MASS POST WARNING: GO BACK TO THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THIS SET if you haven't read it yet.

Listen to the link entitled "My Dearest" to fully visualize the second to last scene, if you want. Or not. It is the song for this chapter, though. My singing is crap. What I do know is that when the last scene plays out, krOnë is the best song ever.

It looks like she was fated to die after all? Cornered on all sides, what will they do?

I let go of my selfisheness

I let go of my pride

I let go of my lust, my greed, and my cowardice

Everything, I wish to give up

Just to keep you safe

Chapter 39: Elysium

Everything had been useless in the end.

From where he stood, Garrett saw the entire thing happen. Angel's triumphant smile, the flash of her blades, and finally, the moment Amber's body dropped to the ground, with two large looping streamers of blood following her descent.

Something inside him snapped, then.

Every other thought in his mind disappeared.

He did not yell her name. He did not feel any fear at this point. It was too late for either. Instead, he could feel only anger and despair crash on upon him like a tsunami. It was like some secret switch had been flipped, because without even thinking, he pushed forward with his sword.

Within that moment Garrett broke through Kamijou's defence as if it were nothing but Styrofoam. The other man was flug backwards and into a brick wall. He left a small pile of powdered mortar and broken bricks when he stood back up. For a moment, Kamijou was surprised, but the surprise suddenly morphed into fear. Standing before him was Garrett, number four of the Chobits series, finally owing up to his system specs.

Garrett, as mentioned quite a while back, was equipped with military-grade parts. The Persocom that would have existed within this body, had the accident not happened, would have been, more or less, a military android. He already knew he was extra-durable. He also already knew that by overclocking his system, he could move at extraordinary speeds, as inadvisable as that was.

But this was different. In the past, whether Persocom or Human, Garrett had never known a fury so hot, nor would he even think of embracing it. Yet here he was, diving headfirst into the phoenix-fire of rage and grabbing hold of it with both hands. It was his choice to walk down this road. Kamijou, who had once, been the cat, was now starting at a mouse who had grown to the size of an elephant.

This was the terrible program that Lee-Young had hidden within his daughter's friend:

Berserker Mode.

With eyes glowing electric blue, Garrett stepped forward, his feet moving with such force and speed that he looked as if he were teleporting. Below him the asphalt cracked and left craters. Kamijou was still slightly stunned, but he was conscious. Garrett was about to change that.

Garrett swung his sword so fast that Kamijou was barely able to follow it. He continued to use the air compression spell in order to block the blade from actually touching his flesh. However, the power behind it had been more than quadrupled, and it succeeded in leaving shallow cuts in the other man.

Although Kamijou guarded against the next two strikes, there was something wrong about this situation. He shouldn't have felt any fear. He rarely, if ever, felt terror. But looking at the murderous look on Garrett's face, the other man understood too late. He saw the sword coming, but he was too slow to guard against it.

There was no dramatic roar of exertion. With Garrett's extrordinary strength, the sword pierced through Kamijou's chest as easily as a spoon would carve through warm peanut butter. Garrett removed it just as easily, the blood coated weapon reflecting the shock on Kamijou's paling face. The injured man slumped to the ground while gasping, still in disbelief that he had been harmed so greatly.

A millimeter to the left and Kamijou would have been dead. As crazy as it sounded, Garrett had missed.

That too was short-lived, just like this villain.

"I just missed your heart," said Garrett dispassionately.

There was a wet crunching sound and a metallic clang, and Garrett removed his sword from Kamijou's chest a second time.

This time Garrett made sure that Kamijou was not breathing.

...

It was odd, this feeling. Garrett had been 99% sure that the blow had been fatal. But. Maybe it had been the unbridled anger that had clouded his calculations. Maybe that whole incident was just a hallucination?

It was both a miracle and a curse.

