I'm going to finish this dang story this year, if it's the last thing I do. I'm working on the next two chapters this week and hopefully will get them posted soon. Thank you for anyone that might still read this, and I always appreciate every bit of support.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, Kish fell to his knees panting roughly. Cole immediately kneeled beside the alien, noting the sweat beading across his face.

"Are you alright?"

Kish looked like he might pass out at any moment, but he shook his head and made his way to his feet as best as he was able, albeit a bit shakily.

"I guess teleporting while I'm still injured was a pretty stupid move, but we don't have the luxury of choice right now."

Cole furrowed his brow but knew that Kish spoke the truth. He looked around at the chaos and destruction and felt his chest tighten painfully. All of this caused by one man's blind attempts at revenge…

His hands curled into fists at his sides as he gritted his teeth. They had to save Matsuru and bring her home, no matter what.

Suddenly, there was a large boom that resounded through the air, causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet. Past a fallen building in the distance, a plume of smoke and dust rose up, curling towards grey skies. There was a moment of stillness before Cole took off running without warning.

"Kid, wait up! You're going to get yourself killed!"

Kish called out after Cole, trying to chase after him, but a flash of pain racing across his body caused him to stumble to the ground.

"Damn it, he's reckless, especially where Matsuru is concerned…"

But even as the words left his lips, Kish found a small smirk spreading, unable to help himself. Once more, he saw Cole and was reminded of his own younger self, the very same that had laid down his life for the girl he loved. It was oddly comforting in a way, even amidst the destruction around him.

Then again, Cole was only human, and there were no more Mew Aquas to magically fix things should he become gravely injured or die. There was extreme risk in running head first into danger. And, if Cole died where Matsuru could see him no less…

Kish hissed as he forced himself to his feet, taking a moment to push down the pain before rushing off after the young man. He would keep Cole safe, he would keep the Mews and the woman he loved safe, and he would bring them all home with his daughter, safe and sound.

He kept repeating the words over and over again like a prayer, willing them to be true. They had suffered more than enough, and it was time to end this.

—

There was a ringing in Ichigo's ears as she blinked back darkness that threatened to consume her vision. The shock of the sudden blast had left her dazed and confused. She looked around, blinking a few times as she tried to take in just what was going on around her.

Saki was on the ground, blood dripping from a nasty looking gash across her forehead. Sakura shook her unconscious twin's shoulder, tears streaming down her face as she desperately tried to rouse the other. Despite her lips moving frantically, Ichigo only heard whispers, hissing accompanying the ringing in her ears. Lettuce stood before her daughters, lips parted in a silent scream as she funneled all of her energy into maintaining a shield of green light around them. Ichigo didn't understand the need for the shield until she noticed the dark beams of energy slamming into it over and over again.

The pink haired Mew's attention was diverted to the source; Masaya, grinning like a madman as he sent wave after wave of darkness out with every swing of his sword. Sweat poured from Lettuce's face as she held firm, but Ichigo didn't know how much longer her friend could last like that.

Behind Masaya, Zakuro was engaged with Matsuru, trading quick blows. Each of them flung energy arcs at one another, however the difference between their fighting was obvious. While Zakuro was attacking, her shots were just missing the younger girl. Any normal person watching might think that her aim was bad, wild, but Ichigo knew Zakuro better than that. Her friend didn't want to hurt Matsuru, but she was baiting the oncoming attacks away from the other Mews behind her.

Ayame and Kaori were helping a limping Pudding try to escape the battle, but between their injuries and trying to evade any stray attacks, it was a slow going effort. They were at risk of getting hit the longer they remained in the line of fire.

So focused was she on cataloguing what was going on around her that it took Ichigo a few moments to recognise the feeling of someone shaking her and tugging at her arm. Her gaze swung around slowly as she finally saw Mint, frantically trying to move her. Suddenly, it was as if someone cranked the volume of the world back up to the maximum. Screams and crashing, crackling energy swirled in the air. Sirens blared distantly, haunting behind the scenery of destruction before them. But Mint's voice managed to cut through it all.

"Come on, we have to move!"

