"Improperly fused...?" A sharp stab of not only befuddlement, but terror rippled up her spine, dragging with it another spontaneous retort. "I... what...?"

Dreamsy genuinely appeared a little sad, with pity crossing her deserted expression like a blanket of freshly shaved snow. She reached forth, slipping the little cartridge into Kurome's spare inner pocket - having torn the shirt apart while taking it. Now though, she felt nothing but scraps of power within the thing as it sat so hollowly on her person again. Seemingly satisfied with returning the nearly emptied item, as if having done so out of courtesy alone, Dreamsy pulled back once more and answered the question.

"Is it really so difficult a concept to grasp? You were never reunited as one. You were just clinging onto her, desperate to not end up forgotten like the rest of your power." Shaking her head a little, Dreamsy's dampening of the girl's previous beliefs were anything but gentle, with the cotton gracing her emotional wounds being twisted of wire. "But it's okay, because she hadn't forgotten you. She really did want to take you in and accept your part of her... but, well... It's rather hard to accept something you so adamantly despise, is it not?"

Despise?

Had Uzume really hated her that badly? She'd been somewhat apprehensive during the encounter way back then, but never overly hostile when it came to her attempts to merge the both of them as one again. Granted, they were being goaded on by the other goddesses throughout the fight, but Uzume at least appeared to care for her. Was this a trick, or another deception minced into the confusing mess that was everything being spat? While it did take the better part of their struggle for Uzume to finally come to her, she'd always just thought it was her own doing for fighting so hard.

It was a delay born of two equal combatants.

"I know it seems hard to accept, but Uzume would have rather seen you erased."

"Liar." Kurome tried to put some force behind the word, but it tripped on the way out, falling flat on its face with all the force of a wet tissue.

"Deceiving yourself will do more harm than good." Dreamsy drew close again, but was seemingly stunted by something. The little gob of spit on her cheek stood out just enough to be visible, and Kurome saw the hovering deceiver twist her eyes towards the perpetrator of such disrespect.

"Pretty hypocritical coming from someone like you!" Linda, although still afraid, was looking as defiant as she could towards their key-holder. "Quit trying to pretend like you care; we're not buying it!"

"Care..." Dreamsy wiped away the wad, flicking her gloved hand as if to throw it to the wind. Her focus fell back on Kurome, and the troubled woman saw nothing but abrupt apathy in the expression. "Oh, I do care... but not for the thing I see before me."

Dreamsy drew closer than ever and her eyes snaked all over Kurome's face, to the point the captive lass felt a tad perved on... Or, she would have, had she not been battling with her inner thoughts. Said thoughts alone were put on hold as the woman continued to drive the metaphorical stake further into her heart.

"I care about Uzume: the real Uzume, and not some fake expulsion of her power wearing her shape as a cheap suit. I'll admit, I've been rather hasty. The real Uzume would remember her closest friend... but you?" Dreamsy buried a finger into Kurome's cheek. "You're just a collection of memories best left forgotten."

"Hey, chu! Don't go badmouthing our friend like-aghm mph!?" The binds that tied them wrapped around Warechu's mouth, cutting off whatever else the little mouse might have had to say.

"No one gave you permission to speak, vermin." Dreamsy never even bothered looking his way. Backing up for once, there was a stiff pity leveled towards Kurome, and she could feel it. "I'd hoped it wasn't true, but you really are just her discarded dregs..." A little smile lit up. "Don't worry though, I'm sure I can find Uzume, and we can try joining you back together again. She'll remember me, I'm certain."

Join together... that... that actually didn't sound so bad.

If she really was just excess energy, a forgotten mess that her other self, her real self didn't care for, then this was the best outcome. No matter how hard she looked, Kurome could never find her better, and at every twist and turn she'd been met with nothing but hot air and falsehoods. Being whole again would be nice... even if it meant she'd lose herself. Dreamsy made it sound so final too, being accepted back into her own body.

Did that mean she'd lose her sense of consciousness?

