I do not own ToL

Repentance and Forgiveness

Moments passed like hours as Senel's group navigated through the Man Eating ruins. Their hollowed steps echoed through the tunnels, which spider webbed out, endlessly changing to fit Desari's needs. The group was silent for the entire journey, trying to suppress their apprehension of the upcoming altercation with Norma Beatty, Sovereign of Calamity. Will finally broke the silence enveloping the crowd, "We need to pick up pace if we wish to make it in time."

Chloe moved uneasily, still maintaining her knightly posture, "I wonder…how much time we have left…"

"She moves quickly," Senel replied quickly, "We probably don't have time for any distractions."

"She may got all them souls she been needin'" Moses added in a downhearted attempt to start a conversation that would at least eliminate the awkward feeling that loomed over the party like a never ending rain cloud.

The party ignored Moses and became dead silent again. Jay kept to himself and his thoughts. Today, a number of things rained down on his mind, one of which was the anxiety he felt for not having enough time to plan an effective strategy for today. He would have to tread in waters he had never once desired or even wanted to try, he would have to trust instinct, him and the others would have to storm the place like a herd of out-of-control rhinos.

Finally the light of the crystal tree beamed from the end of a corridor up ahead and a sudden burst of fear struck the party. Senel shot Chloe a look of sudden uncertainty that she mirrored back to him, shaking her head. This was it…This could be the final chance they have and there was no way they could afford to lose.

The light reflected off of Jay's violet eyes as he tried to look into the room, seeing if Norma was there, or even if…Desari was there. He squinted when the light became brighter and opaque, something was happening inside of that room. He removed his hands from their almost permanent place inside of his pockets when he felt a gently shaking hand on his shoulder.

"H-hello?" the small female voice whispered softly. Jay grabbed the girl's wrist and spun around, his grip as tight as a knot. The girl gasped and step backward, clenching her fists.

Noticing the terror stricken eyes of the girl before him, Jay's tense expression softened. Everyone was silent, only the breath of Jay and the girl could be heard through out the corridors. Jay raised an eyebrow, searching her eyes for answers, "Who are you?" he whispered in a demanding undertone.

Trying to frost her panic stricken eyes over with a look of defiance the girl answered with one solid word, "Mimiru."

The party gave off a quizzical look as Mimiru broke free from Jay's death grip on her wrist. Massaging her aching wrist, her eyes shift from a look of rebellion to her shy gaze that Jay had seen at first. He took a step closer to her. Could this be the Mimiru from the vision Desari had given him? He began to search her for similarities to the demon ahead them. She had thin shoulder length hair and a pale complexion, but nothing like Desari's ivory complexion. But their eyes…they were so similar, a different color, but the smirk on Mimiru's face showed all the resemblance he needed to see in order to tell, she was her. Norma's friend, Desari's daughter and one of his first cases in information dealing, was the same person standing there in front of everyone.

"I have run for too long…" She lowered her voice, tearing the tunnel dirt with her bare foot. She wasn't wearing shoes and her clothing was a short black kimono and tattered obsidian pants. From one glance at her you could see the beatings life has given her. Dark circles framed two deep sapphire eyes, half hidden by dark bangs. She whispered shyly, "I ran from my destiny…"

No one able to offer any words of comfort to this complete stranger, Shirley took a few steps forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. Mimiru, surprised by Shirley's action, glimpsed up at her though her hair and continued, "Please, I know how to defeat Desari, please take me to her." She paused to survey her audience. Back and forth her eyes trailed before she continued; "It appears my suspicions were right…" she trailed off again.

Moses placed his hands on his hips impatiently, "C'mon hon! We gotta place to be, so quit your contemplating and finish your thought!"

Mimiru shot Moses a shyly agitated glare, "NORMA, won't do anything just yet." She finished, reaching her hand into her pocket and pulling out a piece of paper with a bunch of notes sketched on the parchment, "I've been researching Desari, and I think I know how to beat her." She unfolded the sheet and began to read, "A soul of sinners to be sacrificed. To destroy one who chases despair, two streams of the same blood shall flow…destroying two vessels…This shall awaken the heavenly power in the false sovereign to emit a light, to vanquish the souls…A snowfall of light shall sing the angelic chorus of the end of Calamity and Oblivion." After finishing her recitation she cleared her throat and folded the piece of paper, "I think I understand this prophecy."