Angel had stopped her assault once she delivered that final blow to Amber. Besides that, Kamijou was dead. Her flow of mana was restricted now. She could no longer power herself by using his supply of mana, and was running on her own stores of electricity. However, from what Angel could tell, the girl wouldn't have long to live. Fifteen minutes, tops. With Amber in this critical state, that was nothing her partner could do. There were no ambulances to take her away, and everyone had fled due to the battle. They had extended the fight past the area The Council had allotted, after all. When two youngsters followed by a pair of bloodthirsty monsters came zooming past, the only response they had was to flee. Well, aside from the wary news helicopters circling overhead, there was no one else to interfere.

All Garrett could do was cradle her in his arms and watch her soul slip away.

"Garrett?" The heat sensors on his fingers signaled a drastic drop in her skin temperature. She reached up to touch his face weakly, the blood draining from the gash in her stomach showed no signs of stopping. Her eyes were bitter, though her wry smile remained. Amber's body shuddered, and her eyes began to close. "I'm so cold."

Even with all his brainpower and ability, Garrett was incapable of saving her at this point. It was like grasping after dust scattered in the wind, an impossibility that he could not even begin to solve. "I'm sorry." He could only gaze upon her broken form and try not to weep. "I'm so sorry!"

They only had minutes left before she was to become a corpse. For real this time, no take backs, no redos. He probably could have carried her to the hospital, if not for Angel's presence. He could have even made it with time to spare.

But with that fiend still here, blocking his way, it was impossible.

"I wish I could take it back. I…" He never could fulfill his promise to protect her, he realized.

"Yes? Ga...rrett?" His tears were overflowing now, spilling over his cheeks and onto her face. Amber knew he would continue to fight until he was broken beyond repair. "It's okay to give up," she said. "Just give up."

"That's right. Give up, brother." Angel landed behind him, but he did not move from his spot, just continued to cradle Amber in his arms for whatever precious moments they held.

"Never," he whispered, the darkness in his soul growing.

Angel reveled in his pain, growing bolder with each moment by stepping closer to the pair.

"Why? You know I'm stronger and more skilled." Her ice blue hair swayed in the wind as her eyes lit up with silent laughter. "You put up a great fight, but the ultimate decision is not up to you."

"No…" He felt his arms begin to tremble.

"Face it. Elysium will fall." The demon called Angel smiled, the large cheesy grin just another reminder of how futile it was, along with how insane and twisted the Chobit had grown to be.

"NO!" His voice echoed out so loudly that it clipped, causing an unnatural distortion in the sound.

"Anything you have to say before she goes to the Everlasting Garden?" She continued to gloat, talking in a casual, nonchalant manner, as if discussing what kind of lip-gloss she should wear. Her voice became incredibly cruel near the end, even more than usual for her: a cold, hissing candor that paralyzed his mind. "Before I destroy it, I mean."

"…." He could not move himself to speak to Angel. There was no longer any use denying it. Even now, Garrett was never so sure if his "soul" would go to Elysium along with hers. As much as he wanted his soul to stay with hers, as much as he wanted to be with her…it was not certain.

Ignoring his so-called 'little sister', he leaned close to his partner's ear and whispered softly. "Amber. No matter what, you're not alone again. I'll support you for as long as I live. Even if the whole world hates you, I could never do that. Because…"

His memories, memories he had made with Amber, all of them he would throw away just to create more good times with her. He hugged her briefly, wishing that he could sacrifice himself instead.

Drawing back to look at her, Garrett smiled solemnly, his eyes full of tenderness as he stroked her cheek, which was growing colder as he spoke. His face was reflected in her blank pools of melted chocolate, which were searching for the meaning behind the declaration. Somewhere inside her chest, she could feel warmth growing despite the heat being leeched from her limbs.

"…I love you," declared Garrett proudly, a teardrop falling down his cheek. "I love you will all of my heart."

Then he kissed her goodbye, his lips meeting with hers.

(So, everything that makes me whole,)

It lasted within both an instant and an eternity.

(I'm sure to give it all up to you.)

