Welcome to chapter 31 of this story. It's time for a clash of the titans! It's time for Jasmine versus Dōgen! I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I Do Not own any of the Senran Kagura characters. I only own the story.

Warning: Graphic scenes ahead I think

Chapter 31: Titan Vs. Titan

I looked towards the exit, and quickly made up my mind and started towards it. Ryōbi's voice called out to me. "Mikagura!" She was suddenly next to me, I didn't even hear footsteps. "And just where do you think you're going? Do you realize that if you tried to help that you'd actually die this time!"

I looked away, "I know I can't do much, and I'm aware that I might die. But... I just can't stand around and do nothing!"

Ryona placed her hand on my shoulder, "But this is a battle between two behemoths. It's certainly no place for a child."

I winced, the word "child" stung my core, "I know I'm still a child, but if there's still a chance that I can help, then I'll risk a brush with death to make sure that things go back to normal." I brushed her hand off and took off.

I ran out of the stadium as I heard the twins call out to me! I got outside the stadium and looked around. But there was nothing, nothing of note besides trees and a blue sky. "Where'd they both go!?"

Suddenly, explosions rang out somewhere downtown and that's when I heard the State of Emergency alarms going off, long low-pitched booms that signaled everyone in the area to run until they could no longer hear the noise. Trouble was brewing and I needed to find Dōgen and Jasmine right away! I ran into downtown, using shortcuts I was familiar with and found them both engaged in hand to hand combat. I summoned both of my Rei Tei and started to watch steadily waiting for my opportunity to strike.

Waiting was like agony knocking on the doorsteps of impatience. Jasmine and Dōgen… they fought like rapids down a river, it was fast but each impact was heard and some even felt by pure force alone. If only there was an opening...

I saw Jasmine look at me, acknowledging that I was here. They fought a bit more, then suddenly, Jasmine punched him in the face, barely missing his temple but used enough strength to push him back quite a bit. He staggered.

"Mikagura now!"

I quickly grabbed my drums and threw them around Dōgen, and I went to pound them. My drums fizzled but my usual lightning didn't come out! I was shocked to see that it wasn't coming out at all! Jasmine saw this and blew smoke out and disappeared into it.

I kept pounding my drums, trying to get my Ninja Art to work. "God damn it! What's wrong with you, Renka!?" I screamed at myself, my breathing heavy and sweat dripping down my forehead. I needed to do something, anything!

I ran down to where they resumed their fighting and fired off a lightning bolt that had the faded color of purple at Dōgen. Dōgen batted it away, but because I distracted him, Jasmine came in and struck Dōgen in the stomach. From memory, I knew that was a tender spot. Dōgen coughed out blood, and when Jasmine kicked him back, Dōgen started to seethe, "You little bitch!"

Suddenly, Dōgen punched in my direction, and a shot of dark flames hurtled straight at me. My eyes widened as his attack came racing towards me. There was no time to evade, I knew I was dead. Go left? Dead. Go right? Dead. The fire spread up and the heat on the ground glowed white from the flame's intensity. Go up or down? Dead.

The heat of the flames kissed my cheeks when Jasmine came in between me and the shot hit her square in the chest. My jaw went slack, unable to process what my eyes were seeing. The attack quickly exploded and pushed Jasmine into the nearest house on the right.

"Mistress Sayuri!" I cried out.

Dōgen laughed with malice in every breath, "I knew she'd protect you. If I aimed at you, it'd make taking her down so much easier!"

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I stared him down, "You… You bastard!"

I used my Rei Tei to shoot more lightning at him, but he kept swatting them away easily. I kept on him, not giving him a moment's rest. But the more I kept doing so, the more faded my lightning began to look. The more he kept swatting them to the side, the harder it became to breathe.

Finally, the last piece of lightning I tossed was a clear white, and after he swatted that away, my body collapsed. My head was pouring sweat as I tried to get up but my body wouldn't obey me. I heard Dōgen laughing, "So it's looking like even the great Renka Mikagura has exhausted all of her Ki! Yeah, even my Ki would be gone too after all that fighting you've done all week! Hanabi, Murasaki, Yomi, and even my Yagyū. Truth be told, I didn't think you'd be able to actually beat her. Funny thing though, the moment you struck that final blow, however, you halted Yagyū's heart."

I looked up at him, one eye opened, my vision fading, "I-I stopped Yagyū's heart?"

Dōgen threw his head back to laugh up at the sky, "You mean you really didn't know!? Renka, you killed Yagyū!"

