War 12

[b]When possible, I've taken to picking an appropriate song from the soundtrack of the games the characters themselves come from. I'll be putting my all into this one.

[center]Chapter 14: Twin Devils[/center][/b]

The Kynthias ran down a main street, the Omega force coming together ahead. All of those prayers were going to pay off. Their hair, long and white, streamed white behind them, their dual scythes in hand. Demi had actually summoned another double edged blade with her new goddess abilities.

All kinds of enemies remained and were congregating to destroy or capture "Lady Diana" and her past. The Splicers, all types from Nitros to Houdinis to Leadheads to Spiders to Thuggish to even the experimental Brutes, had brought back their resolve. The Protectors, or "Big Daddies," had been sent en masse in their own types. Four, the Bouncers, Rosies, Rumblers, and Alpha Series. Covenant were here as well, though the Engineer count was down drastically. Even the remaining Chimera, along with two Angels that had escaped the destruction of the Tower.

The younger woman had a face that was a mask of hate, of rage. Tears ran their continuous course down her face. Nothing would stop her from exacting her revenge on this army. [i]Nothing.[/i] They had taken what she had deemed her reason to live, her one constant.

She relied on him, on his constant support, his forgiveness. And now all she had were her memories of their times together. Nothing more.

So she had new resolve, at least for the time being. A drive. She had thought that she was using the wrong kind of power. Maybe so. But rage was all she could think of. The only other options were suicide or sorrow, and she would not waste this chance to exact her holy retribution on this army led by demonic forces.

In the Agata Forest of Nippon, her homeworld, they had shared their first kiss.  She remembered her laughter after they had stopped for lack of air.  [i]"How did this happen?"

"I don't know, but I'm happy it did.  I'd have gone crazy a long time ago without you, Kyn.  I love you."[/i]

He was there for her when they confessed their respective Abominations in the Temple of Dirge during their brief time as spirits, even when she confessed that a part of her was very much attracted to her boyfriend's thirteen-year-old brother, enough to willingly cheat on him.

[i]"It's okay, now.  She....it.....whatever wanted that is gone.  You aren't Rage.  You're you.  I don't care what a part of you that doesn't matter anymore thought. You aren't filled with rage."[/i]

She had felt immense relief at that, fearing rejection, and hugged him close.  [i]"Thank you, Greg.  And I assure you that I feel nothing for your brother. As I have said before, I love you and only you. Greg....you're really the only thing I care about in this world, make no mistake about that."[/i]

Even more recently, after they had been reunited after an extensive time apart due to the actions of Ron Rivers and the then-evil Isaac, he had forgiven her for her murder of Kitsumi when she had been under the corruptive influence of Dark Will, having many similarities to her Rage.  [i]"Kynthia...a murderer wouldn't cry over what he or she did. You weren't yourself. Please, listen when I tell you that you aren't a killer, you aren't evil, and I love you....I do love you, truly.  But I hate to see you upset.  Please don't cry like this."[/i]

Yes, she had done as he pleaded.  But she could not do so now.  Her rage was all she had now, but a different rage.  It didn't matter how many enemies she killed, how many buildings she destroyed.  Omega was going to fall to her scythe in as many numbers as possible before she rejoined her reason to exist.

The elder demigoddess had her own methods, her own more channeled anger. Reaper had taken advantage of her, corrupted her, two times in her life. He murdered the past of her boyfriend's best friend without a second thought. And now his army had taken away the chance mini-her had at happiness. Who had done the deed did not matter. What did was that this army...this [i]damn[/i] army was responsible for the pain. Yes, she would take vengence. But in a less crazed, more efficiently calculated manner.

She saw the mass of forces ahead. So did Kynthia. With their auras, they were easy targets, but only if they could be hit and the Omega troops could bypass their enhanced endurance.

The demigoddess raised her Moon Scythe to the sky, aiming to increase the effectiveness of their later attacks. [b][i]"Crescent!"[/i][/b] And a crescent moon appeared in the sky beside the remains of Kingdom Hearts. That assembly of hearts was already amplifying their abilities. This one would bring their capabilities up to three times their goddess forms alone. These enemies didn't stand a chance.

