The excursion into the underbelly was quiet. I stopped by Sissy's place to tell her about what was going on. She promised to grab as many people as she could and book it into the upper levels of the city. I could only spare a glance at my old apartment as we rode past it at top speed. All the drunks and lowlifes seemed to sense the tension and stayed far away from all of us. 'Good,' I think.

'Ram are we close?' Helena's stutter disappears in battle and I appreciate that.

'I think so…that building is where I found that Davis guy's supply last time…' images of what I did flashed through my mine. Helena flinches at the violence. 'Sorry.'

'Don't be,' I can hear her smile. "Almost there! Get ready!" she hollers out to everyone for me. Several confirmations rang back at us through the thick air. Once we were in the crumbling parking lot of the old kingpin's lair we cut the engines. "What the hell is that?" apparently she also becomes a potty mouth.

"Blood," I grit out between teeth.

"Ramla!" Kid yells at me from his car. "Look up!" we all turn towards the sky.

At the top of the building is a small object dangling from a flag pole. I pull out my bow and line up my bionic eye. "Enhanced Scoop," I murmur as I zoom in my focus. "Shit!" I curse loudly. I fire three arrows without warring and they all bounce off of a barrier. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" I throw my bow.

"What is it?" Sid asks.

"Clarabelle," Alexandre answers for me. "I'd know that soul anywhere."

"Well this is a predicament isn't it?" Stein interjects. "And all this blood must be dripping from way up there," he throws his cigarette on the ground. "What's the plan?"

"Kid and Black*star I want you on the roof. You're gonna have to get creative Star," I look at the ninja. "Use the other building behind this one to scale. Don't run into any barriers otherwise you'll be dead."

"Psh like a God like me needs advice from you!" he boosts. I only roll my eyes and continue formulating a plan.

"Maka and Stein you gotta get in through one of the middle windows. This is a sixteen story building people." I make a gesture towards it height. "Sid I want you to go underground. If everything goes to shit you will level this whole building? Got it?"

"How will I know it went to shit?" Sid asks critically.

I smirk at him, "either we get out of here in twenty minutes or we don't. Either way level the building." I look at each person as I say this. "Got it?" Without hesitation everyone agrees to this crazy plan. "Alright let's wreak havoc."


"This is insane!" Liz yells as we fly up the backside of the decrepit building. "This plan is literally insane and that girl is gonna get us all killed!"

"Relax Liz!" Black*star whoops as he races up the side of the adjacent building. "Goat girl said the crazy witch wasn't even gonna be at the top. We're responsible for the little witchy." He snorts with an eye roll like this is the easiest mission we've ever been on. "Maka and Stein are taking out the lion things in the middle of the building and Sid-sensei has our backs."

"What do you think that Alexandre guy and her are gonna do then? Mhm? Just waltz in the front door and run into that crazy witch all by themselves?!" Liz snaps. This whole thing has been really rough on all of us.

"We'll meet up with them in five minutes," I reassure her.

"She has Helena with her Kid," Liz mopes.

"All the more reason to get the kid and go," I counter.

"We got this sis!" Patty giggles from my other hand. Once we are on the roof our clock starts, t-minus twenty minutes to win this several year old war.

"Yahoo!" Black*star screams as he crashes through the roof. I merely sigh before following him into the fight. This building needed to be destroyed anyways, it was so unsymmetrical.


"That girl is crazy. When I was alive I would never have done such a crazy, convoluted way of forming a plan," I grumble as I burrow deeper under the building.

"Then why are we here?" my partner asks.

"Oh shut it Mira," I growl back at her. "Can't just leave the kid alone again."

"Guilt is making you do this crazy mission?" she asks anyways.

"So what if it is?" I counter. Instead of responding verbally Mira sends out her feeling through our wavelength. Her ever calm and quiet demeanor always helps me focus and today was no different. "Thanks," I mutter as I find a suitable position under the buildings foundation. "T-minus twenty minutes…"


"We'll see you real soon!" Maka smiles at us before her and Soul take flight. Soul managed to carry Stein with him showing a marked improvement in his strength. Once they were out of sight I look at Alexandre.

"After you," he offers with a smile.

