As the morning sun continued to rise and the blue sky displayed across the Valley, unwelcomed guests had forced their way to the Wolves Den with only Alice of the Black Wolves and Arabella Housekeeping there to greet them.
Drakthor stood in the middle of the once-pristine entrance hall of the Den. He took two steps to his sides, simply just to widen his stance, and then he lowered his head slightly down. Right now, even as he hunched over with a lowered head, he still towered over Kiki, who was only about five-foot-three, and Milo, who was knelt just behind her on her left. Ulrich stood at the landing a few steps up and Alice peaked around him to see.
"Riot Gang," Kiki said to him as he neared.
Amused, Drakthor focused his attention fully on her. "That's correct. I, Drakthor, lead a group called the Nightbanes, and we are a faction from a much larger group called Riot Gang." He flicked his head to the side, speaking to his men, "Don't be rude, men, say hello to the brave maids."
His crew cackled and shrieked hideously in a mockery of a response. "It's a pleasure." Drakthor finished with a courteous hand to his chest.
Kiki's garden shears barked at Drakthor, whose face was only a few feet away from her. She gave a disinterested look and responded, "Save us your disrespect. You're nothing but thugs… remain that way. It makes me hate you less."
Drakthor howled at her words and commented, "You truly are brave! To taunt an opponent who is clearly stronger than you,"—he clicked his tongue in a disapproving and sarcastic manner—"you must have never tasted true defeat. The type that makes you reconsider yourselves, or perhaps even give up all together."
Shadows formed over the Arabella Maids' eyes. That was a careless comment. They had indeed—each of them—tasted total and utter defeat at the hands of the Black Wolves themselves. Though Kiki's was at the hands of Ryo, it was all in the same.
"Stronger?" Kiki said gently, her dainty and soft voice pierced through the sounds of chatter and even got Drakthor's attention, "you think you are stronger? No… I've seen true strength, and it comes from the Black Wolves leader, which trickles down to those who follow him. When I looked into his eyes I knew… I knew he was different than any mage I had ever been in the presence of…" the room went silent, "Not a single one of you know what true strength is like—you never will. No one compares to Master Greed."
Drakthor's eyes squinted and said under his breath, "Master Greed…"
"So, your presence, regardless of who you are…" Kiki's pink eyes met the black void of his with the same intensity, "doesn't hit as hard as you think it does."
Drakthor's eyes widened with ecstasy, elated at this girl's spirit. His wicked smile grew from ear to ear.
"Also…" Kiki's rage rose, her hair rising from the buildup of aura around her, "don't you dare utter my Master's name from your filthy mouth!"
She reeled in the garden shears and the toon shark grew a larger head; it's face intimidating as it shadowed even Drakthor's enormous build. She then thrusted the shears forward, meeting the giant toon shark to his face. He smiled menacingly at it as he let it crash into him, catching it with his armored hands from the outside of its mouth. It pushed him back a few feet; the pressure blew a gust of wind at the Nightbanes that Milo used to her advantage, swinging her dented steel beam to make the gust stronger and blow them back out from whence they came.
One after another as the grunts flew out. Kiki yelled, "Now, Ulrich!" and he dashed from the landing, jumping over and past her and Drakthor. He then began to transform into his full Primal form in the air.
"Primal magic: Leomantoise Tempest!"
At this time his arms and legs changed, becoming tough and rubbery. His skin gained texturized features and began enlarging in size more than his original form. His arms and legs had become clawed hooves and monstrous legs. His face shape-shifted, becoming one with his gray-olive armor, which draped down hinself, covering him almost completely like some hardened shell. The head resembled that of a lion's and turtle's at the same time as massive sharp teeth—like large tusks—protruded from his mouth along with an armored mane that carved out his shell of a body. The only thing missing were the golden cuffs and chains he had on when he fought Havoc at the Crimson Dragon's castle, which boosted his Primal magic.
When he had fully transformed, he landed just behind Drakthor, blasting away the surrounding Nightbanes there. He landed with the force of a fallen building, cratering the ground and causing a small earthquake, making the rest of the other Nightbanes stagger as he entered the scene, crushing some who were unlucky enough to be under him. Ulrich towered over even Drakthor now in his full Leomantoise form—their backs to each other. His eyes glowed yellow and intimidating, proud like he was the Black Wolves ordained statue. The court was his and his alone to occupy—visitors unwelcome.
"Let's see you best this form. I, Ulrich, am the giant Leomantoise of Arabella Housekeeping!" he roared, his voice ethereal and powerful amongst the hundreds of oppressors before him. With one charge from his mouth, he emitted a beam that grazed over a crowd of Nightbanes nearby, blasting them away as the aftershock lagged behind.
It set off. The mix of liquid and heat from his mouth forming a new element.
"Primal magic: Elemental Manipulation: Cyclone Charge!"