In the sky was a different problem, as she saw. If the descriptions from her Greg were right, that dragon beast effortlessly destroying their ships was Armitael. The wings....she remembered them from her second time under the corrupt influence of Jack of Blades' Dark Will. That raven that Dolor had brought with him. Well, this was different. And a huge problem. She could not fight it, thought she knew that she might be capable of killing it if she and Kynthia worked together. Then she saw one of the heads on it. Uria of the Searing Flames. [i]Ron Rivers.[/i] Someone else could do this, or at least weaken the creature.

Being a summon that she had not used against boss-level creatures, this was a longshot. But she had to try. Ingus of the Floating Continent had given her the summon, and she planned to use it.

"[b][i]Come, Bahamut![/i][/b]" She raised her right hand's dual Moon Scythe, and a silver tornado touched down behind her, disappearing almost immediately after. What was left behind was a silver-backed, green underbellied dragon with green eyes that roared once before flying off into the night, knowing that the danger Kynthia's future, the caster of the Bahamur spell had called upon it to defeat the monster raging in the sky.

There was comparative silence between the army and the two demigoddesses as they ran at each other, save for the gunfire that barely missed the smaller targets.

The immediate result of the collision is best described in colors. Red, blue, reddish pink, whitish green, a darker green, and purple began to flow like a disturbing river as Jackals, The remaining Engineers, Splicers, forty Grunts in a row and counting, several armorless Covenant Brutes, and some Chimeran Howlers were being absolutely slaughtered, the weaker parts of the army falling to the godly might.

Kynthia stabbed clean through a Splicer in front, turning over her weapon to impale a Grunt before spinning the dual scythe, releasing both corpses. [i]"Moon Wave!"[/i] Many waves of light crashed into the oncoming line of Brutes, killing twenty of them. Her free left hand turned to an icy fist, and she threw out the ice crystals, freezing Chimera Slipskulls mid-leap and causing them to crash to the ground below, shattering on impact.

[b][i]"C'mon, boys, girls, and uglies! Gimme all you've got!"[/i][/b] She then performed another lunar spell that her past would have known. [b][i]"Moon Magnet!"[/i][/b] A large light appeared in the air above her, and fifty enemies were drawn to it by a magnetic pull  it was then that she decided to use a skill from her time in Ivalice. A Mist Quickening.  Another magical aura seemed to add to Demi's own, and a flash of light came from her.

[u]Moon's Demons[/u]

When it ended, she standing in a starry expanse, a combination of fifty soldiers, Grunts as well as Hybrids and Thuggish and Leadhead Splicers. The silver haired woman grinned at them.

[b][i]"Ready for this?"[/i][/b] Suddenly, many silver dragons composed of light appeared behind her, all moving around their user and growling at the Omega troops. [b][i]"Go!"[/i][/b] she ordered, pointing her left dual Moon Scythe at the soldiers. The dragons roared, and launched themselves at the horde, wrapping around all of the enemies and subsequently exploding.

After that, the battlefield returned to her vision. The woman was in the fray once more, and spun her scythes overhead, lopping off two Jackal heads and slashing down to kill a Grunt in a deadly dance.

Hell hath no fury indeed.

---

Armitael swiped down another heroic Banshee when it--no, when he--saw Bahamut coming his way. The Dragon King, that summon of his time's Usagi, would be a fitting way to test his new abilities.

The two combatants spotted each other, and another roar could be heard. This battle was more or less even to a small extent for several seconds. Physical blows were met easily enough, small sparks raising down. The black dragon grabbed a passing Banshee of the heroes, and swung it at the Dragon King, who ducked under before a white ball of energy charged in his mouth. Before he could release the Megaflare attack, an enormous, dark purple beam of energy came forth from the Raven Lord/Armitael hybrid, causing immense pain. Bahamut tried to attack again after the interruption, but a second Transmigration Wave obliterated the summon, dispersing it for at least several hours.

The Chaos Phantom flew onward, ignoring the rockets fired at it from rooftop-mounted Geth and Elites and swiping down through their ranks, killing or destroying many. Ronald "Phantom" Rivers was victorious, and so it was time to retake the sky.

---

As many as hundreds of enemies were being completely demolished by Demi and her past. A quartet of Gravity Hammer-wielding Covenant Jiralhanae War Chieftains fell to a Rapture Shotgun and UNSC M1A Shotgun from each demigoddess.  After the high-ranking Brutes fell, they continued onward.