I felt my body going numb, "I-I-I killed Yagyū!?" I shook my head in disbelief, "No! That's not true! Yagyū is still alive right now!"

Dōgen knelt down to get closer to me. He waved a hand nonchalantly, a blur on my own blurry vision. "When a Shadow Mark bearer is born, they're only given access to half of that power. Their mark is not even visible on their body till they use their power, so they can hide easily in society. However, when that bearer dies, their full power can take over and they are given a second lease on life. In exchange, however, they're given a half-life per se. A state that's not among the living nor the dead. The new permanent mark that appears on their body is treated as a new heart. Right now, Yagyu's physical heart is…" He tilted his head from side to side like his mind was weighing his next words. "... Probably still dead."

Tears flooded my eyes, "S-So… I really killed…"

Dōgen clapped his hands that sounded like he was utterly delighted, "Yes! Thanks to you, Yagyu has unleashed the full power of her Shadow Mark! She's twice as strong as she used to be. Now that she has this power, she's only going to grow stronger and stronger." He reached out, and his disgusting hand gripped my chin, forcing me to stare at him. "All thanks to you, Renka. What a useful child you've been."

I couldn't hold back my tears and just started crying.

"Of course, once a tool has been used, you have to throw it away," Dōgen said, releasing my chin. "I would recycle but that's not my specialty."

I saw the shadow of Dōgen poised for its next attack. "And now that your spirit has been broken, Renka Mikagura, it's now time for you to die!" Dōgen drew his fist back, "I must commend you for making it as far as you have in this tournament! Now... die!"

Time stood still until I heard the loud blaring of some kind of…. Elephant?

Dōgen looked up, "What!?" Only to be struck by a giant tusk as he screamed out, "Impossible!"

Jasmine landed next to me as Dōgen left my sight. She took a drag of her pipe, "Renka, rest now. If you try and force anymore Ki out, you will definitely die."

A wrecked sob escaped my lips, "He said I killed Yagyū!" My voice sounded broken and defeated.

Jasmine took another drag of her pipe, another chain of smoke to add to the final link. "Aye, you did. But it seems like even death could not stop her."

I wailed, my heart aching for the life lost before it was her time. But mid-breath, Jasmine shouted, "How long are you gonna blubber on like a five-year-old?" I looked up at her, "At times like these, a Kunoichi needs to pick herself up and continue forward on her path. We don't have the luxury of tears."

I wiped away my tears and Jasmine smiled, "Good girl. Now rest here. Dōgen is back at the stadium. I need to end this."

I quickly tried to get up, "Please Jasmine, take me with you! I need to see this through till the end!"

Jasmine looked into my eyes and after seeing how determined I was she nodded. She picked me up and carried me to the arena with her. When we had approached the arena we saw a crater where he had landed. We appeared near Ryobi and Ryona who were ready for Dōgen to jump up at any minute. The other Shinobi Sailor girls were with them. I wonder where they've been all this time?

Jasmine placed me down behind the twins, "How's it looking, girls?"

Ryōbi didn't move or take her eye off the enemy, "No sign of movement yet."

Suddenly, Dōgen shot out of the crater and high into the sky, "Damn you! Sayuri Hanzō!" He started to gather all of his Ki into one big blast at the tip of his index finger, "I'll kill you, Sayuri Hanzō! And everyone here!"

Suddenly, the Ki energy expanded so much that it blanketed the sky with pure, rippling energy, echoing his undying laughter. Jasmine's eyes widened at the threat, and I stumbled to my feet and tried to stand, "H-He can't be serious, can he?"

Jasmine smoked, a heavier breath, and her pipe seemed to strain from the inhale. "Aye, I'm afraid he is. He'll do anything to kill me."

The leftover shinobi in the arena all cried out in fear as Ryōbi cursed under her breath, "We need to get whoever is still here to safety!"

Jasmine shook her head, "I got this! Just make sure everyone is safe!"

Suddenly, wings grew out of Jasmine's back and she blasted off to meet Dōgen. "All right Dōgen! You want me? Well, come and get me! Treat this girl to a good time!"

Dōgen gave a cheeky glance, "With pleasure!" He then tossed the energy straight at Sayuri. "Die! Sayuri Hanzō!"

Jasmine took a hold of her pipe, "I told you, my name is Jasmine!"

She placed her pipe in front of her, as the energy Dōgen sent collided with it. Struggling sounds could be heard from Jasmine as she started to be pushed back by the sheer force of the energy. I was getting worried cause it looked like Jasmine wasn't gonna be able to repel it.