Jay and Will eyed the black clad girl suspiciously, "And how should we know to trust you?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

The timid angst- filled girl shook her head, "Because…umm…" she twiddled her fingers, "I-I owe you," she said, shaking her head at how wishy-washy she had sounded in front of him, "I do not desire to in indebted to anyone." She quickly changed her statement, sighing contently at how she sounded.

"I don't see how it would hurt," Senel began, "Although I would recommend we keep an eye on her."

"Seeing as though we are already going into this blindfolded, with no other plan," Chloe added, "I think her 'prophecy' is all we have to go on right now-"

Moses held up a hand, "Now hold up!" He blurted out, trying to cut off Chloe, "What does this prophecy mean?"

Mimiru clutched the hilt of her sword, feeling the cool metal on her coarse fingers. The soft sound of metal rubbing against leather was heard as she drew a golden sword from its sheath. It was plain in addition to unadorned, other than the fact that appeared to be solid gold, "Y-you don't need to understand," she shook her head, reverting to her apathetic tone of voice; "There is no place for you in the prophecy." She finished, still trying not to show any of the true fear she felt about going to face Norma. That girl was her best friend- well it had been some years since they had seen each other, but that wasn't what kept Mimiru attached. Norma was the first friend she had ever made, and the idea of seeing what her mother had done to her was in the vein of death to her. But the last thing she could do was allow anyone to see how she truly felt, "As Deari's daughter," her voice quivered with dread and uncertainty, "I must see it through that she is silenced…" a single tear rolled down her face as she quickly tried to wipe it up, "A-Ah…s-stupid allergies…" she lied, wiping her eyes again. (Warriors don't cry…warriors don't cry) But she didn't want to be a warrior anymore; she just wanted to be a normal girl…The sword which she was clutching for dear life fell to the ground, making a loud clattering noise. The entire party stood looking at her unable to think of the right words to say. It was like looking at a child who had lost everything, there were no words of comfort and no Brightside.

Mimiru continued to look at the ground; twin streams flowed silently down her face, hoping no one could tell from the sudden heaviness in the air. Then, she felt a weight on her head. It was firm yet gentle, abrasive, yet smooth. She cleared her tears one last time and glanced up at Moses, who was grinning like an idiot, with his hand on her head, "W-what?" she was rendered speechless by the sudden act of kindness.

"In this group, we don't hide nothing from anyone…We all kinda figured that out the hard way!"

Mimiru bit her lower lip, "W-well."

"When we're done here, you'll learn what it means to be part of a family."

"I-I-" She wanted to speak, but she didn't know what to say, "P-part of a family?" She blushed. She couldn't explain the light of happiness that illuminated her body. Family had seen like such a distant luxury for her. Did this man really think she could be able to be a part of this family?

"I think you will fit in just right with the rest of us who suffer from extreme emotional constipation from time to time-"

Jay held up his hand, "Moses please, I see where this is going. And do NOT compare the rest of us to laxatives."

The tears stopped flowing, replaced by a laughing young lady, holding her gut, and wiping awau the excess tears, "Y-you're funny!" She continued to laugh, finally finding the breath to say the words, "Thank you! Umm…I never got your name…"

"I'm Moses Sandor!" He beamed.

"Senel Coolidge." Senel replied simply, the way he does throughout the entire game.

Chloe bowed, "I'm Chloe Valens, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"My name is Will Raynard." Will nodded.

"I'm Jay." Jay added, "Excuse the way Moses comes onto people, he lacks the refinement most toddlers have.

Grune shook her head, "My name is Grune. Welcome Mimiru."

Mimiru smiled at the group, the excitement inside of her built up, "I'm so happy to meet you all."

"As are we," Grune responded, "But right now, we need to save Norma. There will be time to talk later." She smiled her heart-melting smile.

"Yes…" Mimiru concurred. (A knights duty…is to protect the princess.)