"What... what if she doesn't remember you either?" Kurome wasn't sure why she asked, but it just came out. Maybe it was due to her own lacking memory, but Dreamsy made it sound like they shared more than just the good times. Kurome hadn't completely forgotten the truth of the matter: while she herself retained the negative, more hurtful memories of their original self, Uzume oppositely carried the positive. And so, if Dreamsy didn't exist in her own set of memories, what did it mean if she was missing from Uzume's as well? Friends shared both the good and bad, didn't they?

"She won't." The absolute certainty in her voice was unnatural. "She'll remember me, she has too, she's the real one after all."

Kurome felt that sting from before again, and Linda saw it this time. With a sturdy fury, free of the fear previously infecting her heart, the shorter woman bit out at their captor.

"Hey bitch! Didn't we already tell you to zip it!?" Dreamsy was right up in her face now.

"And didn't I already put your worthless hides in place?" Taking hold of the pale one's face, Dreamsy made no effort to hold back as she dug her fingertips into the skin. "But for some stupid reason you rats don't listen. Is it a learning defect? Are you all really this foolish? Or, perhaps, you're so dense you cannot see when you should be showing respect!"

Dreamsy had released her claws from the girl, only to reel back and give it to her across the face. Nothing was heard but the light echo from that slap, so hard it left a quickly growing welt on Linda's cheek. For the most part, the ex-criminal took it in stride, even bringing up a small grin afterwards, which had the woman watching widen her eyes. The pupils dilated more as Linda's grin twisted into a verbal insult, directed cheekily towards the self-proclaimed friend of Uzume's.

"Heh... Am I getting to you?" It was followed by a chuckle, and then a short little laugh. "Wow. I can't believe it was so easy to tick you off... Aren't you supposed to be some big-shot friend of a goddess or something?"

Dreamsy grit her teeth, which transitioned into biting her lip. Linda took this as a sign she was right, and let her smirk meld into a darker smile. Once more the woman's eyes appeared to sparkle with manic instinct, only this time, they mellowed out. Her calm had returned, and with it, a strangely hopeful tone.

"Perhaps I am that easy to mess with, but what can you expect when being locked away for years." She sighed. "I'd say this is a perfect time to lose the chains, and take a peek at the world of the modern day." Next came the smile. "I can feel her nearby, the real Uzume. I think it's time we meet again."

"S-she's near!?" Kurome spat unconsciously, and Dreamsy threw on a peaceful look.

"Yes... I can feel her some distance away." The woman then turned. "I'm afraid this is where we part ways, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten your question." A dark, crackling glow surrounded her. "If she's forgotten me too, then I can be sure she's just another copy... meaning the real Uzume must have died during the creation of you two. As sad as it may be, I'll at least be able to put the both of you out of your misery."

What!? Kurome's heart locked up, and a rush of raw adrenaline forced her limbs and entire body to thrash violently for escape. She... she was threatening to kill Uzume. No, not just Uzume, but her as well. She herself didn't matter though, it was only the right Uzume who held any value: the one who'd shared her times and friendship with the goddesses.

She couldn't let her better, more meaningful half die; her own life was mere scrap in comparison.

No no NO!

Fighting against every restraint, her arms pulled and flung, while her legs thrashed in all directions. Her torso, though not carrying within the warmth of before, bore a new heat source as she ravenously fought for freedom. This woman, this bitch of a monster, was threatening Uzume, and Kurome couldn't let that slide. Everything she stood for, everything she'd fought for since her first free breath had been to return to her other self; her better self.

I-I can't let you! I WON'T LET YOU!

It was almost strangling the reaction her defiance brought, and every motion only served to tighten the restraints, who locked up in response to the struggling against them. That was a non-factor though, because Uzume was in danger. Dreamsy claimed to be a friend to Uzume, but friends don't kill each other. No, that was an excuse, a lie to add onto the pile of lies which spewed grotesquely from her lips, and Kurome was more than desperate to mash her knuckles into them.

Unbeknownst to her, and only caught by the inquisitive and experienced eyes of both her original roommates, a faint white glow began to burn around her. It was miniscule, and the only feedback Kurome herself had of it was a dull pain across her body, but that was nothing compared to the strangulation of the binds, and the needy hatred her core called for; Kurome knew nothing of what her friends saw. Linda had seen the familiar glow time and time again, yes, but it was Warechu who claimed the most experience with the holy power. While small, it was still enough to have an effect on the tangles holding them in place, seemingly burning away the roots which restrained her.