I looked over at the Twins and saw that Ryōbi was in front of Ryona. Ryona's eyes went wide, "Ryobi, what're you doing? Why bother protecting me if we're all gonna die anyway?"

Ryōbi smirked, "I wouldn't be able to face Ryoki if I didn't do anything to protect you. You're my twin Ryona, I love you."

Tears soon flooded Ryona's eyes and she placed her arms around Ryōbi's midsection. "I love you too Ryōbi."

I heard Dōgen cry out, "I put all of my power into that attack! Now die, along with the rest of your pathetic people!"

I saw Jasmine losing more and more ground to the mass of energy. I cried out, "Don't lose, Jasmine! Everyone is counting on you!"

I heard Murakumo shout "It's over! We're all gonna die!"

Hibari just waved her arms around frantically, "Don't say that! We shouldn't be so negative."

Mirai placed her parasol on the ground, "We'll be okay. I've known Sayuri for years. She's the type that never gives up."

At that point, I heard Jasmine growl as she started to push the energy back more and more. Finally, as she got it away from her enough, she cried out and kicked her pipe which hit the energy straight back to Dōgen and it collided full force with him. I don't think he was expecting that cause his guard wasn't up.

"This cannot be possible!" Dōgen exclaimed.

Jasmine's wings disappeared and as she was falling she formed a ball of her own Ki, "It's over Dōgen! Here's a greeting from the 30th Kagura! Enjoy!"

Jasmine then tossed her Ki and it collided with the Ki surrounding Dōgen, causing a massive explosion in the sky. I heard Dōgen scream out, "Damn you, Sayuri Hanzō!"

The force of the explosion sent Jasmine back to the ground but Mirai caught her and saved her from hitting the ground harshly. Mirai smirked, "Welcome back, Jasmine."

Ryona looked up at the cloud of smoke, "I-Is he gone?"

Mirai helped Jasmine to get to her feet, "No, he shouldn't have been able to survive. I made sure to finish the job. Dōgen is dead… Shame he never remembered my name, annoying little bastard."

Mirai chuckled, "As he should be. How the hell was he able to survive for 500 years?"

"Moisturizer?" I replied, a little loopy from a lack of energy. "There's this really expensive stuff… uh… I forgot its name."

Ryobi laughed and shrugged, "Who knows. I'm just glad it's over."

Hibari was the next to jump in, "We chased after the other Shinobi, but they managed to get away. Now we have 5 shadow mark bearers out there."

Murakumo chimed in next, "Well, they aren't gonna be much of a threat now that their leader is dead."

I saw Jasmine smirking at me, so I just mouthed, "Glad you're okay."

I couldn't imagine the world without Mistress Sayuri. She was the central pillar that supported our little town. As I smiled, tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

I'll never forget what happened next. As I took my next step to go over to Jasmine, the loudest sound I have ever heard reached my ears… right from behind me.

My eyes widened as I saw Jasmine's head gushed blood, right from the center point of her forehead. I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't feel anything, the only thing I could see was Jasmine's face twisting into surprise. She collapsed to the ground with an ugly thud and I remembered seeing the Sailors rushing to Jasmine's aid.

Then like someone flipping on a switch, the sound came back on, as I heard… laughter. It wasn't like Dōgen's, where it was loud and full of air. No, this one was breathless and insane, without a pattern and without reason. I looked back, and saw Ryona, her weapon still up and smoking.

Her arm was still semi shaking and when she spoke, her voice trembled, "I-I c-can't believe it! I-I-I can't believe it!" Ryona pinched herself and moaned. "Well, that hurt! So this really is real! Are you saying that I actually killed Mistress Sayuri!?"

I soon saw Ryōbi run past me, "What the hell! You stupid bitch! Do you realize what you've just done!?"

Ryōbi was struggling not to cry, and Ryona nodded, "Yes, I killed Mistress Sayuri with a bullet to her brain. It all happened so fast, my panties are still moist from it, but it's all happening like Master Dōgen said it would! Of course, I was a little disbelieving when he said that I would pull the trigger."

Ryōbi's eyes widened, "Master Dōgen?"

Ryona just chuckled and it was unlike anything I've ever heard before. "You really haven't figured it out? And you called me the stupid bitch."

Suddenly, the other Shinobi Sailors had surrounded Ryona, weapons all drawn. Some of them looked like they had been crying. Ryōbi stared in disbelief, her head slowly shaking, "N-No. It can't be! Are you telling me that you're…."

Ryona placed her hands behind her body, "Yes I am! I'm one of the bearers of the Shadow Mark. Yagyu and my team are gonna change the world!"