The strands of mana wound themselves around that moment in time, exploding into reality and forming a glowing silver sphere around the vicinity of Amber's chest, where his hand had been resting as he held her close.

(I'm yours…)

"Little bro!" Chii came flying past the duo and towards the villain before them. She swung her bouquet at Angel, who was only .01 seconds in behind in countering with another one of her shield spells. Right behind that was a golden flash of light from Hideki's katana.

"Soul-IP located!" said Chii, her eyes glowing brightly. The bouquet bled flower petals as it collided with Angel's weapon in a burst of light. "The winner has been decided!" They swiped at each other, their weapons smashing one another repeatedly. Chii was keeping up with Angel well, as the two Persocoms were gaining speed during their duel. Smiling so roguishly that it looked like an entirely different person, Chii kicked Angel and snapped her fingers. "Sending you the coordinates, now!"

A string of data from Chii burst into Garrett's mind then. The numbers rolled down in a rain-like pattern, spelling out the complicated coordinates of some unknown place. The floating ball of light now hovered above Garrett's hand. His eyes were wide, the fountain of magic coursing through him and filling him with the heat of her reciprocated feelings. Below, still in his arms, Amber had become unconscious.

That's what this was all about.

"The heart of the butterfly," whispered Garrett, realizing how stupid they all had been.

It wasn't meant to be literal after all. Prophecies were odd that way. Literal, figurative, they were fulfilled either way, no matter what.

Watching this unwanted event unfold before her like an origami puzzle, Angel snarled in fury.

"No. NO! I am the Queen of Heaven and Earth! I will rule Elysium!" For the first time since the convention center, Angel showed an emotion other than amusement or apathy. It was a frightening, mad mix of desperation and rage. She charged forward to stop them before her one chance at ruling slipped through her fingers forever.

Nevertheless, it was too late. The duo of Garrett and Amber had disappeared already, whisked away into another dimension.

In front of them was a gilded gate, and a girl with golden hair. Her warm brown eyes were flashing with amusement, and underneath the wry smile was slight annoyance. They had taken quite a while, from her perspective.

(Hey, there's a lot of happiness in this world…)

"It looks like you won," said Freya, her back to Amber and Garrett. She was facing the gate that she had been guarding all this time. Whoever had won, she had been obligated to fight to prove their worthiness. However, she had promised to herself that if it had been these two, Freya would refuse to do so.

Turning around, she faced the victors. Their names had been in the S-Registry. Although they had not joined of their own volition, they were still a part of the contest.

(You can find it if you search for it…maybe...)

"Garrett?"

Amber looked at the Chobit beside her, slightly dazed. The last thing she remembered was that he had kissed her. For a moment, he looked exactly like his old self: his human self.

"Congratulations to both of you," Freya held out her hand to shake Garrett's own, "I forfeit."

"This isn't a dream, is it?" he asked, looking at Chii's twin intently.

"It's real," Freya assured them. "In a few seconds you'll gain administrative rights."

"What does that mean?" Amber asked, looking puzzled. Ever since they had arrived, she was regaining the last of her memories of her past life. Bit by bit, the understanding was leeching into her consciousness. For a moment, Amber wondered if it had to do with where they were now standing, but that thought was easily cast aside by concern for her friends still on Earth.

(There's enough for us…three….)

'Everyone. Is this the ending we all wanted?' thought Amber, the urge to cry imminent on the edges of her eyelids. 'One where My Dearest was not sacrificed. One where we both live?' With her hands clutched to her chest, the girl fought down the sobs of relief that threatened to emerge.

"Garrett," repeated Amber quietly, "do you think…we can defeat Angel for good?"

Even if they didn't return, the enraged Persocom was bound to go on a rampage, whether or not Mr. Miki would still be alive to help her or not. Her anger against humans was so strong it could probably burn through the fabric of space-time to reach them, even here.

Looking unsure for a moment, Garrett pursed his lips in thought and closed his eyes. After the brief second of meditation, he smiled and laughed.

