you happy again, I will do anything you ask."

Evelyn nodded. "Then, Shinzo Koutari, my...sister..."

The older girl's arms reached around and began undoing the bandages covering Shinzo's chest, while she used her tail to undo her top. Before the younger girl could try to protest, Evelyn pulled a hand back and cupped her cheek.

"Marry me."

The younger demoness paused. She had figured Evelyn would ask her for a night of romance or two, but marriage...she wasn't sure if she was ready to spend the rest of her life with someone like that. But then again, she had promised to honor the request, and seeing as how both of them were outcasts who didn't belong, if not Evelyn, then who? Shinzo smiled and put her hand on Evelyn's cheek.

"I will marry you, Evelyn Koutari."

At that, the older girl's eyes lit up with joy, possibly for the first time in several years. (Technically, she's 4. Physically, she's 40) Tears flowed from her eyes again, but this time out of happiness rather than pain. Evelyn leaned forward.

"Thank you." she whispered as their lips met.

They embraced like this for a few moments, until the need for air outweighed the passion they shared. Evelyn backed away from Shinzo for a moment, keeping a grip on her undone top.

"Now, it's time." she said.

"Time for what?" Shinzo asked in a sultry manner, since she had an idea of what her partner meant due to their barely held together clothing.

"Time for us to get married."

"Wait, really? Right now? But don't we need a pastor and guests and everything?"

"No. You see, both of us are demons, and thanks to some knowledge I gained recently, I learned that as demons we can establish a form of marriage that is much more...physical."

(A/N: WARNING! M rated sexual content ahead. SECOND WARNING! the sex includes futanari. If you don't know what futanari is, read on and be scarred (or a fan of) for life. Otherwise, or if sex between two girls just isn't your thing, skip to the next A/N. Just remember, YOU WERE WARNED.)

"Basically, either one or both of us marks the other during intercourse. The mark will signify us as mates." Evelyn explained.

"Kinky." Shinzo replied.

"Indeed. So, shall we begin?"

The younger girl nodded, and let go of her bandages. Evelyn mimicked the motion, and now both women were topless. Shinzo stared with a mix of envy and lust at Evelyn's rather large breasts, admiring their curves and their alluring dark skin tone. Evelyn reached out and first gently, then firmly grasped Shinzo's slightly smaller bosom. Now I know how all those people who looked at my chest feel...these feel even more amazing than I thought they would. the older girl thought as she massaged the soft mounds. The younger girl let out a surprised gasp as her cheeks turned a bright red. Evelyn seductively quirked an eyebrow at this.

"Oh? What's this? Not used to having someone touch you?"

"U-usually I'm the one doing the-Ahh!~touching. Plus, shouldn't I be making you feel good?"

"Don't worry, you'll get your chance to ravage me soon enough. Besides, just knowing that I can make you sound like this is making me feel good."

As if to prove her point, Evelyn lowered her head and gave one of Shinzo's nipples a long lick. The younger girl moaned at the contact, encouraging the older girl to take the nipple into her mouth while her hand took care of the other. Without realizing it, Shinzo's tail was shaking about in excitement. Evelyn saw the appendage out of the corner of her eye, and used her free hand to guide Shinzo's to her chest. The younger girl took the hint and gave the large mound a soft squeeze. Evelyn moaned lightly at this, causing Shinzo to smirk. Feeling mischievous, the older girl moved up a bit to place a series of tender kisses on the younger girl's neck. As the pleasure mounted, Shinzo became more and more aware of a growing constriction below her waist. It took her a moment to remember that she now had an 'extra part', and said part had decided to make its presence known. Evelyn paused for a moment to see why Shinzo had stopped treating her chest, and followed her gaze down to the bulge sticking up from the younger girl's crotch.

"Ah, I was wondering how long it would take to get you worked up." the older girl said.

Shinzo shot her a look of genuine surprise. "You mean you're not disgusted by...you know, 'it'?"

"Not at all. Actually, ever since I saw it earlier, I couldn't help but feel curious."

A feeling of relief washed over the younger girl. She had been worried that because of her unusual body, Evelyn would reject her. But apparently, the fact that said demoness was currently undoing the straps restricting her member said otherwise. Evelyn pulled off the garments in one swift motion, and gasped at seeing the other girl's length. Shinzo stared nervously down at the older girl for any signs of disgust. Instead, she saw interest and hunger.

"Amazing..." Evelyn whispered. "Can it come as well?"

"I-I don't know, I've never used it before."

Curious, Evelyn lightly stroked the tip of Shinzo's length with a finger, resulting in a loud hiss from the younger girl. Apparently it felt good. The older girl then slowly took hold of Shinzo's shaft and began to run her hand back and forth, earning several gasps and groans from the younger girl.

"Ahh~s-slow down! That's too sensitive!" Shinzo pleaded feebly.