"You are such a weirdo," I laugh. It was easy to feel like this was old times again. But the weight in my hand reminded me that this was not how it used to be. "Ready Helena?" I ask.

"Yup!" came her enthusiastic response. Her wavelength held steady against mine as we walked in the front door. Naturally all the lights were turned on because Kaluwa is psychotic. "Why are the lights on?" Helena whispers.

"Because Kaluwa is terrified of the dark," I whisper back. "She's using her magic to make it even brighter in here."

"How powerful is she?" Helena asks exasperated.

"Very," I snarl lowly as I hear the sound of approaching footsteps. "Alexandre, Dengu…"

"I hear them," Alexandre responds. He twirls his partner around like he weighed nothing as the first wave of minions appeared. Without another word we both jumped into the fray and started hacking the beasts left and right. It took no work to break through their line and finish off the stronger ones at the back. Without looking at the carnage we took to the stairs. Helena's soul hummed excitedly against my own and I could feel the familiarity of Alexandre's soul in the background. He always did manage to be such a quiet person.

"Keep your senses alert. This is a game after all," I murmur softly in the dank hallway. With Kid and Star at the top the reinforcements that Kaluwa has stashed away should be taken out no problem. Some of the more formidable minions in the middle floors will be dealt with by Stein and Maka. With their impeccable Soul Perception nothing should get past them. I just hope this plan works.

"Their here!" Alexandre whispers harshly as a lioness leaps at him from a doorway. There were significantly more minions on this floor than the last one. Kaluwa was not playing around.

"Should we resonate Ramla?" Helena questions as we slice through another lion.

"Not yet," I grunt as I block a paw with her blade. "But we can do this—Bionic Eye!" I latch Helena to the clips on my lower back and pull out my bow. I string one of my arrows up and aim at the ground. "Soul Paralysis!" Alexandre jumps out of the way just in time as the arrow explodes into hundreds of lightning bolts and zaps the minions. "I'll finish this," I growl as I string up another arrow. "Soul Desecration." Locked onto all of the targets I shoot my arrow straight and within seconds they all drop.

"Let's keep moving," Alexandre didn't even blink at my abilities. I sling my bow across my shoulders again before grabbing Helena. We run a few feet down the hallway before sprinting up the stairs. We broke through two more floors before I finally heard someone else fighting. "It appears we've reached the middle," Alexandre smirks. I roll my eyes at his carefree tone. We slash through the minions that separated us from the others. "Stein-sama!" Alexandre cries out dramatically.

"Oi," I growl. I flick blood off of Helena's blade and spit out a little of my own. The dozen or so tainted souls floating around us were getting in the way. "Helena transform and eat. You must be tired." She obeys and begins consuming the souls. She winces as the first one slides down her throat. "Weird right?" I ask.

"Yeah," she says around a mouthful. "Slimy kind of…" Soul laughs in the background as Maka walks towards us.

"Hey," she offers.

"Maka!" Helena smiles brightly at her. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah we're fine. We heard Kid and Star as soon as they broke through the roof," she sighed.

"And?" I question.

"They got her. They're on their way down right now," she points to the window and we see a few shadows closing in. Black*star used his head to crash through the glass and land right next to Helena. Stein walked up next to me to assess everyone's condition. Alexandre flanked me on the other side as Death the Kid floated in. "Now what?"

"We got the witch!" Black*star whoops.

"Where is she?" I ask.

"We took her down to Sid-sensei," Kid answers. I sigh in relief before holding my hand back out to Helena. She doesn't hesitate this time in taking my hand and transforming back into a weapon. "So, now what Ram?"

"Give it a moment…" as if waiting on my word the lights flickered. A giggle floated through the air and sent a chill down all of our spines.

"Well done Ramie!" Kaluwa croons over the loudspeaker. "You're last task is to find me now!" Without any hints the loudspeakers cut out and we are left in the dark.

'I thought you said she was afraid of the dark?' Helena whispers to me across our bond.

'She is…' I reply. "Come on everyone. The only place with light is the roof." Kid and Black*star jump out of the window first and start the climb up. Maka takes Stein and Spirit-san again while Alexandre uses Dengu to fly up. "Let's go," I jump out the window and pull my bow out. I fire without fear of missing as my grappling hook found purchase on a windowsill. We go flying up and as soon as we reach the sill I slither my magic down into my feet. I run the rest of the way up.