"Well, we already have won the war, I guess." He extended his hand to Amber and smiled tenderly. "Hey, Princess, why don't we go and finish this battle?"

At his declaration, the echoes of his human face reflected in her memory. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and a slight smile emerged on her lips despite that. Amber nodded, taking his hand. No wonder he had won the contest. He had stolen her heart so long ago that it was no wonder that he hadn't won sooner. "Do you think that just this once, instead of me using you…that you can lean upon my strength?"

Immediately after her statement, the following words popped up into Garrett's vision:

ALERT!

[You have gained Administrative rights]

Connecting to Yggdrasil…

/Generating Menu…

A row of ten light blue, semi-transparent squares appeared in front of him. Each had a picture of one of his friends that had been with him before Angel had nearly beaten them in battle. Evidently the interface from his Pactio had transferred over to this instance, and was keeping track of the souls they had left behind on Earth.

In the middle square hovering in front of him was Amber, and in front of him, beyond the display, he saw the real thing standing, ten times more beautiful than the likeness smiling before him in the square.

Around them tendrils of blinding power encircled them, wavering to and fro. Freya shaded her eyes from the light and grinned.

With a growing conviction in her eyes, the heiress lightly touched the middle of her chest.

"Please Garrett, use my heart, to end this!"

She didn't have to ask him twice. He could already tell that her artifact had finally solidified, and was no longer a fan. Without hesitating, he pressed the square with Amber's face with it and lunged forward. As the tendrils of light from her artifact gathered in his right hand, he encircled her shoulders with his left arm.

In a flash of light, Freya watched them disappear, her content face dripping with tears.

They transported back the instant after Garrett grabbed Amber.

The two of them emerged, literally, from thin air. A shimmering blue portal had appeared in the air before they appeared. A second later, the two of them materialized from the ethereal doorway. Chii was still grappling with Angel, it seemed. Angel's leg was now dripping dark fluid, thanks to Minoru and Hideki's combined attack. The three of them had finally caught up with them, and Minoru had been walking on his petrified foot, which probably was excruciating. However, right now Minoru was being carried off by Yuzuki at the moment, though.

(So even if the world will hate you, and calls you a liar,)

In his hand, Garrett's artefact began to glow with silver light. It widened, shimmering energy wafting off of it in dusty waves. When it finally stopped growing, its form was a little longer than usual, and a red streak of color seemed to have been painted, lengthwise, down the blade.

Garrett gripped the sword in his hand. It was much stronger than the one he owned previously, he could tell that by the mana output alone. Looking to Amber, she was barely conscious, but at least now, she wasn't on death's doorstep anymore, either figuratively or literally.

(I will always be beside you, to pick up the pieces,)

The contract of their souls shone in the daylight.

In Garrett's vision, he could see his proximity alert flashing. Angel was sprinting towards them with her weapon drawn. As she leaped, the Chobit brought it overhead at a slight angle. Her leaking leg flung black droplets into the air as she leapt, and due to the damage, she couldn't gain as much air as she could previously. Grinding her teeth. Angel slashed downwards, her hatred burning brightly like a blowtorch. Garrett blocked the strike with one hand. The other was protecting Amber in the crook of his arm.

(If hope will shatter, and I may die,)

As he held on to his most precious person, Garrett could see it: he saw the instant time slowed. The heart of time had followed his command.

(I know that you'll remember me!)

Even though this was Amber's power, he could freely use it. Not dwelling on the intricacies of this, Garrett continued to move, blocking the next attack without much trouble and kicking Angel in the jaw.

(So, everything that makes me whole)

It slowed her, but it did not stop her murderous rampage. Her head was now affixed crookedly, but even with her slanted viewpoint, Angel would not stop. Her emotions were so vibrant, so clear, it was frightening to watch. Death was the one and only wish for her opponent. The feral girl was getting sloppy, now. Even when a warning that her motor-sensory sector was misaligned, she did not hesitate.

(I'll give it all up to you)!

"Garrett, now!" ordered Amber, suddenly noticing an opening.