Evelyn's excitement only increased, and she soon found the bravery to take first the tip, then nearly all of the younger girl's length into her mouth. Shinzo watched with pleasure and satisfaction as the older girl fervently sucked and licked her shaft with an expression of pure bliss. As she sucked, Evelyn reached down with one hand to touch her core, only half surprised at finding how wet she was. Shinzo could feel a pressure mounting within her, and knew she was close to release. Before she could get out a warning, the pleasure reached its peak, and with a cry of ecstasy Shinzo released her passion straight into Evelyn's mouth. The older girl released her lover's length when she found herself unable to swallow all of her seed, causing some of it to get on her face. The younger girl panted heavily for a few moments before checking on Evelyn.

"I'm sorry, it just felt so good that I couldn't-" Shinzo tried.

Evelyn wasn't listening. She was currently wiping the cum off her face with her fingers so she could put the rest in her mouth.

"It tastes warm and strange...yet also delicious..."

At seeing the older girl's highly sensual expression, Shinzo's length hardened again.

"My, it seems you are still ready to go. Well then, I believe its time for the real thing."

Evelyn sat up, and pulled down her lower garments. Shinzo stared hungrily at the sight of the older girl's womanhood, which was dripping wet in anticipation for what was about to come. Evelyn laid back down on the bed opposite the younger girl, and spread her legs and entrance wide. She saw the excitement in her lover's eyes, and smiled seductively.

"Make me yours, Shinzo."

The younger girl gulped nervously as she placed herself between Evelyn's legs. With some guidance from the older girl, Shinzo positioned her length at Evelyn's entrance. She shot the older girl one last questioning glance silently asking, Are you sure?. Evelyn nodded happily and took hold of the sheets. I've always been sure. Taking hold of the older girl's hips, Shinzo pulled back, then thrust inside her. Evelyn cringed as her virgin barrier was broken, and tightened her grip on the bedsheets. Shinzo saw blood begin to seep from where they were connected, and looked up worriedly at the older girl. Evelyn looked to be in pain for a moment, then she relaxed and gave an expression of bliss as she nodded for the younger girl to continue. Shinzo thrust in and out first at a slow pace, not wanting to cause the older girl any unnecessary pain.

"F-faster..." Evelyn managed.

Shinzo's pace increased, causing the older girl to start letting out loud moans of passion. The sound of Evelyn's blissful cries excited the younger girl, and encouraged her to go even faster. The older girl's moans became even louder, and her mouth hung wide open.

"Harder..."

Shinzo happily obliged the request, as the tightness and warmth of Evelyn's insides around her length were causing her to let out her own gasps and pants of ecstasy. Evelyn's hips began moving to match the younger girl's rhythm, making Shinzo gasp louder.

"It feels...amazing...inside you..." she said between thrusts.

"Ahh~I'm glad...that you...are my first...I'm so happy..."

Shinzo could feel the tension mounting inside her again, and new that she was close. However, she also knew that there would be consequences if she released inside of the older girl now.

"Evelyn...I'm...not gonna last much longer...I have to...pull out..."

At hearing this, the older girl clamped her legs tightly around Shinzo, preventing her from retracting herself.

"No...I want you...to cum...inside me..."

"But if I do that, you'll-"

"I know...I want us...to be a family...I'll have your child...please, don't pull out...don't run away again..."

"Evelyn..."

The older girl ground against her thrusts a few more times, and finally neither of them could hold out any longer. Both demoness's cried out each other's names as they released. Shinzo collapsed on top of Evelyn, still letting out her seed. To her surprise, the older girl lightly bit down on her shoulder.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"I told you before, one or more of us marks each other during intercourse. Once that happens, the two of us will remain connected for the rest of our lives."

"Connected?"

"Yes, our souls are now connected to each other. My strength is your strength, your power is my power, your heart and mine are one. Now no matter how far apart we are, we will always be able to feel each other."

(A/N: end of M rated content)

"I see...so we're officially married then, aren't we?"

Evelyn tenderly wrapped her arms around the younger girl. "Yes, now we are finally together. And I meant what I said, I will gladly carry our child."

Shinzo returned the embrace, and looked into the older girl's eyes. "Are you sure? A baby is a lot of responsibility. I don't know if I'm ready to be a parent, and there's still the tournament going on. And Hisana...what would she say? Can we really have a child when there is so much danger so close to us?"

Evelyn smiled at her lover and hugged her closer. "If it's danger and rejection you're worried about, then the answer is simple. We'll run away from it all."

"Run…away?"

"No more guardians, no more rejection, no more Hisana. Just you, me, and the new life that now grows within me. As long as I'm with you, then that's all I need to be happy."

Shinzo thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Yes, let's leave our pasts behind us. If I am to be a parent, then I will try to be the best goddamn parent I can."