Flashback

"Hey Norma!" Mimiru called, racing over to Norma who was sitting on the swing set. Cardboard sword in hand, the raven haired girl sat by her friend.

"Mimiru!" Norma acknowledged gleefully, "You painted the sword gold!"

Mimiru laughed, swinging her sword in a knightly matter. She had seen a group of boys playing knights, guarding one of the girl's at the academy. It sounded like a fun game that she and Norma could play, "Hey, Norma?" She started.

Norma nodded, "Yeah?"

"Wanna play castle?" She asked sheepishly, scared that Norma would laugh at how immature the game itself sounded, "You can be the princess…"

"ALRIGHT!" Norma leapt off of the swing, punching her fist into the air, "I would love to be the princess they have lots of…" She paused, "Power?"

"You mean money, don't you?" Mimiru smirked, placing her hands on her hips, Norma grinned sheepishly, making her friend chuckle, "Well that's alright, I just want to be the knight with the cool sword!"

"Well then Mimiru! You can be my knight!" Norma declared. Running over to the jungle gym and climbing to the top, "And this can be our castle, where I wait for a prince to come and save me!"

"Ok!" Mimiru called up from where she was stationed below the "castle."

End Flashback

The party entered the luminous room where Norma stood by the tree with Desari just a few feet to her right. Upon noticing their arrival, Desari gave off a low scowl, "I see you have returned…" she growled.

"We're here to get our friend back!" Moses yelled, pulling a spear from where it rested in a bag on his back and throwing it angrily at Desari.

Desari, doing nothing to stop the flying object, watched as it grazed her arm, then watching it fall to the ground, "You wish to fight?" A large sword materialized from the darkness, and fell into her hand, "Fine then," she hissed, "I can't have you messing with my apprentice's sacrifice-"

"Sacrifice!" Both Jay and Norma whispered harshly to themselves. A deceitful smirk played on Desari's face, as Norma looked back at her with a mystified expression. The rest of the party dropped their weapons to the ground.

"You drop your weapons?" Desari snickered menacingly, "Does this mean…you failed to see what you were getting yourselves into?"

"You…" Jay growled, not finishing his sentence to keep this story PG.

"Norma is the sister of the Sovereign of Calamity. Her sister was the one who was born to this position but she died years ago, upon her parents wish to set her free."

Norma's eyes widened in bewilderment as she removed her hands from the tree to go stand behind Desari, "Desari…" She whispered, reaching up her hand.

Desari spun around rapidly, clutching Norma's wrist, twisting the flesh beneath her fingers, "You dare move without my consent?" She hissed, "Your sister was the true Sovereign, you are merely her replacement, the one offered to me by your parents…You know she was their favorite."

"You lie-" Norma tried to speak, but Desari dug her nails into her skin piercing the flesh.

"You impudent brat!" she snarled, "Everyone in the world is born for a purpose, everyone except for you…you can only die!" she let go of Norma's wrist and threw her to the ground, "That's why no one ever loved you. Those without pre-ordained destinies like us are hated," she stopped, "Hate, that is the true nature of man…to rip the people before you apart, to break others down…this world calls for a revolution…no…a DEMISE! Man shall never walk this planet again!"

Norma stood up, "No one cared…"

"And they won't care when you die either!" Desari shoved her again.

"And they won't care when I die…by dying I put my name out there-"

"Out into a world where no one exists." Jay stepped forward, "Do you really believe everything Desari is saying-"

"S-shut up! I hate all of you! Yes! I believe Desari! I won't change my mind, there's no way to turn back now!"

"Now you're just being stupid!" Senel interjected, "The things you're saying aren't even making sense anymore-"

"You never thought they did!" Norma roared, raising her straw and beginning to cast magic.

(No, not his time…) Jay thought as he jumped into the air, flying toward Norma and grabbing her weapon, "The same trick won't work again!"

Norma scowled, now weaponless, she turned to Desari, "Desari, I am truly sorry for what I did…" She wanted to finish her sentence but her memory of how her family was killed by this woman intruded her mind. Desari's sudden cruel outburst spiraled through her body like a raging inferno. She stopped what she was saying and backed away from the two sides of people standing in front of her. All the people starred at her through questioning eyes.