Share energy: the natural opposite of delusional energy.

The roots must have been unnatural and carved from its opposing cousin, because share energy alone would not harm nature or people at a touch: only if they were covered in delusional energy, and even then all it did was purge the darkness. Regardless, it was just effective enough to break some of the binds, and Kurome tore herself free on a high of raw desperation.

I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!

"Farewell."

Just like that, Kurome's clenched fist passed through nothing but a black mist where their opponent once stood.

NO!

While her mind was reeling, her body had mostly lost its light, and she fell to her knees while still reaching her fist out.

NO! NO NO no no no…

Her breathing picked up.

Y–you can't...

The fist fell.

I wasn't... I-

Her hair stood on end as something warm touched her shoulder, and startled awake she turned to see Linda.

"Come on, stand up." The woman never waited for an answer, setting her other hand on Kurome's arm and heaving the both of them to their feet. Her eyes looked calm, too calm, and so was her voice. "You still here?"

Kurome couldn't muster anything more than a nod. Dreamsy... No matter what, she couldn't recall a damn thing about her, but if she was who she said she was, then Uzume was on a timer. Bits and pieces were still within her, but the brunt of her delusional energy was taken by the bitch, and while it alone wouldn't normally be enough to stand up to Uzume, Kurome was frightened regardless. She herself knew just how much you could accomplish with a seemingly infinite amount of time, and being locked away for so long...

Dreamsy moved like a woman who had everything she ever wanted, even when she had nothing. This was what prompted her next plea.

"We need-"

"To find her?" Linda rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we figured."

"You don't understand."

"No, we don't, but when has that ever stopped us?"

How? How could Linda stay calm at a time like this? There was so little tension in her, as if this was just another day. She was scared shitless just moments before, so where the hell did all that fear go?

"How are you so... relaxed?"

"Well... it kind of helps when you can move around a little." She chuckled, she actually chuckled; Kurome was flabbergasted. Linda's face settled soon after, and after laying her hands on her hips, she threw on a cocky grin. "Besides, she pretty much challenged us to find her, didn't she?"

"What... what do you mean?"

"Uzume is close, remember?" Crossing her arms, Linda teasingly waved a finger. "And seeing as there's only one place nearby where someone would realistically be wandering around, I'd say the prick pretty much told us exactly where she's off to."

That's... that's right.

There was only one place even remotely close enough that someone like Uzume would be just casually wandering around: the city... Okay, so there was also a pit-stop, but why the heck would Uzume be there for any alloted amount of time? This looked to be one of the rare times Linda actually managed to think ahead, but with that now firmly in her headspace, another startling thought came to her.

"Dreamsy... she also mentioned some... other things too, didn't she." Kurome didn't know what her friends would say, but she chose to present the obvious thought anyway. "Do you believe any of it?"

"You're asking about the Uzume stuff, yeah?" Linda crossed her arms. "And the whole fusion nonsense?"

"So you don't?"

"I never said that." Linda's face seemed to squish with a vague grumble. "I'm pretty sure anyone, even someone like me, can see what the bitch was implying." Hissing a little, she grit her teeth. "Even if it sounds absolutely bonkers." Her eyes shot towards Kurome again. "And to be frank, I'm not sure if you'd have ever brought that up yourself, especially with what it would mean. I probably wouldn't have believed you either."

"I'm sorry." That was something Kurome never thought would slip past her lips, especially with so much honesty. That didn't stop it from being true though, and a small bit of herself questioned if it was the more 'Uzume' side of her subconscious who sought to apologize.

"Well you should be, chu!" Warechu walked up from beside them; hands on his hips and sass in his voice. "If we knew you were a goddess, even if only partly, we could have really got some work done, and probably charged extra to boot!" His scolding fell off there, though, and he seemed to gain the same level of sass Linda had. "But now that we do know, I say we should hurry this little adventure up." With his arms crossed, Warechu grinned from ear to ear. "Afterwards we can really start to rake in the dough."