Only with the next tug to her arm did Ichigo finally comprehend the words. She scrambled to her feet as Mint led her to safety behind a large piece of debris. Mint was disheveiled, hair falling out of her usual twin buns. There was blood on her hands, but no open wounds that Ichigo could see at first glance. But when Mint tore at the fabric along the bottom of her blue costume and wadded it to press against Ichigo's shoulder, the Mew realised that the blood was her own, dripping from a slice that stained her own costume with macabre smears.

"We have to pull back, regroup," Mint hissed, looking to Ichigo. "If we stay, then we run the risk of dying. We can't beat Masaya and Matsuru like this!"

Silence met her pleas, but the furrowing of Ichigo's brows was answer enough.

"Don't be foolish, Ichigo! Look around! You're hurt, Saki is hurt, Pudding is hurt, and I don't know how much longer Lettuce and Zakuro will last!"

"I will not abandon my daughter-"

"Then you're choosing to damn us all!"

The words caused Ichigo to flinch as the severity of the entire situation drowned her. If they stayed, then her friends would die. But if she left Matsuru, then her daughter would be lost forever. She couldn't choose between the people she loved. It was cruel. It wasn't fair…

Her gaze trailed off into the distance, as if searching for a solution to their impossible problem, but her eyes widened as she caught sight of someone jogging across the rubble.

"Cole?"

"Cole is safe at the Café," Mint snapped as she finished her makeshift bandage tied around Ichigo's shoulder. "I'm not worried about him right now, I'm worried about us."

"Well, I would start worrying about him, because he's right over there."

"What?"

Both women looked into the distance to see Cole hurriedly picking his way through the carnage of the battle scene. When he spotted Ichigo however, he made a beeline to where she and Mint had taken refuge. As soon as he was safe behind the piece of rubble, Mint rounded on him with venom lacing her tone.

"What are you doing here? You're going to get yourself killed! How did you even get here in the first place?"

"Kish brought us in-"

"Kish," Ichigo interjected, her eyes going wide. "He was still injured! Where is he now?"

Cole peered out from behind their hiding spot, frowning.

"I thought he was with me…"

"One thing you've got to learn about me, kid," a voice sounded from behind them, "is that I'm never where you expect me to be."

The three of them whirled around to see a less than put together Kish, using the large chunk of concrete to hold himself up. His face shone with sweat, and he held a shaking hand to a worryingly large dark stain spreading across his abdomen. Ichigo looked at him, worry leaking into her features, but Mint growled and threw up her hands.

"Why did you bring Cole here? You're injured, and he's just a regular kid! Neither of you are going to be able to better this situation. In fact, you're both a liability being here."

"With all due respect, Ms. Aizawa, we have to use everything in our arsenal to get Matsuru back. I think, even with how she's been twisted, that I can still reach her, the real Matsuru deep inside," Cole explained, his brows furrowing as his gaze intensified. "Kish and I both agreed that we couldn't just sit there when the people that we love were in danger, especially when we could do something, anything to help."

Mint sighed, rubbing at her temple for a moment as she responded, "I understand your feelings, Cole, I do. But you're playing a dangerous game here. One wrong move and you could die. And if you die, it's going to break Matsuru…past the point where any of us can reach her."

The words caused a tense silence to fall over the four of them, as if such a moment could help them to solve their impossible situation. But time was running out and they all knew it; it was clear as day on each of their expressions.

A scream caused them all to stop, peering out from their cover. Pudding had fallen and Ayame and Kaori were trying to get her up. They were feet away from the large bit of building that they had been escaping towards, still terrified as Zakuro's battle with Matsuru raged on. Seeing the trio of Mews vulnerable, Matsuru's face twisted into a vicious grin as she sent her next attack flying. Zakuro realised what was happening a moment too late as her eyes widened, lunging in front of Ayame, Pudding, and her own daughter. The attack that was meant for the trio hit home at Zakuro's chest, wrenching a piercing scream from her.

The sound caused Lettuce's eyes to flick towards it, losing focus for one precious second. But a second was all Masaya needed to strike. He vanished and reappeared right before the woman's shield, eyes dark and a grin like a blade's edge. Lettuce's eyes widened as Masaya's sword came down with staggering force against her shield. Her legs shook and her teeth gritted as she tried to hold on, but it wasn't enough. With a few more swings of his sword, Lettuce gasped as her barrier shattered around her. There was no time to even breathe before Masaya's sword sliced down across her chest.