As Kynthia was dispatching yet another Brute group, Demi saw four incoming Hunter pairs, cannons charging and aimed at the half-crazed younger demigoddess. Knowing that her "mini" self would not be listening, the older woman jumped, using a Grunt's head as leverage and stabbing it, and raised her scythe high. [b][i]"Moon Strike!"[/i][/b] The stab caught one Hunter in it's unprotected back, killing it instantly. She then rolled between another's legs as it swung an arm at her, planting both feet on it's back and propelling it into the air. Using another for leverage, she followed it up, kicking the walking mass of worms higher and twisting in the air, pushing off of a Banshee and slicing once more with her scythe. The attack ended when she grabbed the alien with one scythe and grabbed the other in her teeth, pulling out a dagger, her Lunar Dagger, as she flipped over in yhe air above the rising Hunter and stabbing hard into the weak point, planting her foot on its back and pressed down to make them fall swiftly to the street. She landed with the enemy as a likely dead cushion, and kicked its back to send it at several more Hunters with her riding on the back, swinging her scythes repeatedly to kill more. In the end of the attack, six of the eight Hunters were dead, their fluorescent orange blood adding to that of many others.

Having noticed, but only half cared, about Hunters, Kyn turned to the remaining Mgalekgolos of that group, gracefully dodging the green blast from a cannon arm by bending to the side before rolling around it, using her own Moon Strike on it's back. She then held out her left arm, which began to develop holes and structure akin to a miniature beehive, and waved at the remaining Hunter without even looking. Many bees erupted from the holes, her Insect Swarm plasmid working its terrible, terrible magic on the enormous alien before she used three Moon Waves to kill it, decidedly overkill.

Then came the best the Splicers had. Brute Splicers, muscular men as big as Big Daddies. The first two were forced back by a barrage of small fireballs, setting them aflame and causing them to scream in pain and horror. Four more came closer as the two women began making elegant, yet purposeful hand gestures, ending standing on one leg each. A very large fireball came from both of them, propelling the others back into the horde immolated and leaving twin Chinese symbols of flame hovering in the air at the point of contact for an additional second. Six more charged as the two went back to back, fire in the very eyes of the demigoddesses for a moment as a circle of mysterious symbols became visible beneath their feet, encompassing the incoming Splicers as well. Then two Chinese dragons of black scales rose up from the ground, spiraling around their stationary users once before releasing very strong streams of flame, killing the remaining Brute Splicers.

The incoming Alpha Series revved their drill arms and charged. Six Big Daddies versus two angered deities. The match was not even close to even.

Kynthia stabbed one end of her dual scythe into the diving-suit wearing man's helmet, cracking the glass. Jumping forward, she flipped through the air, bringing the Big Daddy down again and forcing the scythe blade under the helmet grating and allowing her to get a grip on it. Turning, she swung her latest enemy as two others like a weapon in and of itself, killing the three more of them within five seconds and throwing the corpse toward the army before them on the release by sharp swing.

Demi took a similar, yet saner strategy. Her body flashed brightly for a moment, and she was in a new set of clothing. An outfit composed of animal fur, perhaps lupine or lagomorphic, was now upon her, the Berserker Dresssphere activated bruefly to change her skills in order to face this threat. The woman struck a pose, and entered the fray once more with her even further enhanced stamina and strength. Grabbing the drill of one opponent, she forced it through the helmet of another, killing that Protector instantly. The last enemy was picked upover the head of the older Kynthia Usagi with both arms, and thrown into the army, a series of exploding grenades from members of the groups that were killed in the impact ending it's life.

Three Titan Chimera, with their heavy explosive weapons, were next. Demi's clothing changed yet again in a flash, to her normal clothing and the short skirt of the Gunner Dressphere. In her right hand was the Chicago Typewriter, an extremely powerful machine gun with unlimited ammunition purchased from a nameless Merchant in Spain, in her left an M7 Submachine Gun acquired during a visit to the Earth of 2552's Haloverse better left forgotten. Another pose, and she called her spell. [b][i]"Scatterburst!"[/i][/b] Bullets sprayed from the guns, scoring critical hits on all three targets. Many more Moon Waves than necessary from Kynthia hit all three, causing them to roar before exploding into showers of gore, the detonations killing many incoming enemies before they could approach.

Up ahead, the pair saw two floating, cephalopod-like masses of Chimeran-altered yellowed flesh. Six yellowed eyes marked each of the remaining Angels s they telekinetically threw the earlier thrown Big Daddy corpse and multiple plasma grenades at tge two demigoddesses. Thr attacks were dodged wirh relative ease, and a new Limit began.