Tears fell down Ryōbi's face, "H-How could you!? How could you kill Mistress Sayuri!? How could you turn your back on me!? How could you…. turn your back…." The tears flooded her face as she cried, suddenly Ryōbi summoned her weapon and aimed it at her own twin's heart, "On Ryoki!"

Ryona gave a smirk that was demented, twisted into a disturbed snarl that was a mixture of utter glee, pleasure, disgust, and rage. "It's because of Ryoki that I'm going to change this rotten world!"

Another shot sounded off. The next thing I knew, Ryobi fell clutching her stomach. All of the Shinobi Sailors cried out, "Ryobi!"

Mirai screamed, "That's it! I'm gonna kill you!" The next thing I knew, Mirai summoned a giant gun between her legs, "Valkyrie!"

Hibari grew to giant size and Murakumo snapped her fingers and cried out, "Kotoro!" A wolf came to her aid.

The Shinobi Sailors were all ready to attack until suddenly Yagyu appeared next to Ryona. She saw all the attacks at the ready, "Things have gotten a lot more lively around here. I'll take it to mean that your mission was a success."

Ryona nodded, "Yup! Mistress Sayuri is dead! The 30th Kagura is no more!"

All the Shinobi Sailors unleashed their attacks but Yagyu and Ryona were suddenly near me. As the attacks of the Sailors exploded, Yagyu smirked in an icy way and grabbed my throat, gripping it fiercely. I quickly put my hands around hers trying to undo her fingers. "Now all that's left to do is put you out of your misery, Mikagura!"

I couldn't say anything as I was desperately trying to remove her fingers and take air into my lungs. Yagyu chuckled, "I told her, didn't I? I told her that I'd kill her precious 'Renka-Honey', I just wish it was in front of her!"

Suddenly, another shot sounded off and I felt Yagyu release her grip as her blood flew everywhere. I heard Ryona shouted, "Yagyu, are you okay?"

I heard Yagyu groan, "I'm fine! She only got me in the arm near my hand."

I coughed and choked, finally taking it air and I saw that it was Ryōbi who fired off her weapon as she had it in hand. I could see blood starting to pool beneath her. Ryona saw it was her sister too and looked to Yagyu, "Maybe we should retreat. It'd be a pain to take on all of the Shinobi Sailors at once."

Yagyu held onto her injured arm, "You may be right. They took out the very hand I use to hold my weapon too. To fight them now would only spell out deaths. Come on, Ryona!"

Ryona nodded, "Right, Yagyu!"

At that point, I heard Ryōbi's voice cry out, "I can't believe you, Ryona! After everything we've been through together! We joined the Shinobi Sailors to make sure no one else ended up losing someone, like how we lost Ryoki!"

Ryona looked away, "Not 'we' Ryōbi. You, you did that."

Ryōbi continued unimpeded, "Have you forgotten everything Ryoki did for us!? If she were here right now, do you know how disappointed she'd be!?"

Ryona's eyes sharpened like a kunai, "You know, I'm not usually the one who uses her tongue to put people down like you do, but I'll make an exception just this once!" Ryona then looked into her own twin's eyes and looked down upon her, "Shut the fuck up, Ryōbi! You useless bitch!"

Ryōbi's eyes widened, "Ry-Ryona."

Ryona laughed, shaking her head uncaring, and gave her twin a dismissive wave, "And with that, we're done here."

Yagyu and Ryona vanished and Ryōbi teared up, "I'm so sorry… but I failed to stop her… Ryo… ki…."

Ryōbi collapsed onto the ground and we all looked to Mistress Sayuri. Mirai soon spoke but it was soft and on the verge of breaking, "G-Get Ryōbi to the infirmary stat, Lt. Iguchi!"

Hibari who was already crying, nodded, "Uh-Huh."

Hibari picked up Ryōbi and soon took off. Mirai looked to me next, "Do you want to stay here for a little bit?"

I nodded, the tears already flowing down my face. I could hear Murakumo already sobbing from behind that mask of hers. Tears dripping from her chin. Even Mirai was letting her feelings out. Soon all of the others came over from their mission they had during all of this and learned of the sad news. Among the group, Rin, Kiriya, Hikage, and Ikaruga, and evening Kafuru was there crying her eyes out. I just looked over to Mistress Sayuri's body which had not moved, nor will it ever move again on its own.

I fell to my knees, "M-Mistress Sayuri."

Chapter End

Well, that's that. That's all I have to say. I hope you all enjoyed that! Ayame out.