Time seemed to still for a beat, the air filling with Lettuce's shaky, rattling breaths, before she slid to her knees. A beat passed as she watched Masaya, flicking her blood off of his blade as his grin only widened, before Lettuce slumped to the ground, blood pooling around her still form.

As Sakura watched her mother fall before her, her gaze grew distant for a moment before anguish poured across her body. Tears slid down her dirt streaked face as she summoned forther her weapons, throwing attack after attack in blind rage at Masaya. He cackled, easily avoiding the attacks as he jumped back and landed beside Matsuru.

"Three down, six to go! You know, I might consider letting the younger ones go if you turn yourself over, Ichigo! You haven't suffered nearly enough to satisfy me."

His laugh was haunting as it curled through the air like acrid smoke, oppressive and sinister. It made the hair on Cole's neck stand on end but, what made his blood truly run cold was Matsuru. The glee in her eyes at the pain and destruction around her made the boy's chest ache. It was too much; he couldn't bear it any longer. Cole rushed out from behind their cover, ignoring Ichigo, Kish, and Mint calling after him.

He pushed forward, only stopping when he stood at the heart of the battle field, gazing up at Matsuru. Masaya looked amused, sneering at the boy.

"What's this, then? A bystander that managed to escape harm? Well, we can fix that."

Masaya raised his sword, dark energy crackling around the blade, but he froze as Matsuru's voice broke through the din.

"...Cole?"

Her eyes remained trained on the dark haired boy that stood before her, his face set in a firm resolve. Masaya hesitated a moment before dropping his raised sword to his side, dispelling the energy with a grin. As he fixed his predatory eyes on Cole, that grin only widened.

"Cole, is it? What, the boy who is supposedly in love with my dear Matsuru?"

"She's not yours," Cole hissed, his tone cold and unyielding. "And it isn't a supposed love. I love her with every fiber of my being!"

"What trash! There is no love, not for her," Masaya barked, shaking his head. Despite his intimidating aura, Cole remained firm, unmoving in the face of such power.

"You are wrong! I love Matsuru!"

Cole turned to Matsuru, setting his shoulders back before staring directly in her eyes, addressing her.

"I love you, Matsuru. You have to remember love. I love you, and your family that is here fighting for you, they love you. That man beside you is lying to you! Please…please come back to me!"

Confusion sparked across Matsuru's face as her brow crinkled, dark eyes darting over Cole's face. He stood still, his attention wholly focused on the girl he loved. That love, pure and strong, was written over every inch of his expression, which made Masaya's vicious laughter that cut through the air all the more jarring.

"Love, love, love! God, it's so pathetic it makes me want to vomit. There is no love in this world! Matsuru has already learned this fact!"

Masaya's grin was borderline manic as he turned his attention to Matsuru beside him. But when he saw the look in her eyes, that grin began to melt off slowly.

"Oh come now, Matsuru, don't be swayed by his honeyed words. Clearly, the Mew bitches have bribed him to come here and try to force you back to them-"

"Shut your mouth and let her think for herself!"

Cole's voice snapped through the air, interrupting Masaya as he shouted the words. The glare that was shot back at the boy would have made any normal person cower, but Cole wasn't going to back down. Not even as Masaya's gaze bore into him.

"You must be overflowing with both confidence and foolishness if you'd dare interrupt me," Masaya snarled.

"Call me foolish if you want, but I am here to bring Matsuru back home, and I won't leave until I do," Cole vowed, daring a step closer to Matsuru. He could see her face crumbling bit by bit, her eyes darting between both Masaya and himself.

"That is an oath that you cannot keep," Masaya taunted, stepping behind Matsuru. As he spoke his next words, his fingers pet gently down her head.

"She belongs to me now. Me and the darkness of hatred. I know that particular brand of darkness all too well. And really, I couldn't have asked for a better tool to exact my revenge!"

His fingers continued gently brushing down Matsuru's hair, sliding down her temple before brushing along her jaw as light as a feather.

"So broken, so fragile, filled with such delicious despair! She is perfect for now, and when I am at last finished, well…"

That gentle hand continued its path, shifting across the pale column of Matsuru's throat. All at once, the illusion of gentleness vanished as that hand turned clawlike.