Demi's clothing flashed again, and she was wearing a set of black clothing with a plethora of buckles. In her hands was her same weapon, albeit altered slightly. The dual scythes were now linked together at the midpoints, perpendicular to one another. Another pose, and the Warrior Dresssphere was ready.

Kynthia held out one arm, a pulse of unseen energy, her Albion-earned Force Push, knocking back all enemies but the Angels and unintentionally clearing the area.

[b][I]"Mini-Me!"[/I][/b] The call was barely enough to get her attention. Both began the attack. Kynthia jumped forward, swinging her dual scythe in a pinwheel motion as Moon Wave after Moon Wave came forth, and Demi...was no longer there. Damaged by the attack, neither Angel expected to see Demi come crashing down upon them, dealing heavy physical damage and lowering their defenses. Three times these attacks were switched between the women before the finisher. Both of them stood on opposite sides from the Chimera, and the twin moons shone brighter than ever before on that night. There was silence for three seconds...until two extremely powerful beams of silver energy, veritable bars of pure moonlight, crashed down on the Omega soldiers.

As a side effect of the defeat of the Angels, all Chimera stopped fighting at the sane time. They fell forward, stone dead to a man and dog.

These two deities had killed hundreds of soldiers, multiple of each of the army's most powerful regular soldiers without even breaking a sweat. How could anyone possibly hold them back? With that thought in most members of the Omega force, the line promptly collapsed. Splicers fired wildly behind them at the demigoddesses as they ran in the opposite direction, if they did not climb or teleport away. Grunts and Jackals alike ran screaming from the terrible might, though they knew not where to.

---

By the time Kaith saw the demigoddesses jump up to a roof using their scythes and street lamps, as well as their lunge into the Assault Carrier, approximately ninty eight percent of Omega ground forces had been killed or routed.  Those who had survived the rampage had been completely demoralized, screaming bloody murder and running, climbing, teleporting, or flying in all directions.  Those who were flying were quickly defeated by Geth snipers that had taken positions on the rooftops.

The captain could not concentrate on those victories, however.  He was still in the midst of a duel with his brother, their [i]de facto[/i] leader.  [i]Assassin Rush![/i]  He lost visibility, charging through Reaper as a potentially fatal Demon Arm stabbed the place where he had been.  He regained visibility behind him, and both turned, clashing blades.

[i]Zivaku, we have a situation,[/i] Revak told him in a whisper, knowing Reaaper could likely hear.

Kaith already knew.  He was becoming tired as well as the various bruises beneath his near-useless armor, while the Darkness kept Reaper from permanent injury as well as fatigue.

He was slow to block this slash, it hitting him in the leg and making him wince beneath the helmet.

"I was going to let you stay with her as you worked for me, let her do whatever she wanted as Diana. But now I'm going to kill you!"

The flat of the Blood Sword was blocked by the forearm of Kaith, four blue phantom blades appearing that Reaper fended off with additional tentacles, not seeming to require much effort to dispatch the Ghost Swords. "I'll never forgive you for what you tried in Radiant Garden all those years ago. You won't take her again."

"I could have picked [i]another[/i] Garden. They'd have been happy to have her."

This comment enraged the soldier, and the battle resumed. But his problem remained.

He was out of MP.

---

All of the enemies within the Carrier were killed relatively easily due to their extreme power and speed enhancements, save for whoever was driving.  If the schematics from Sain before they left were right, there were also plasma jail cells on the lower levels as well as a control room toward the front.  Perhaps Flora was in that cell block?

Demi gave roles.  [b][i]"We need to take out this ship, or at least break it.  I don't know how much time we'll have to get to the cells.  You go down there, I'll get the controls."[/i][/b]  When Kyn made to argue, she spoke again.  [b][i]"Mini-Me, I know you're upset.  But we need to get Mini-Flora if she's here, and any other Little Sisters if they're here.  Mini-Hawk told you how to revert her to normal if she's still 'Elori.'"[/i][/b]

Grumbling, Kynthia ran off in the right direction, parting ways with Demi.

