"Stop squirming ingrate," Ana growled.
"Can't help it," Haru growled.
"Is it cause I'm grabbing your man titties?" Ana inquired.
"I don't have those!" Haru snarled.
"I don't have those," Ana mocked in a voice meant to sound like Haru.
"I also don't talk like that!"
Hachi and Ahsim pulled them into the vent.
"Misha next okay?" Ahsim begged.
"I'll get whoever Kei hands me," Ana spat before she leapt through the vent.
Hachi looked at Ahsim.
"How are we going to get Ariha?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Ahsim inquired. "I'd say it's pretty simple."
"Well, it would be if she was close to us. But Arisa put her over a seemingly bottomless spot. And she's in a cage. Not tied upside down. Plus the vents end here."
Ahsim bit his lip. Hachi was right.
"HELLO!" Ana growled from below.
She was looking up at them, Misha in her grasp.
"Back to work," Ahsim joked, looking at Hachi.
Together, they gripped the rope and pulled the two up. Five down, three to go.
Keiichi cast a glance at Ariha. She was busy watching Ana and Misha disappear into the vent. And for that moment, her mind was open to him. Something, he supposed, she knew. In fact, she probably let him in so he'd know what she was planning. Closing his eyes, Keiichi focused not only on holding the guard's weak mind but also communicating with Ariha's.
'You're sure about this?' he asked.
She turned away from watching the vent to looking at him. Slowly, she smiled.
'Of course, Keiichi. Sacrifices must be made,' she replied.
"Geronimo!" Ana yelled, leaping from the vent.
'Besides,' Ariha went on. 'If anyone should fall into a bottomless pit, shouldn't it be the one who could have stopped this?'
Keiichi just looked at her and she smiled back.
'It was all my fault,' she declared.
With that, she stood, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. Keiichi felt arms wrap around his torso and discovered Kei. As Kei carried him up with some help from Ana, Keiichi stared at Ariha. The bracelet had become more of a steel, fingerless glove. Flames danced at her fingertips, swirling quickly around her body.
'Keiichi, escape and make your way to Keiko's lab, understood?' she ordered.
Keiichi realized then that this may be the last time he ever heard her voice in his head. Panic gripped him and he began to struggle against Kei and Ana.
"What are you doing, moron?" Ana snapped.
Keiichi reached for Ariha.
"Don't do it!" he yelled.
It was then the others noticed the fire.
"Ariha!" Kei yelled.
She smiled and winked at him.
"Win," she ordered, the flames intensifying.
"ARIHA! DON'T DO IT!" Keiichi yelled. "DON'T BLAME YOURSELF!"
In horror, they watched as the fire cut through the bars of the cage, quickly spreading to the chain holding it and eating through them.
'Farewell, Keiichi.'
The cage fell away and Ariha fell into the darkness, the flames vanishing in the darkness.
"ARIHA!"
"Murderer? Me?" Arisa whispered.
She grinned.
"I've never killed a single person."
"That's a lie!" Taykoe accused.
"Really?"
Arisa examined her gloved hand.
"As I recall, Nobu killed my father. A bomb planted by Nobu killed my 'mother'," Arisa said, adding air quotes around the word mother. "Keiko killed Kori."
Taykoe froze.
"Kori?" she whispered.
Only an hour ago, Taykoe had waved good bye to Kori.
"I like to work fast. See, I knew she was a manga artist and her own brother is in custody for treason. They're all each others got. Would you have me be cruel and take them away from each other? After all, sibling relationships are so precious," Arisa said.
"Are you seriously crying?" Ana inquired.
She leaned closer to Hachi's face.
"You so are."
"Yes, Ana, I'm crying. You want to know why? Because for all we know, Ariha could be dead in that hole," Hachi snapped.
She wiped her eyes but kept crawling through the vent, following Kei.
"She wanted us to head to Keiko's lab. If we keep going through this vent and then go left," Keiichi mumbled.
He rubbed his head.
"Are you okay, Keiichi-chan?" Misha asked.
"Yeah, but I can't…can't.."
"Can't what?" Ahsim inquired.
Keiichi looked at him.
"I can't hear your thoughts."
