Chapter 4

"What?"

"Do you want to save her?"

"Of course I do! She's my friend!"

"Is she? After we used them? After we broke them? After our legs became their chains?"

"H-how do you know about that!?"

"How indeed," the owner of the voice finally appeared, revealing herself from the shadows.

Kagari stifled a frightened gasp. If only looked at the face alone, this other girl could have easily passed for her twin.

That was where the similarities ended though. She was wearing a Victorian dress like the ones she put on her dolls and a black crown. More disturbingly, she also had a set of skeletal claws for hand.

The worst part, however, was her legs.

Where creamy, white skin should be, her thighs ended in two mechanical knees and calves, lipped with massive wheels instead of feet.

"Wh-who are you?"

"The question is, who are you?"

"K-Kagari, Kagari Izuriha."

"Are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you wish to save her, you cannot be Kagari Izuriha."

"Why not? What's wrong with me!?"

"Kagari Izuriha is but a child. Weak. Unconditioned. Manipulative. Crippled."

"Crippled?" she growled, "What do you mean crippled?"

She stood.

Or at least she tried to. In hindsight, she had not even been aware that she had been sitting. Years of spending her time on a wheelchair made sitting feel as familiar as standing.

She slowly looked down in terror.

THE CHAIR.

She was sitting on the one device she had sworn never to return to. Chained down by lengths of barbed wire the same color as her twin's metal arms and clothed by a familiar nightgown.

"W-what-!?"

"If you wish to save her, you must release that which binds you," said the girl coldly, "you must stand on your own two feet."

"How am I supposed to do that like THIS!?"

Kagari tore at the wire, only cutting her skin in the process. Red stained the pure white gown.

"You must stand."

"Then let me!"

"How can you help her if you can't do even this? How will you live without hindering her? You must stand!"

"I CAN'T!"

Silence reigned for a few, precious seconds.

"Then you never will."

Back up top, the situation wasn't much better. Starfire was struggling to lift Raven's unconscious body out of her own power's hold while Robin held back an injured, but trigger happy Dr. Light.

"What did you do to my Crystals!?" he screamed, "Where are they? What junk did you put into my suit!?"

"Prototype explosive crystals," replied Robin as he dodged yet another beam, "Stark sends his regards by the way."

"Robin!" screamed Starfire, "I cannot move friend Raven!"

"Keep trying! You two, get out of there!"

Saya and Yuu were moving as much rubble as possible, trying to get to their entombed friends.

"We have to get Yomi and Kagari out!" replied Saya in English, "just keep that freak away from us!"

"Please be ok Yomi," grunted the teacher with every rock and pile of dirt she moved, "you too Kagari. Rock didn't kill Chariot for nothing you pampered brat!"

Yuu only stood silently as she worked, listening to her oldest friend mutter to herself whilst she wished to feel those familiar steel hands of hers again. She didn't mind being human again. Being helpless was another story.

A sudden shock ran through the duo and to Mato, who was still unconcious. Raven's berserk power had lashed out at the three and had forced its way into their bodies. Saya and Yuu collapsed under the incontrollable power of the dark sorceress, unaware of the changes that had begun within their bodies.

Spent, Raven finally collapsed.

Mato, for her part, awoke with a start. Although the same changes had begun within her, the unpredictable magic had also healed the concussion she had suffered. She looked around dazedly at the scene before her, rapidly noting her unconscious friends next to the pile of rubble.

"Sensei! Yuu!" she ran to the pile of rubble and dragged Yuu to the electronics shop they watched the news at earlier, away from the black bolts of lightning and beams of burning light. After returning for Saya, she proceeded to slap the older woman awake.

"Sensei, sensei please wake up!"

"Kuroi?" the brunette was understandably disoriented, "I don't feel too good."

"Sensei, where are Yomi and Kagari?"

"They were in the arcade," she groaned, "We have to get them-urp!"

"Don't get up!" cried Mato, pushing her teacher back down, "I think you're hurt."

"The black stuff zapped us," she moaned, "I dunno what it did."

"You three stay here," said a male voice from behind Saya. Cyborg had finally repaired himself to the point that he could stand. Whether he could fight was yet to be seen, "I'll get your friends."

"You can't fight, you're hurt too!" noted Mato, not that he could understand her. He only knew about the girls in the arcade from what Starfire had yelled.

"Girl, I can't understand- your eye's on fire!"

"Eh?" was Mato's "question", "What did he say, Saya?"

"Your… eye," it wasn't possible. The Otherselves had always been confined to the Otherworld. How could Black Rock Shooter be making her way here?

"Saya! Your eyes are red!"

A quick look at a mirror confirmed it. Both of their eyes had changed color to red and bright blue respectively, in addition to the blue flame adorning Mato's left eye.

They leaned over Yuu to open her eyes. Sure enough, a bright orange eye with a ringed pattern peeked through.

"You don't think…?"

The two looked over to the pile of rubble where their friends were buried; unaware that Cyborg was standing behind them with a bucket of cold water.

"Stand UP Kagari Izuriha."

"I can't," she whimpered.

"You must," insisted her double, "if not for yourself then for her."

A window opened. How long had they been in a house?

"Yomi!"

Indeed, behind the wooden frame lay her oldest friend, unconscious and bleeding from a wound hidden by her hair.

She pushed againt the wire, but flinched back when it cut into her skin.

"Stand."

"Yomi! Can you hear me!? Yomi, answer me!"

She tried again, resisting the pain for a moment before she fell back again.

"Stand!"

"Yomi!"

She pushed against the wire again. It creaked against the ornate wood of her seat.

"STAND!"

"YOMI!"

The wire snapped.

She fell to her hands and knees.

"Stand," It whispered, "who are you? Who are we?"

She rose. Eyelids shut.

"I. Am."

Amber eyes opened.

"Chariot."