---

Kynthia reached the lower levels easily enough. Electronic defenses fell to her dual-sided weapon. Seven cells were visible, walls of pure blue plasma as bars before metal ones kept as additional safeguards. Four held little girls of about eight years old, sleeping quietly until she came in. Their eyes opened. Those eyes glowed completely yellow. Little Sisters, Gatherers. The poor things had half a foot of ADAM-producing slug in each of their stomachs, factories for ADAM production by vomiting. [color=blue]"Miss Diana?"[/color] one asked, her voice seeming unnaturally deepened by her condition. She shook her head, all of them giggling. [color=blue]"No, that's silly. You're a little shorter. Funny ears. Did you bring Mister Bubbles? Is Daddy with you?"[/color] By this she meant one of the many Big Daddies that she had killed on the battlefield. In her emotional state, Kynthia didn't have time to deal with this. Her attention was on the other cell, where Flora sat, hugging her knees to her chest.

Flora was going to say hello, but her eyes widened, that notice enough to alert Kynthia to the strike at her. An arrow grazed her left hip as she spun around, melting against the barrier. Jessica Mireu, Pyro's amnesiac younger sister, stood there, swearing under her breath as she lowered her bow and returned a ring of keys likely meant for these prisoners to her robe.

"Bunny, you are never getting those cells open. You either fight me, or join me."

[i]"I'll never join you murderers."[/i] The very idea boiled Kynthia's blood.

"Aw...little bunny not want to work after her boyfriend died?" Jess smirked, showing fangs for her teeth like Elena's own. She was having fun baiting the demigoddess. It was very unwise, however, considering her potential opponent's evident bloodlust as well as her extreme power increase above her natural level. Her next choice was similar bad for her, although it helped to make her battle somewhat more even. She raised a hand to the sky, and called out to the air. "If thats's how it's gonna be, fine! Come to me, Macha!" A flash enveloped her and obscured her form from view, somewhat brighter than the deity's holy aura, and she had a very different appearance when it faded. Instead of her black robe, she wore a long,flowing, dark blue gown, two cat ears upon her head that were the same color as her long, blonde hair. A longsword, her version of the Tempting Rose, was in her outstretched hand.

That did it. Not only did Jessica willingly follow Omega. Not only was she one of the members of the leading group, though possibly the lowest ranking one. Not only was she ridiculing the daughter of Yumigami for the death of her boyfriend.

No. She [i]had[/i] to be a catgirl too. Kynthia [I]hated[/i] cats. She took a ready stance. [i]"Shut up and fight."[/i]

The user of Macha the Temptress had her smirk became a grin in response. "Gladly." And the duel began.

Blades clashed again and again, Kynthia the obviously more powerful of the combatants.  As Jessica hit the wall, a Little Sister called out.

[color=Blue]"You get a time-out!"[/color]

The younger girl was enraged, pushing herself up only to be hit with three fireballs, forcing her to pat flames from her clothing.

[color=Blue]"Ooooh, marshmallows!"[/color]

"Be quiet!"  Jessica swung her sword four times in alternating directions.  "Demonic Chaos!"  From the slashes came four consecutive shockwaves along the ground, each fended off by a Moon Wave before one hit her.

Weaker, she tried a new strategy.  She ran at Kynthia, and shouted again.  "Sword Rain: Beta!"  She let loose a quick succession of lightning-fast stabs ather target, hitting her but doing minimal damage, before jumping up with an uppercut slash followed by a downward swing.  On that swing down, the sword was wrenched from her hands, the dual Moon Scythe thrown to the ground beside it to allow for unarmed beating.

Kynthia watched as her injured opponent lunged at her again. Rather than pick up and swing her scythe, she grabbed the girl by the neck of her cloak, throwing her to the ground.

Jessica stood slowly. " You think you can bring him back? You think anyone is coming back? Lord Koniro Reaper and the rest of us will win out. If you come with us, you could go on another spree. From what I hear, the Land of Dragons was fun, wasn't it?"

The heroine stood still, her rage still on her face as she picked up the altered Moon Scythe. [i]"Quiet."[/i]

"About what? Him? He was a waste of space, admit it. Always hol--" The butt of the scythe hit Jessica in the right cheek, forcing her against the plasma barrier between them and the unconscious Flora.

[i]"Don't you [b]dare[/b] say that again."[/i]

Jess saw the rage, only barely held in. She knew that her only way to survive was to play into the hand of the crazed demigoddess. So she did. Mostly. "Okay, okay, I'll let you take me in."

Kynthia studied the glowing red eyes. They seemed to complement the surrender, and she began to lower her weapon. Halfway down, she pulled it back in a baseball swing, slicing into Jessica's chest.

"Wh...why?" the evil Interference asked, her lifeblood seeping onto the weapon. "I gave up. You...won..."