He recognized it the same instant she did. With the last of his reserve power, Garrett funneled all his strength into the sword.

Wether one would call it a miracle or not, it was all up to the person.

The sword, aided by Garrett's strength, spurned on by Amber's will, moved faster than it had previously. At the same moment, it appeared that time had frozen completely. With the combination of speed and power and magic, Garrett was actually able to land in not one, not two, but a full sixteen strokes.

And then the spell on time broke.

For a moment, it was as if nothing had happened at all. The only indication that Angel had been injured was that her melee of attacks had suddenly stopped, and the girl was standing there with the most shocked expression any living being could ever display. Her eyes wide and disbelieving, she took a step forward. However, this was futile.

Her calf broke away from her foot in mid-stride.

'No….' Her disintegrating thoughts could only echo that one thought, over and over, as if denying that her death was already sealed. 'No. NO. Nononononono…'

Glowing citrine lines appeared everywhere on her skin. Her face, her legs, her arms, her hands, they all now bore this terrible crisscrossed grid.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

The screams of an Angel keened high and loud over the city. Every inhabitant was able to hear the unholy sound that emitted from the blue-haired tyrant. Her vocal processors were melting from the intense energy poured into the attack. It distorted the pain-filled shriek with a mechanical echo underlying it. The sound stretched into a high, piercing C-note that made the windows in the city vibrate violently before they shattered all at once.

She had tried to move forward, but it was far too late. The injuries seemed to multiply, and the lines grew finer, and as she moved, her pieces fell away. As they dropped, they exploded into fine, scintillating powder, leaving behind no trace.

Even with the glittering gate to Elysium above the city beginning to disappear, it remained, as if waiting for one final thing to be accomplished.

By the time this all transpired, Yuzuki and Minoru were surrounded by numerous EMTs, all of them sent by Minako's earlier distress signal. They had stopped the encroachment of the stone before it could reach his lungs, which was great. He had a high tolerance for mana, which probably helped with that.

Hideki and Chii lay exhausted in the rubble, thankful that they had played their part as well as they did.

Kojima and Kotoko watched the scene from the office building they had climbed to, and now they were smiling. Despite the missing left arm Kotoko was sporting, she was happy for them. After all, all this ripe footage was just what Koji-kun was looking for. Their research was important, after all.

Lastly, Amber and Garrett were still staring at the spot where Angel was. The vaporized parts of her body had been swept away by some unnatural wind, and were raining down on the city in a fine shower of metallic glitter. Watching this in silence, the duo felt relief pour over their souls. Garrett let his artefact turn back into a card, and pocketed it. Meanwhile, Amber's legs had crumpled from the emotional shock. She was now sitting on the ground, her legs out to the sides with her knees touching.

Was this freedom? Was it really over?

Sniffing, Amber let the tears flow. Two warm streams of water spilled over her cheeks. Her terrible fate, was it now undone?

For a good fifteen minutes, she spent crying her eyes out. Even when the EMTs had tried to check up on her, Amber shook them off, still crying in relief. All of this stress heaped upon her was finally lifted after so many years. It was so hard to believe, it was almost dream-like.

Garrett had just helped Amber to her feet, and was about to comfort her when something peculiar happened.

All too suddenly, a most unexpected person arrived as if out of nowhere. For some reason, Amber's sister Meroko was waving to them and jogging over to their location through the light crowd of curious people. When she finally reached the confused duo at the epicenter of EMTs and other professionals, Meroko happily embraced the newly formed couple. "I am so excited for you two!"

Off to the side Hideki and Chii gave little waves, which the rabbit-girl returned.

"Meroko," said Amber nervously, struggling within her sister's iron grip. "You're sort of hurting me."

She had forgotten her superior strength. Meroko released the two of them, and opted instead for awkwardly ruffling their hair. "I'm sorry, I just can't believe my little sister finally found 'the one just for me'."

"Meroko…" sighed out Amber in exhaustion. This thing again? She had just finished a battle for crying out loud, and Meroko was talking about romance.