Black*star smirks at me as I reach him in no time. "Got a lot of tricks don't cha?" he laughs. Kid, Maka, and Stein make it up before us but not by much. Alexandre pulls up the rear as we all take a defensive position.

"Nice entrance Ramie," Kaluwa was sitting on top of the door back into the building. My eyes dart all around until I see him. "Is this supposed to be your final stance or something?" her deceptively sweet voice questions. I don't take my eyes off of him as he leans lazily against the air vent. Even after all this time he still manages to make my heart hurt by just existing.

"No," I seethe. "It's yours!" I turn and lash out with my wavelength. It travels down Helena's blade and resonances with her own soul forcing out a more powerful blow than just my soul alone.

"Hmmm, what's this? You have a new partner?" her mock surprise irritated me.

"Stein, Alexandre!" I command and they both jump into action. Instead of going for the witch they leap at the boy. "Black*star!"

"Trap Star!" Star yells out and Kaluwa seemed stunned for a moment. "Maka! Kid! Now!" he bellows.

"Witch Hunter!" Maka throws at Kaluwa.

"Death…Cannon!" Kid had fallen back to charge his most powerful attack up. Even though both shots hit their mark I knew it couldn't be that easy.

"Damn!" I hear Stein yell. I turn to see the boy running straight for Maka while her back is turned.

"Helena!" I scream.

"Got it!" she focuses her wavelength into her blade again and we send out a shockwave. The boy jumps out of the way giving Maka enough time to roll back and into formation with Star and Kid. Stein and Alexandre run up and flank the rear. The boy runs to Kaluwa and helps her stand, I growl in irritation. "Ramla…?"

"Resonance…On," I hiss as Helena quickly follows my line of sight and submits her soul to mine. Mine was always the more powerful one after all. The turtle pendent wound its way up my arm until it meshed with my cloak. My usually black bodysuit took on a light blue color while my cloak became golden and Helena's blade became a semisolid. This time our resonance was deeper since Helena knew what was going to happen.

"Soul Resonance!" I heard everyone behind me shout as their souls all started to mesh. It was a lot of power so suddenly that the building shuddered under us. The boy manifests his own weapon while Kaluwa summons her staff. I star at the magnificent spear the boy held.

"Gungnir…" I breathe out. At the name of his weapon the boy growls and launches himself at me. I easily block the blow as Maka and Star run past us towards the witch. Kid and Stein flank me and we did a three on one battle with him. "Please!" I beg. "Don't do this!" He simply ignores my pleas and continues to throw out strikes. He is as quick as I remember.

Stein deflects one of his moves and gets kicked in the side for the trouble. Alexandre makes to swipe at him, but misses. He was too fast. I heard Maka yelp in pain as Kid shouts something unintelligible. Stein rushes into their battle while Black*star is thrown back by a spell and crashes into the boy. I watch as Tsubaki goes flying out of his hand, in stunned silence I watch as he raises his blade to plunge it into Black*star's heart.

"Black*star!" Tsubaki cries out in dismay. She is running, but she was thrown too far. Alexandre is caught up protecting Maka to make it in time. Suddenly my resonance is broken and the soul humming against mine was gone.

"H-Helena!" I scream as I watch in horror as she rushes to Star. The spear comes down and it goes straight through her gut. She goes head over ass tumbling towards the edge. Black*star punches the boy in the face and retreats. Tsubaki catches him before transforming back into her weapon form. "Hel…Helena…Helena!" for the first time in a long time I felt tears make angry streaks down my face. "Helena!" as I scream her name his weapon dematerialized from her gut. So much blood. There was just so much blood.

Suddenly all those dark feelings came flooding back. Suddenly everything that I've done up until this point rushed back at me. Every life I took. Every time I smiled as the blood flowed freely. "Aahhh!" my head gave a painful throb as I throw myself backwards. I writher in pain as all the memories come back. The most painful were the memories of him. His smile, his laugh, every time he said my name, every time he made me feel better about taking another life, all of it. It all rushed back painfully and quickly.