"Norma, please…" Shirley started, but her voice trailed off as Norma wrapped her arms around herself.

"We aren't the same without you." Chloe smiled, "We want you to come back to us. It was you who made my part of the journey so exciting. Even when…things…didn't go so well, I wasn't so upset because the journey was as fun as the goal."

"Lies…" Desari lied.

"Norma, as much as the name 'Senny' irritated me…a part of me felt…damn…I'm not even sure how to say it, other than…it wasn't so bad. It was a symbol of how you cared."

"Your determination to save the world, to be happy, was inspirational for all of us. You kept us from falling apart." Will added

"We all contributed to our own happiness…that is the reason we stayed together-" Norma whispered to herself.

"Norma!" Desari bellowed, "They're lying again. I mean, why now, after everything they have done to you would they come crawling back to you for your forgiveness? Forgiveness is a luxury, not a right, so get the revenge you deserve!"

Norma scowled, "She's ri-"

"You better not be about to say 'she's right'!" Moses shouted, pointing a finger at Norma, "Because the Norma I know would have never gone along with someone spewing such nonsense without question."

"Sandor is right!" Chloe concluded.

"Your words are very touching," Norma looked at the group of her old friends, almost unable to stop the pleasant memories from overflowing in her. Yet she denied their words, "But words are just words, can you follow through with action?" With that said she went back to the tree. (When I die, I won't have to make anymore decisions. I won't put up with Desari's abuse or my friend's hollow words.)

She placed her hands about the smooth bark and closed her eyes, filling the tree with all of her power. Feeling the loss of her power flowing into the tree she sighed, letting her knees beneath her begin to give out as she felt her soul separate from her body.

From the group, Jay's eyes widened in terror as he watched Norma begin to weaken. His body froze and everything the others were saying, pleas to stop. But he remembered one thing…

(Can you follow through with actions?) The words kept resounding in his mind until he finally thought of a way to save Norma, (You want an action to prove everything Norma?) He dashed from his spot as an onlooker, rushing to Norma's side, also placing his firm hands on the crystal next to her. Norma gasped and looked over at him.

"W-what are you doing?" She demanded, trying to sound apathetic, but her heart pounded at her chest, like a little sibling trying to break into their brother or sister's room, "If you keep doing this, you will die!"

"You wanted an action to prove that we will stick to our word, am I correct?" he looked at her through the corner of his violet eyes.

"Why would you-" she continued, the voice of Norma Beatty piercing through the veil of her dark appearance.

"Norma, I never told you…ugh!" A sudden rip of pain seared through his body as the tree began to accept his soul.

"What?!" she asked anxiously, wanting him to remove his hands from the tree.

"I wanted to say…I'm sorry." He whispered weakly, trying to hold on until he broke through to her.

"J-Jay…" she whispered, looking down at the ground, "Do you mean that?"

"I do." He replied uneasily, noticing that his hands were shaking. Apologizing was never something he was very good at. He preferred to brush off his faults with a sarcastic remark, or a jab at someone else's lack of wits. But there was no denying where he was wrong this time. He had to be honest, and it was the hardest thing to be, "And I'll…prove it you now!" the agony spread through his body, (Take me instead…) He thought to himself. He gritted his teeth together, refusing to show any signs of pain and keep smooth expression on his face.

Norma though, could see through the mask of comfort he had on, "Y-you," She felt her heartbeat faster as she turned her head to look at the others, who were glued to every action of the two. Their fingernails were glowing.

"We'll help too." Senel started.

"It is my duty to protect…a friend." Chloe smiled.

"They're never gonna take you from us!" Moses added, looking out of the corner of his eye to Mimiru, who had concealed herself in the shadows.

"We've been through so much!" Shirley called, smiling her shy little smile at Norma.

"To allow just one of us to go." Will finished Shirley's thought, "Even Harriet wants you to return home."

"You were my best friend…even when I had lost my memory, you supported me." Grune praised, "You don't have to be alone anymore."