[i]"I didn't believe you,"[/i] was the spat answer.

"I guess...you...were...right." The youngest willing Omega member then went limp, the scythe subsequently withdrawn.

Kicking the corpse aside after taking the ring of keys from the gown, the demigoddess felt her immense power beginning to fade. She placed an empty hand on the metal lock in the center of the plasma barrier, and it ceased to exist, the depressed lock falling to the ground. She then used a key on each of the Sister's doors, letting them out before unlocking Flora's. If she had to fight, then she would follow her promise to Hawk to let Flora live. Pyro would need to find out about his sister as the villain she became.

"Thank you," Flora said, smiling at Kynthia...until it became a sneer. The revealed Elori held out a hand, a stream of sand coming out that Kynthia dodged without even needing to take a step. A series of ice balls met the same bored evasion, as did a series of lightning bolts that she simply stepped aside of. Last, a wave of liquid metal came at her feet. She hopped over, and was at Elori. [i]Heal[/i], the demigoddess thought, and the Albion healing magic came forth in a wave of soft light from her body, washing over a screaming Elori and knocking her to unconsciousness.

It was then that her body flashed once more, and she was returned to her normal form. The ribbon was back, her body no longer glowing, her hair a slightly lighter shade of gray. Her scythe was one bladed once more, though on her back rather than the ground. The demigoddess fell to her knees, coughing as her sorrow returned with the end of conflict. She shook, her coughs increasingly ragged as the flow of tears resumed for her beloved angel. Blood splattered on the ground, and she collapsed, losing consciousness. Her last thought was that she wished this bleeding were fatal, so she could be with him once more.

---

Elena typed quickly into the keyboard at the bridge. That door behind her, made from reinforced steel, was locked. Who was coming? What was happening? Who could do this?

A Covenant Drone flew to her from a secondary console, saying that someone was indeed on the way. That door would hold. It had to.

The two Drones she had to help her, the earlier one included, passed the door, heading to separate computers, when it happened.

[i]BANG![/i] The entire door crumpled, completely torn from it's hinges by the force of the blow, killing the assistants instantly. The crumpled, bloodstained mass skidded along the ground to Elena's feet as she turned in shock to the entryway, from which sparks flew. The person beyond straightened up from the punch, cracking her knuckles and neck, then smirked grimly at her former cohort.

[b][i]"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here, Jess. You've seemed the type to run so far."[/i][/b] The quad-scythe was twirled before the future of Kynthia Usagi. [b][i]"Let's just skip the formalities. You jump out the window, or I make you like that door."[/i][/b] She saw as the hood was lowered from Elena's head with trembling hands, revealing her transformation as well as the Tempting Rose longsword that was in her right hand or the HWMP X pistol in her left. [b][i]"The cat ears. Well, okay then. I'm done being Miss Nice Demigoddess, too."[/i][/b] Demi was no longer smiling, her blank look showing her anger at the technical expert before her. It was then that she charged.

Elena used her own Demonic Chaos techniques and Sword Rain Betas, but nothing could get by Demi's guard, her own Moon Waves easily cutting through the shockwaves.  Still, some of her slashes did manage to hit the unstoppable demigoddess-turned-goddess.  She decided to try a new strategy.

Macha the Temptress gave her an ability that she found useful, albeit for a short time.  There was a chance that the victim of slashes of the Tempting Rose, or damage from other weapons she carried, would fall into a "charmed" state, susceptible to hypnotic suggestions for a time.  If she could use it, she could turn the tide.  "Join me, Kynthia.  Join us.  Come back to Isaac, and you can have the care you so desperately need.  Just allow me to use my tonic, the one you might still have," her own fangs were bared in a grin, the ones she could use to enforce a control akin to a soul-bind, "and I can bring you to him unharmed."

Demi froze.  Her blank stare became a confused one for a split second, but then she smiled, standng in a nearly harmless manner with her weapon lowered.  [b][i]"Of course, Jess.  Why wouldn't I want to come back?  He was so kind to me."[/i][/b]

She approached.  Victory was in sight, triumph in her eyes.  "Indeed."  She put her hands on Demi's loose shoulders, and bared her fangs once more....