I think someone was screaming at me, but I couldn't hear them over my own anguish. Then a frazzled soul zinged against my own. I managed to open my one good eye to see Helena looking at me. 'Get up.'

'It hurts…'

'I know,' her voice was so calm. 'That's why you have to get up. So get up Ramla.'

"Ramla! Get up!" it was Alexandre.

"Ram! Come on!" Kid screamed.

"Don't be such a wimp Goat!" Star growls at me as he punches the boy in the face again. This time the boy managed to hit back and Star flew right past me.

"Come now Ramie!" Kaluwa laughs. "Is this all you've got? I thought I made you better than this!" her words ran hot like lave through my veins. At her words my eyes fly open and I throw out as much magic as I can spare to Helena. She wraps herself around it like the smart girl I know she is. I struggle to my feet and manage to pull my bow in front of me. Black*star hovered over Helena as everyone else fell back. The memories still kept coming, but at least my rage was keeping them at bay.

That dark and angry thing that had been growing in my heart thrummed softly in my chest as I pulled out my most lethal arrow. I held the raw power in my hand as I gave a quick clinical assessment to our predicament. Without warning I grab a different arrow, notch it, and fire. Kaluwa dodged it, but the boy wasn't so lucky. My Soul Paralysis got a direct hit and I did not give him an inch. I ran at him with magically enhanced speed and sank my Soul Desecration arrow right into his gut.

His blue eyes went wide as the reality of what happened sank in. I could feel the tears as they slid down my cheeks. "Marco…" I whisper brokenly. I jump back as he falls to his knees. My arrow fizzles out and his body was in the beginning stages of dematerialization as he looks up at me.

"Ra-Ramie," his voice sounded hoarse from disuse. My heart lurched at the sound of my name on his lips. It was all too much. I turn away from his quivering form to come face to face with the object of my hatred.

"Well, well, well Ramie." She sighs forlornly before hoping to sit up on her staff. "I did not think you could ever do it. I knew you were strong of course," she says clinically. "But your mental state was never as strong as the others. But to stab the boy you love," a smile spread across her face. "It's positively evil of you," she cooed. I saw red as I launched myself at her. Her staff clashed with my bow as we took this battle to the next level. I pull out the daggers I brought and threw them at her.

Black*star and Tsubaki took Helena and moved behind everyone else. I sigh in relief and Kaluwa took that second to kick me in the face. I go flying backwards and she was on me before I could even hit the ground. I twist to avoid the curses she throws at me and use my blade to deflect any of the residual magic. I manage to throw out one spell and it gives me a moment to hit the ground and stumble back. "Go!" I roar at the others. "Get out of here—ack!" Kaluwa's green eyes were right in my face.

"You were always so soft!" she snarls. She manages to shove me back and kick my feet out from under me. "You always cared!" She beat me with her staff.

"Ramla!" Helena screams.

"It's all that bastard father of yours fault!" Kaluwa accused me. "That softhearted fool! He couldn't even see your potential!" Images of what my life was before all of this swam through my mind. My father…he was a kind man. Big and built like an elephant he was wise and wanted the best for our village. "Only if that stupid mother of yours hadn't killed herself!" At the mention of my mother I could feel myself shutting down. The world was going blurry and my mind fuzzy as I continued to take the beating.

'Momma…papa…' their faces were now only blurry images dredged up from the darkest corners of my mind.

"Ramie!" someone was calling out to me. "Ramie please!" They sounded so sad. "Ramla Underling if you don't get your sorry ass up right now I'll kill you!" the voice roared. My eyes flew open again and I watched in fascination as another memory of mine stalked towards me. I reach out a hand towards his beautiful face.

All of the pain that radiated through my body stopped and I was pulled to my feet. My head lulled to one side as I was forced to stand up.

"Get a grip!" he snarled in my face.

'What's his name again…?' I hear murmuring in the background. It all sounds like it's underwater. Something about the time?

"Ramla, please we have three minutes left!" my head snaps up to look over his shoulder. A boy dressed in all black holding two pistols was frantically waving at me. And just like that I could see the world again. Pain radiated throughout my body, but it was easy enough to ignore. I shoved back from the person holding me.