Money?

After everything: all the argument; discussion; revelation and threatening that Dreamsy just put them all through; all they could think about was money. Kurome... she didn't know whether to laugh or sight, but she didn't have to do either, because Lonk decided it had been too long since he'd last butt in.

"Part goddess, eh?" He clapped, smiling and almost looking about ready to cheer. "I knew there was more to the cool girl from the store than what she let on. So...?" He silenced his claps by slamming his fists together. "We kicking ass or what?"

"I-?!"

Kurome was tackled out of an answer by an overly excited Uzi, who clung to her and looked up with awe.

"Why didn't you tell me you were kind of Uzume?!" The girl then proceeded to bury her face in Kurome's chest, digging in deeper while tightening the hug; her words were hence muffled. "I knew there was something special about you, I just knew it!"

"Sister." Called Sonya from behind, who's strange stance of relaxed stoicism still, even now after all of that, looked odd on a man wearing next to nothing other than bandages. "Please stop motorboating our friend."

Apparently, Uzi didn't care for his concerns, and continued to bury herself in place; actually, Kurome wasn't sure the girl even heard her brother call out. Strangely, she didn't mind what most would consider an uncomfortable amount of touching; it kind of reminded her of Neptune in a way. As for which Neptune occupied her mind? Well, that wasn't something she wanted to really work out; both of them were rather handsy when they wanted to be.

After around another minute of weird hugging, Uzi pulled away; relaxed and a little flushed. She looked up, and her serenity was overcome by curiosity.

"So... how 'Uzume' are we talking here? Like... 50% ish, or something?"

"Maybe?" Kurome didn't really know how 'Uzume' she was herself, but she liked to think it was somewhere around there.

"Then we'll be fine, won't we?" Uzi appeared to be coming around again, at least in terms of sensibility; the super fan had dulled her status back down to that of a casual friend. "With two Uzume, we're pretty much unstoppable right?"

"Two goddesses are better than one, chu." Came the response and nod of the mouse, who brought up a steady gaze. "She only caught us here because we weren't ready for her. We'll kick her ass soon enough."

"Then let us take off." Everyone's attention was redirected to the shorter boss, who looked to be tucking something into his front pocket. "Vante is on his way as we speak."

"He is?" Linda raised a brow, and the boss nodded.

"Yes. While you were all busy with raising our friend's spirits, I took the opportunity to call."

"Wait wait wait." Linda waved, settling on a queer face as she inquired. "You called him?"

"I did."

"From down here?"

"Yes..."

"At the bottom of a cave... underground... in a secret dungeon?"

"Yes."

Linda paused again before sputtering.

"And you got a signal, how?"

"I used the local wi-fi network to send a message and open up a video call." His casual response had Linda silently reeling as she tried to fathom what he said. While she was busy being confused, Warechu took out his own phone, and to his surprise he noticed the little symbol signifying available connections.

"Huh... They really do have wi-fi here, chu. I wonder who foots the bill for this place?"

Kurome ignored all of this, and locked her eyes firmly on the boss.

"How long before he gets here?"

"I can guarantee he'll be waiting for us up top." The boss nudged his head along towards the direction back out. "Shall we go meet him?"

"Yes."

They had no time to wait around, especially with Uzume in danger. Sure, Uzume could probably hold her own, but something about Dreamsy made her feel weird, and Kurome wasn't taking any chances with the woman. Whatever power the supposedly sealed terror had access to was enough to capture them, which made her more of a threat than any who'd come before. Yes, they'd been captured once, but this foe kept them from escaping, and got away to boot.

She'd been wanting to see Uzume since first awakening, and now it seemed she'd gotten her chance; only now it was a race.

Author's note

…

We're actually pretty close to the endgame now. Does this mean the next chapter is it? No, we've got a few left, but we're finally closing in on the end.

I'm still a little low on motivation, but seeing as the plan's already in motion, all this means is possibly belated uploads. Get excited if you can, because Uzume's not only coming back, but about to meet with her dark side soon enough.

Until next time.