The improvised judo throw smashed Elena into her computer back-first before she could blink.  The Tempting Rose was under one of Demi's feet, the pistol in her hand.  Again the blank stare.  [b][i]"Here's a tip: Next time you try to use Macha's power, make sure the person doesn't know about it so she can fake being under its influence.  If there were a next time."[/i][/b] She aimed the gun at the defenseless woman who could not possibly grab her sniper rifle in time to shoot back.

"You can still join us again," the corrupt woman said, light coming off of her receding fangs. "Didn't you like Reaper?"

The pistol shot hit right next to her head. Demi didn't even change her facial expression.

Elena laughed. "You wouldn't shoot me," she said. "You're one of those 'good guys' with my brother and the others."

The next shot grazed her shoulder, causing a brief wince in pain.

"Okay, let's say you do shoot me. What do you think they'll think of you, killing an unarmed woman?" Jessica's future sneered.

A third shot hit her in the abdomen, dropping her to the ground, back against the wall.

"What are you trying to prove?!" the caller of the Geth shouted at her. "Even if you do win, they're dead! Dead is dead now, no coming back from that! And if we win, he'll just resurrect me and bring you over again! Or Ronald will!"

[b][i]"Oh, just shut up. I'm so sick of your monologuing."[/i][/b] Demi pulled the trigger one more time. The round hit the woman right between her head's horns.

With that, Jessica "Elena" Mireu slumped over, dead.  It wasn't long before Demi managed to disable the engines of the Carrier, preventing any escape.  A flash, and she reverted to her normal form, her hair still silver as it had been before changing to goddess form.

Demi held her radio as she started to cough.  [b][i]"Elena's...."[/i][/b] A cough, some blood on the ground.  [b][i]"...dead... Mission.....accomplished...."[/i][/b]  She cut the connection as more coughing came, dropping her to her knees.  She almost lost consciousness, but managed to keep her focus enough to stay conscious.  Several minutes passed, but she found herself able to stand again, and limped weakly toward the exit she had made, back toward the plasma cells to retrieve mini-her.


Soon after Kynthia's loss of consciousness due to traumatic blood loss, Demi managed to limp to the cells, having just enough magic to perform one more spell, and saw the present's Flora beginning to awaken. Mini-Kyn was in an unconscious heap, a predictable pool of blood near her head.

Demi sighed. She was reverted to normal. But it seemed like she mind have, in effect, a Berserk status. The woman had just the thing to help before she awoke. Her only restorative spell unlocked from the Moon Scythe, fueled by sorrow. "Moon Light." A ray of silver light came down on her, taking away the effects of her rage for the time being as she lay there.

Demi then came to each Little Sister, her left hand glowing bright white with the Plasmid her living Greg had given to her. She touched the forehead of each girl, and eyes returned to normal colors, slugs becoming dormant and returning their minds to normal states. Soon, she was done.

It was then that she turned her attention to this time's Flora Shadowflash with a sigh. She had to bring some bad news.

---

Having woken up, Flora followed Demi, carrying Kynthia's unconscious form, out to the side of the Carrier. The user of the Artistolean classical elements was barely holding herself together after hearing the news of Hawk's death. Her fraternal twin, killed by Reaper's trick.

A Scarab was right outside, aiming its central green cannon at them. As Kynthia began to stir, it aimed...

Familiar voices inside. "[size=1]Sain, knock it off![/size]"

The cannon stopped as a red-haired head poked out of the side. "C'mon in, guys!" Kairi called.

They hijacked a Scarab? Well, that was special. Rather than ask questions, Demi jumped the short distance, Flora after her. They saw the people inside. All allies. No questioning why the Pyros were there, though.

Riku spoke for them. "Using this to hide and survive. It was for clearing out the area faster, but..."

"You girls kicked a [i]serious[/i] amount of a**," Inferno commented. This was awkward. They would have to say what happened to the Jessicas soon.

Kynthia had awakened, lain on the floor. Kairi was beside her, and heard her first words, not meant for her.

"You broke your promise."

"Kynthia..." the demigoddess's best friend said sadly, putting a hand on her shoulder as she sat up. The two them embraced, the dark haired girl sobbing into the shoulder of the red haired one, Princess of Heart patting her back. "Shh....It's going to be okay...He's with Sora...shh..."

But he was gone. Greg was gone, and so was Sora. Kynthia probably would have objected, but she could not stop crying, even as her best friend did her best to soothe her, the others looking on in pity.

"My Greg..."


[b]I hope you liked that. I still would like it if you reviewed.  Next chapter focuses on characters you probably won't expect.[/b]