"Come now Ramie," Kaluwa huffs behind me. "Can't we just have one fight without interruptions?" I turn to see her standing at the other end of the roof. I look back at the person who was holding me.

"Marco," his name ran through me like water in a dessert. An immeasurable relief floods my veins as I stare into his blue eyes.

"Hey there Ramie," he smirks at me. "You got me pretty good you know?" he laughs and I look down at his stomach.

"Oh god!" I fumble my hands on his stomach to try and stanch the blood and magic oozing out.

"You were always s-stronger with your magic," he winces. "There isn't any hope in saving me Ramie," he brushed my braids from my face. "You know that."

"N-no, no I can fix this. Let me fix this!" quicker than I could comprehend he brought his spear up and deflected a blow. Kaluwa cursed and moved back again.

"Hey," he murmurs into my hair. "This time you can't patch me up okay?" I shake my head at his words. "But I think we can do this one last time. Don't you?"

"Mar-Marco," my voice cracks.

"You were always the better half of us," he smiles at me. "So what do you say? Will you fight with me?" He steps back and holds his hand out to me.

Even with tears running down my face I reach out for his hand, "I'll always fight with you." My hand fit so perfectly in his hand. "Resonance…"

"On," his smile is the last thing I see before he transforms into Gungnir. As our souls collide I feel my soul evaporate to be replaced by something more. Together we have always been better. Together we have always been complete. My suit and cloak are replaced by a dazzling golden breastplate, a pleated leather skirt, arm and leg guards, knee high sandals warp up my legs, a leather and feather headdress adorns my head, and a pair of brilliant wings sprout from my back.

The magnitude of our combined souls crushed the roof behind my feet. I did not wait as I let out a battle cry to rattle the heavens and launched myself at Kaluwa again. This time she was not fast enough to dodge me. My brute strength has increased tenfold and I missed this power. "Bionic Eye," I laugh as I leap into the air and pull my weapon back. "Target locked…engage!" I throw Marco and with my embedded magic and his own mixed together he went right through Kaluwa. The impact was too much for the building as it shuddered for the last time. Kaluwa and Marco went through three floors before landed down on the street with a loud boom.

I took to the sky and pulled out my bow. Kaluwa struggled and tried to reach for her broken staff. Marco did not allow her to move from the spot. "Soul…Desecration," I seethe as I pull my string back as far as it would go and let it fly. The hot white arrow went straight through her head. It was a kill shot.

"One minute! Everyone move!" I heard Stein yell from the roof. He picked up Helena and just jumped over the edge. Maka took Black*star down while Alexandre stayed there to look up at me. I was just about to fly down and grab him when the resonance failed. A pain seized me and I cramped up from the use of so much magic and energy. I fell out of the sky.

"Ramla!" Alexandre hollers at me as I fall past him. I watch in mute horror as he leaps from the building after me and not a moment too soon. As promised Sid blew the whole thing up after twenty minutes. The blast sent Alexandre off course and we ended up going in two different directions. I cringe in anticipation of hitting the concrete sidewalk and instead a pair of strong arms grab me. I fall into whatever body caught me and we both go backwards into the rubble.

"Ramie," a voice coughed. I open my eyes to see Marco under me. He moves my braids out of my face again and smiles at me. "Thank you Ramie. If you hadn't come I'd still be her slave."

"Mar…" my voice failed me.

"It's okay Ramie you did so good," he cradled me to his chest. "You did so good today, I'm so proud of you." He kissed the top of my head. "I love you so much. Ramla Underling I've loved you since I met you, did you know that?" he laughed, but it came out as a cough. We could hear others moving around, people were screaming. "Even though you kicked my ass." I weakly slap his arm. His skin was dissolving and there was nothing I could do. He was going to die, again. And it was all my fault, again.

He held onto me with his other arm and kissed my head again. "Death I love you." He whispered over and over again until I blacked out. "I love you…"


Oh my gosh am I pulling my story together? Whaaat?! Lol we are so close to the end of this story. For those who have stuck with me through this whole thing I thank you. R&R if you so choose.

Keep it sparkly!

Xoxo

Sparkles