Tears of joy began flowing from the older girl's eyes at this. "Thank you, thank you so much! I love you, Shinzo!"

The younger girl closed her eyes and tightened their embrace. "And I love you, Evelyn."

Back at Gaia Knight's domain…

Hisana grunted as she blocked yet another powerful blow from Gaia's twin greatswords. For some reason, none of her attacks seemed to have any effect on the other-self, and only slowed her advance. What was more, every blow that she landed carried the force of at least 20 other blows at once. As the vampiress sent a quick flurry of light strikes at her opponent, she glanced over at her allies. During their fight with Valkyrie, Roxas had been knocked unconscious, most likely due to his debilitating injuries, leaving Axel to face the spear and shield user alone. However, because the woman was the other-self of Hisana and had the same innocent expression, the pyro found it difficult to come to terms with causing Valkyrie any harm, and stuck to fighting defensively. Hearing the whoosh of large swords swinging, Hisana snapped back to her fight in time to dodge an attack aimed at her waist.

"You must be wondering, how am I so strong?" Gaia said as she attacked again. "The reason is in my very being. Because I am an other-self, I draw power from my counterpart's emotional pain. Because Shinzo's heart is broken, I have become invincible!"

The knight did a downward slash with both blades, the impact of which sent Hisana flying back into the wall of the room. The vampiress lost hold of her weapon upon colliding with the wall, but as she sat up to retrieve it, she felt the tip of one of Gaia's swords against her throat. The knight smiled insanely down at her.

"It's over, little sister. Now, hold still, and I will make sure to break you as quickly and painlessly as possible."

The other self raised her blades, and swung.

"Not quite."

CLANG!

Both Hisana and Gaia stared in surprise at the new figure standing between them. A pale skinned woman, slightly taller than Hisana, had suddenly appeared from nowhere and blocked Gaia's greatsword with a white katana with a black edge. The woman had long white hair tied into two uneven pigtails, and wore a white jacket with black stripes down the sides and a black star on the back, a white bra over her small bosom, short shorts that were partially unzipped, and knee high combat boots. The woman had a crazed smile on her face that rivaled Gaia's, and had piercing red eyes, the right of which had a brilliant red flame burning out of it.

"I haven't even had a chance to say hello."

Not far away, Axel was about to be skewered by Valkyrie.

"Honestly…"

A hand covered in bone like white armor reached out from the shadows and stopped the blade dead in its tracks.

"Kids these days are so hopeless."

The voice and hand belonged to a demonic looking woman whose entire body was covered in the same armor as her arm, and had hooves in place of feet. A whole was visible on her midsection, and a skeletal tail hung from her waist. The woman's face was that of a skull with burning blue eyes, and her hair was composed entirely of blue hellfire. All four of the conscious combatants split apart from the newcomers, the other-selves to one side and Hisana and Axel to another. The red eyed woman was the first to speak.

"Well Hisana, I must say I'm quite surprised at how effective your wish was. I honestly didn't think that I'd be released into reality in a million years." she said.

"Same here," added the demoness. "To think that I would be resurrected alongside you is a unexpected, but not unwelcome surprise."

Axel looked over at his girlfriend in confusion. "Hisana, what the hell are they talking about? Do you know these people?"

Trembling in anxiety, the vampiress nodded. "I do. At least, I recognize the one with red eyes. She's called Ivory-"

"Actually, it's White Rock Shooter now."

"-and she's the other-self of my mother. I don't recognize the other one though."

"What? You can't tell? Don't you see the resemblance?" the demoness growled angrily.

"They can't tell because you're wearing your mask, dear."

"Huh? Oh, you're right! Thanks for reminding me."

The flames surrounding the demoness's head dissipated, and the skull face dissolved. Under the mask, the woman had chestnut brown hair with an orange barrette in it, and bright amber eyes. She smirked smugly at Hisana and Axel's surprised faces.

"There, now do you understand?" she said in a more human voice.

"Those eyes…they're the same as Evelyn's…" Axel stated.

"Could it be…are you…" Hisana began.

"That is correct. I am Evelyn's father, Yuu Koutari. Though you may better know me as…Fury."

Both the pyro and the vampiress felt a wave of dread pass over them. Both were well aware that the women standing before them were undoubtedly two of the most vile and deadly agents of evil in the multiverse.

"Relax, we're not here to kill you." Yuu explained.

"Quite the opposite, actually. We've come to lend you a hand." added White.

"But, why? Aren't you both evil?" inquired Axel.

"Because, my future son-in-law," the pyro and Hisana blushed. "Oh come on, I'm not that out of the loop. Anyway, we've decided to set aside our maniacally merry malicious ways to do what we think is right. In other words, save your asses."

"Now that that's out of the way," Yuu continued, turning back to Gaia and Valkyrie. "Shall we pick up where they left off?"