"The cleanup will be easy."

The words made Cole's blood run cold, eyes widening a mote as he kept careful watch of that hand, so dangerous around the girl he loved's throat. After a beat, he hissed, daring to take another step forward.

"Get your hands off of her, you bastard!"

Cole quickly reached down, grabbing a small piece of rubble before throwing it with all of his force towards Masaya's face. He shot purposefully wide so as not to hit Matsuru accidentally, but it did was it was meant to do as Masaya jumped back away from the young Mew. His eyes were dark, grin feral as Cole stared the madman down.

"You are foolish, indeed. But…there is something about you that I just can't put my finger on. Any smart person would run and cower, or beg for their life knowing I could end it in an instant. And yet, you…"

Masaya trailed off, unable to look away from the intensity and fire in Cole's eyes.

"There's something strange and familiar about you. Yet you are nothing but an average boy."

Kish's head shot up at that and he frowned, focusing on the words. Masaya had sensed it too, then? That strange…something in Cole that he had noted earlier. But what could it mean?

"I suppose it doesn't matter," Masaya scoffed before pointing his sword at Cole. "You're going to die here, and with your death, Matsuru will break, and her wrath and sorrow will raze everything to the ground, including the damn Mews!"

His laughter, sharp and cruel, echoed across the battlefield and heralded what should have been the beginning of his onslaught. However, Matsuru's voice, quiet and shaky, cut through the dissonance, causing Masaya to freeze mid-motion.

"S…stop it."

The simple words caused a myriad of reactions through everyone around; the Mews looked confused, Cole hopeful, and Masaya barely containing his rage behind a cool mask.

"What was that, Matsuru dear?"

The young girl looked distraught, confusion lacing her expression. Her eyes once more flicked between Cole and Masaya, but her words repeated, a bit more firm.

"I said…stop it. Don't attack him."

Masaya was still for a moment before he lowered his sword, staring Matsuru down. In a flash, something seemed to snap in the man as his lips pulled back from his teeth in a bestial growl.

"How dare you!? You want me to stop!? You've lost sight of your revenge! He is just a pawn in this, a tool used by the Mews that hate you just to confuse you! He doesn't love you!"

"That isn't true, Matsuru," Cole called out in desperation. "Please, fight these feelings that he's planted in you!"

"Enough, boy! Stop your lies!" Masaya lifted his blade at Cole once more before turning his gaze to the girl beside him. "Matsuru, the Mews must be paying him, or coercing him. Why else would he have come here?"

"Matsuru, please come back to your family," Cole continued, ignoring Masaya as he chanced another step closer to Matsuru.

"Don't listen to him! Feel your hate, Matsuru!"

The young girl couldn't keep track of the flow of words, twisted in dissonance around her. Her dark eyes went wide and her gloved hands gripped at her head in an attempt to drown everything out. The air seemed to shimmer around her as she doubled over, as if trying to protect herself. But it all became too much.

"Matsuru!"

"Matsuru!"

"Enough!"

A blast of energy radiated from her body as she shouted the word, knocking both Cole and Masaya a few feet back. A grating scream ripped from her mouth as her fingers twisted in her hair, pulling at the pink tresses. There was no reining her in as her emotions overwhelmed her. Another scream was the only warning as two large bolts of dark energy shot from her, one each aimed at Cole and Masaya. The latter was shocked by the sudden attack, but he managed to dodge with great effort. He was still, afterall, a powerful being. Cole, however, was not.

The bolt shot straight at him like an arrow and he threw out his hands in front of him, crying out as it struck its mark.

"Cole!"

Ichigo's scream tore through the air as a cloud of dust and smoke plumed around the impact. Mint had to hold her back from rushing to the boy's aid. Masaya was filled with manic glee, laughing with his head thrown back, realising what had happened and what it would do to the fragile girl.

Kish realised it too, and all color drained from his already pale face.

He had gotten the kid killed. He had brought Cole here just to be felled by his daughter's hand. And now she would be lost from their reach forever…

The dust began to settle from the attack, and what it left behind shocked every person watching to their core.

In the rubble of the fallen city, Cole stood, unharmed, not a scratch on him as a web of blue light surrounded him, shining from his hands.