Norma began to feel her hands shake like a violent earthquake was rattling beneath them, "I-I-" she whispered meekly.

(Norma, don't lose sight of everything you have here. You sure are one lucky girl) A reserved voice whispered through the shadows.

Norma recognized the voice, but was unable to put a face to it. Even Desari looked confused, her gaze shifting to the shadows where she saw nothing.

Norma continued her statement, "I'm not alone!" She looked over at Jay. He turned to face her and for a moment nothing was said, until Norma took the hand of the ex-ninja in her own, "Its ok, you can let go now." She smiled. Her hair lost its raven color and long length, returning to its short brunette style. Her eyes lost their glazed stare and returned to the chestnut brown that they used to be. The tattoo on her side began to fade away as her raven dress was replaced by her sunny yellow one.

Hey eyes shivered in regret and blame, as she tried to figure out what to do now. Everything she had been doing up until a while ago was for herself, and for blind revenge. In her beating heart, she knew she was no better than Schwartz, or the Merines. She was even as bad as Desari. She reached her hand over and placed it gently on Jay's, "Please," she smiled weakly, "Let's both let go."

"No!" Desari's snake like voice rang through the air as former Sovereign of Calamity clasped her hand into the one of the ex-ninja, "You…" she lowered her head and was silent, thinking of a way to revolutionize Norma's sudden change of heart.

Finally her shoulders began to shake with silent laughter. Norma and Jay took a step back, the rest of the party following their movement. A loud cackle was heard from Desari as she lifted her head, gripping her sword tightly, "Did you really think…" she hissed in a rasping voice, "that you could just betray me at your convenience? Well my dear Norma, I am beyond trying to stop you…I will kill you!" She swung her blade at the party as Jay and Norma let go of each others hands to grab their weapons. Norma realized she did not have her straw anymore and shot her comrades a look of confusion.

"Norma," Jay said handing her the straw she used in combat, "Go be backline support."

Norma grinned, feeling accepted as part of the group once again, "Aye Aye JJ!" she cheered, running to the backlines to help Will, Norma and Shirley who were already casting from the back. She took her place next to the Shirley and began to cast tractor beam.

"It's good to have you back," Shirley whispered cheerfully, looking at her friend. Norma laughed, waving her straw back and forth, "It feels awesome to be back!"

The battle continued, with constant gains and loses. The winner seemed unclear from the way advantages grew and disappeared. But although weakened, out of gels, and panting on the ground, the group still tried to defeat Desari, who was also covered in blood and bruises.

"You thought you had won?" Desari sneered and began to glow black, growing two demonic wings out of her back, "Well think again." Her lustrous red eyes gleamed through the dark veil around her. And when the glow disappeared, all of her wounds were healed. She cackled evilly, watching as the group fell to the ground, almost out of hope, "So accept your burial in eternal despair-" she stopped and the party looked up and gasped.

Blood dripped from Desari's stomach as she began coughing and coughing, gasping for air unavailable to her. Moses noticed something stuck in Desari's stomach.

"Hey y'all, ain't that Mimiru's sword?" He pointed a weak finger toward the gold blade, piercing Desari.

"Desari," Mimru's voice said inaudibly from behind her mother, "I have come in search of you for a long time now…"

"Mimiru…" Desari whispered, unable to turn and face her daughter, "It's you…"

Mimiru bit her lip, "I couldn't let you do this mother, I'm not sorry." She drew the blade form inside the woman's stomach and watched it clatter to the ground, along with the body it had supported.

Norma looked across toward the friend she had not seen for many years, "Mimi-" she whispered, but Mimiru held up a hand.

"Norma, I'm glad I got to see you again…" She smiled, her eyes welling up with tears, which she choked back.

"Mimiru! It's been so lo-" wait…something was off. Mimiru seemed to be hiding something, "What do you-" She reached out her hand to her friend who shook her head.

"It is our destiny Norma…That of a knight and a Princess." She tried to bring back memories of their good friendship.

"Destiny? Mimiru? What do you mean?" Norma clutched her head in confusion. Mimiru turned her back to her friend.

Then Desari, using the last of her strength…picked up the gold sword from the ground…