"Of course. So, which do you want? The big bitch or the puppet?"

"Hmm, think I'll go with the puppet on this one."

"Heh, I was hoping you'd say that. Just try not to kill her. Completely."

"No guarantees." Yuu turned to Axel. "Oi! Prettyboy! You're with me."

Axel gulped. "W-w-who m-me?"

"Did I fucking stutter? Get your ass over here!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

The demoness and the pyro split away from the group to face Valkyrie. Yuu chuckled evilly to herself as an immense aura of blue hellfire surrounded her.

"Let me show you how you're supposed to play with fire…"

White put a hand on Hisana's shoulder as the two of them stood before an enraged Gaia Knight.

"Do not be fooled by her lies. She may look like Shinzo, but she is nothing like the real thing. You can show her no mercy, understand?"

Reluctantly, Hisana nodded. White smiled, and a white and black cannon materialized over her free hand as they sprang into battle. With the addition of the two veteran warriors, the tide quickly turned against Gaia and Valkyrie. Soon enough, Hisana's other-self was laying on the ground with Yuu's hoof resting victoriously on her back. Even Gaia had been forced to fall back under the combined onslaught of her mother and sister. The knight bared her teeth in anger after a blast from White's cannon sent her to her knees.

"No! I won't lose to you!" she yelled.

The other-self tried to raise her weapons to attack again. Suddenly, they began to actually feel heavy in her hands, and she could barely lift the hilts half a foot off the ground.

"Wha-what is this? Why am I suddenly so…weak…?"

Over where Yuu stood on her beaten opponent, Valkyrie began to cringe and squirm in pain. The demoness stared at her in confusion for a moment, then the sound of cracking glass drew her attention to the many windows in the room. The broken halves of each image were starting to repair themselves, with a depiction of someone else in place of Hisana at Shinzo's side. Gaia's eyes narrowed in confused horror at the scene.

"Impossible…her heart has healed?! But how? Only Hisana can bring her happiness!"

The images finished repairing themselves, and Yuu beamed with pride.

"Apparently not." then she added with a whisper. "My little girl has finally found love."

Now instead of Hisana, the windows showed Evelyn and Shinzo standing side by side, hand in hand. Valkyrie slowly lifted herself off the floor, rubbing her head.

"Ohhhh….my head…what happened?" she said in a much calmer voice than before.

Upon setting her gaze on a terrified Gaia Knight, Valkyrie narrowed her eyes in anger.

"Gaia!"

"Valkyrie! You're feeling better! Thank goodness, I was getting worried that-" the knight began nervously.

"Don't you dare try to lie! You tricked me! You made me think that helping Shinzo get my other would be a good thing, but you knew I wouldn't listen!"

"N-no, I didn't-"

"I remember everything, Gaia. You used me…you forced yourself on me…you made your other try to force yourself on mine!"

The entire room's occupants now glared at the knight with hatred and disbelief.

"So that's what she meant…" Hisana began, an unusual layer of anger lacing over her tone. "Shinzo didn't try to rape me, you did!"

"And to think, I yelled at her for doing something so horrible…" Axel muttered.

Gaia returned the glares. "I did what I had to! It was the only way to make Hisana fall for Shinzo!"

"By forcing her love onto someone who doesn't want it? Yeah, as if. Trust me, I know all too well how that works." Yuu spat.

White walked over to the weakened other-self, and glared down at her in disappointment and anger.

"No daughter of mine, no matter how twisted they may be, would have ever committed such a crime. You will be punished dearly for your actions, of that I am most certain."

White rested the tip of her sword an inch from the knight's face. Gaia merely scoffed.

"If you kill me, you will destroy her pain. But, that also means she will forget the source of that pain. In other words…" she glared straight at Hisana. "Strike me down, and any feeling she had towards you will be lost. She will forget she ever loved you."

White glanced over at the vampiress, silently asking for her decision. Hisana knew that for once the knight was telling the truth, and that Shinzo might never be the same if they ever met again. But then she saw the image of the older girl and Evelyn together, smiling happily. If she has finally found someone who can love her for who she is, then it does not matter if her thoughts of me disappear. Shinzo deserves to be happy, and if I must sacrifice my bond to her in order to ensure that happiness, then so be it. Having made her decision, the vampiress looked back at White and nodded. As the senior other-self raised her weapon to strike, Gaia sent her one last glare.

"I hope you burn in h-"

Her final words were cut short as her head was severed from her shoulders in a single blow. The knight's lifeless body collapsed to the floor, slowly turning into a pile of red ash. Yuu sighed at the other-self's passing.

"Fool. Love is not something that can be forced or won over. It can only happen once those who are lost can find it. Then, and only then, can it be called true love."

If only they knew what tragedy was soon to come…

3 Guardians Remaining…