Chapter 13

Claire landed on a rooftop as light as a feather. No sound was made when she touched the stone nor was the dirt disturbed. The air around her remained calm. Her face kept its soft expression, with drooping, bored eyes and a flat-lined mouth.

But this was no longer Claire. She would have never looked upon anyone with bored eyes. The scars to grace her face were smoothed over with soft, flawless skin. Her sky blue eyes were painted with dark red irises. Long, blond curls were replaced by cropped, brown hair, and thin, feathery wings had sprouted from her back. This was Yuzuki.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" she whispered. Her voice was soft and floated up to Uzuru.

The strings of the monster snapped and unraveled. Uzuru stepped out of the hollow shell, and it fell to the ground. He was tall and hunched like Doflamingo. "Too long," his deep voice bellowed. The air was thick, holding the tension of both themselves and their users. "I have to repay you for turning me into one of those damned trees," he hissed.

Yuzuki looked over her pointed nails. "Repay me?" she questioned. "You're the one that betrayed me. I don't know why you're so angry."

"Because you're the one that turned me into one of those damned trees," he snapped.

"You cost me three hundred million berries and sixty-eight human slaves. Do you know how many devils would kill for that?" she retaliated.

"And I should have been the one to kill you for it," he hissed. His face tightened, and he dashed forward. His claws swiped at Yuzuki's face, but she shifted her weight and dodged his attack. She brought her knee up into his chest and pushed him back. Uzuru was winded for a few seconds, but he soon slowed himself with his strings and skidded to a stop.

His opponent wouldn't let him rest like that, though. As soon as he stopped, she was at his side and forced her palm hard against his ribs. Uzuru braced himself for the attack and scratched at her. He tore a gash just under her collarbone, and she leapt back out of his range. Yuzuki stood on the edge of the roof and placed her hand over the wound. "I'm surprised you couldn't do this sooner," she admitted. She took her hand away, and the injury had disappeared.

Uzuru knew his skill had greatly declined since he had last seen her. Doflamingo and many of his previous users kept him caged inside without seeing the light of day for centuries. But he figured the same happened with her. Her power alone was much greater than his, and she was nearly impossible to control.

"Come on, babe. Why are we even bothering with this child's play?" Yuzuki chided. A smile played on her lips, and something glittered in her eyes. For a second, he thought it was bloodlust. "Let's bring out our horns and beat the shit out of each other."

Uzuru wasn't sure he had the strength to pull out his horns, but as small, pointed stubs began to sprout from Yuzuki's forehead, he knew he didn't have a choice. When the skin first broke, he gritted his teeth. The thick, curved horns spiraled out and around his ears. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. His balance felt off, but he forgot what it was like to have such a great release of pressure. "Is this what you want, Yuzuki? To stare death in the eyes?"

Yuzuki wrapped her arms around Uzuru and held him gently. "We are immortal," she reminded him. "If either of us dies, we will just be returned to those fruits."

Uzuru grasped her hand. "Then let's have some fun before we go."

The two flew from each other, putting as much distance between them as possible. The string monster rose and perused through the alleyways. Uzuru hovered over the town on a bed of strings, combing over the ground the monster missed. He was determined to be the hunter instead of the hunted.

The string monster rose its arm and crushed the building in front of it. A blur dashed out of the falling debris, and the giant chased after it.

Uzuru watched vigilantly but turned when he felt a slight tug on his strings. Yuzuki stood before him, wings keeping her afloat, and a long, spiked tail pointed at him. "You really think I would run?" she inquired. Her tail rushed forward and struck Uzuru's leg. He cried out as the spikes took whole flesh chunks. He struggled to stand and move away. His bed of strings reached up to envelope him.

The strings wrapped around Yuzuki's arms and squeezed tightly. "You think this will stop me?" she chastised. The strings constricted tighter and tighter, and she could feel them move under her skin to the bone. She yanked herself forward once to dislocate the shoulders and then once more to rip off the arms completely.

As the torn skin began to regenerate a new arm, Uzuru emerged from the ball of his strings. His leg was completely healed, and he seemed to carry a new energy. "You were always so quick to sacrifice your limbs," he commented. Loose strings began to surround Yuzuki and narrowed her way of escape with each passing second.

She hurried around the field of strings, careful not to get wrapped in any of them. "And you were always the one to get ahead of yourself," she retaliated. Her right arm fully reformed, and she dashed forward. Her hand swiped upwards and clipped his jaw, and then she brought her fist back and into his chest. Uzuru stumbled backwards, and Yuzuki kicked him down.

Before he could move, Yuzuki slammed her foot into his sternum and crushed it. She continued to slam her foot into his chest until he couldn't breathe anymore. Uzuru's horns began to retract into his head.

Uzuru's silver hair started to fade to Doflamingo's golden locks. "I won't let you die, of course," Yuzuki stated. "Oh no, Uzuru. I'll let you rot in your user's body and let him rot in prison."

His lips curled as Uzuru gave one last sneer. Uzuru returned to Doflamingo, who slipped out of consciousness. Yuzuki lowered both of them to the level of the town and left the body in an open space for the marines.

Yuzuki looked around one last time before returning to Claire. She was glad she was able to see the crystal blue sky on a day as clear as that one.