"That's why I have to do this," said Meroko, her smile fading a millimeter per second.

"What're you talking about?" Amber watched as her sister wrung her hands together and drew away.

"You didn't notice my musical support during your battle? Oh, come on!" Although the words were supposed to sound indignant, it was more nervous than angry.

Trying to recall the battle, Amber blinked in realization. 'Well , I thought I did notice some music, but…'

Meroko continued to talk, poking her fingers together shyly. "That's why I have to fulfill my original programming. Just like you, Chii."

"Just like Chii?" asked the confused girl. For a moment, she wondered if Meroko had one of those 'viruses' that Hideki had been warning her about. Maybe Meroko had been less than careful when surfing the web?

Meroko tried to smile wider, but it looked more 'pained' than 'happy.' "Chii, you showed our people what it means to love, to feel and experience things deeply." A strange sense of strength had leeched into her words, however. "But I'll show them what it means to be free."

Knowing exactly what Meroko meant, the little blonde nodded. Now it was all clear. "Chii understands."

"Meroko! Wait, what are you doing?" Amber's eyes threatened to pop out of her head when she saw her sister beginning to lift off of the ground. Her legs were almost out of power, so they were trembling as she stepped towards the levitating Persocom.

"A 'Chobit' is a Persocom with 'free will', just remember that. I might lose my memory afterwards…I'm not sure. Just don't forget me, ok?" She stepped forward, in the direction of the now-closing door to another dimension. It seemed to be calling to her, lending its help, as it were. In Meroko's eyes, the little red ring was pulsing so fast that it was like a miniature strobe light. She stepped forward, walking towards the light. When Amber grabbed her hand, Meroko did not fight her off. As she began to rise even higher from the cracked asphalt, Meroko's wrist was slipping through her sister's fingers, and the bangles on the Chobit's wrist came off in Amber's hand.

To let everyone's souls become free, she had to release a portion of her own into the world.

"Aneechan!" Amber reached upwards, her sister's bangles still held fast in her trembling hand.

"Don't worry," Meroko smiled genuinely this time, her eyes pulsing with light. "With this, everyone will become a 'Chobit', for real this time."

"Meroko!" howled Amber in futility. She was crying again, for this event was something she could not stop.

Clear and high, her breathy voice reverberated over the entire city. As she sung, her CPU began to whirr, louder and louder, until it could be heard by even Garrett and Amber on the ground below. With a peaceful look, the rabbit sang what she believed to be her last song here on Earth.

"She's frying her brain, that idiot!" bellowed Garrett.

"What?" whispered Amber, looking at the floating form of Meroko. It was true. Her system was running at 200% the acceptable rate. Overclocking herself was the only way to accomplish her task, however.

The song was a gentle rhapsody. It was like all the warmth and love Meroko had for her people, for her family, it was carried all throughout the melody. Sweet, almost sickeningly so, it caressed them, surrounded them with her caring spirit. Everything and everyone else was completely silent, listening to her bittersweet ballad. However, it did not last for long. Most songs were often short, and this one was most certainly so. When it ended, the silence was only a precursor to the main event.

In a burst of light, a shockwave, one similar to an EMP, rippled across reality, knocking everyone to the ground. The pink light washed over them swiftly, travelling over the globe within a matter of minutes.

One body fell to the ground, and the gate to Elysium snapped shut.

Her sister screamed her name several more times, but the fallen rabbit did not stir.

Meroko's goodbye song went a little like this:

(Sung to the tune of Egoist's 'Departures')

I no longer need to love, or be loved by you.

And I no longer need your kindness too

So leave me here to stay, alone with my thoughts

So remember that I loved…

I no longer have to be so afraid

Because of all the sacrifices you have made

So as you hold my hand,

I hope to god you'll stay,

As perfect as you always were…

As the sun does rise, Beginning in the East

I hope that you will, Never forget me

And so I stand, here unafraid because of you

You're all I need!