Without even moving, he cast an incantation that caused the wind to pick up from below him. The gust carried small pebbles and particles, slowly rising to intensity around him, and creating a large cyclone. The wind was powerful enough to lift some of the Nightbanes off the ground and cluster them in the condensed air. Though not as powerful as the time he fought Havoc, it was still enough to get the job done. However, though he had taken out about eight to ten Nightbanes, there were still hundreds more when he looked around.
Another group charged at him as his Cyclone dissipated. They climbed on him and started attacking from vulnerable angles.
Fuck… I don't think I have enough power on my own to fend all these guys off myself… I need to at least hold them off until Master Code and Havoc come back… If only I had my braces… No! You don't need them! You stopped wearing them for a reason, remember!?
It was then he thought of that profound day.
***
**A week ago**
Ulrich had awakened at a hospital bed in the Valley Kingdom. Next to him were Milo and Kiki in beds of their own. Milo had awakened as well, but had been keeping to herself. Kiki, on the other hand, had apparently fallen asleep. She had only arrived yesterday, dropped off by Ryoku and Greed after interrogation.
Ulrich was fairly busted up after that fight with Havoc. It had been about a day and a half since he passed out and woke up. Syemore was no more, and the only ones left were the top officers to take the blunt of the punishment on his behalf.
They had a few treatments left here in the Valley Medical Center, but after this, the three of them were stationed for Tartarus, a prison designed for the worst of the worst criminal mages. It wasn't just any ordinary prison—this was a place designed only for those who had committed dire crimes and those on death row.
They and others like Henza were scheduled to be stationed there in a few days' time—the only other one already on his way there was Terek, since he was already in custody before any of them.
Henza was in another room after his surgery, separate from theirs. Ones that Ulrich himself, Milo, and Kiki were just in at some point earlier in the day, but transferred here for some reason—a regular patient room for commoners… Someone of high authority had requested their transition, but why?
Ulrich felt odd about this. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he had thought that he deserved any form of punishment at this point for following, blindly to, a man with evil intentions.
He sighed, "You know you deserve this… Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Ulrich… Own up to it." his voice low but loud enough for Milo to hear.
She said nothing and kept to herself, laying down and staring at the ceiling.
"I know you heard me talking to myself, Milo… What do you think they're going to do with us?" Ulrich spoke, hoping she would converse back, but she did not.
"Ah fine, I get it… We both got our asses handed to us by those Black Wolves. I still can't believe we lost to them… Even our magic items didn't help. We truly are losers."
Still no acknowledgment, even though he pressed on the mental wound.
"To be honest, Even when I think back at it, I'm not even angry… That Behemoth Primal user… Havoc… He could have killed me with that final attack, but… he didn't. I don't know if that was a blessing or a curse because well… I'm alive, but… I also now must face the consequences of my actions." He let out another sigh, "Tartarus seems fitting for us… I hear they serve crabcakes on Tuesdays."
Milo finally snorted out a good laugh after he said that. An obvious move from Ulrich, but it worked. He shared the laugh with her, then looked up at the plain hospital ceiling with her. He had been sitting up on his bed with his arms in front of him, hands together, fingers crossing over each other, observing his wrists prior.
"They didn't even use magic enhancing items like we did… and they still beat us." He paused a bit, "I wonder what would have happened if we hadn't chosen the short cut and rely on enhancements to win. Instead of magic items. Instead of Kiki having to be possessed for more power… Do you think we could have achieved the same strength as they if we had just worked for it?" he wasn't expecting an answer. He was just talking to talk now. It was almost like a therapy session.
But then Milo replied, "Perhaps…" almost under her breath. Ulrich was pleasantly surprised. "She used a weapon, but it was no magic item. She just needed something to cut me with… They were both so confident too." she went on to say.
"Havoc and the girl? Ophelia, was it?" Ulrich asked.
"No, Ophelia and her sister…" Milo corrected.
Ulrich didn't understand what she meant by 'sister', but he let her sit with herself on the thought.
She sat there for a moment remembering her fight with Raeyn. She also thought of Ophelia and how confident in herself she was even with something like a 'defect' and having to wear an eyepatch because of her heterochromatic eyes—though, it wasn't much of a defect at all.
Milo looked at herself in a reflection of a mirror to her side, thinking of insignificant things like her height and the funny name of her magic ability—how she had always been self-conscious about those things. And here was a mage like Ophelia who was cursed with the eyes of her twin and them having to share one body… oh the story behind that… but regardless, she didn't let her setbacks get in the way of being her true self—confident, attractive… and not just attractive physically, but attractive in mind and character, her outlook. Then Raeyn who was confident in a different way. Her presence, her power, her… selflessness. Because she wasn't fighting for herself, but rather for her sister and the ones she cares about—the Black Wolves. Both had qualities she longed for.
After a good pause, Ulrich spoke again, "It's probably too late for us, but given the chance, I would have made amends and chosen to do things the right way this time. Maybe then I can even see a glimpse of what true strength looks like."
He thought back in his last moments before Havoc beat him. The difference in power was drastic. It could hardly be considered comparable… In the end he remembered begging for his life, he couldn't even die like a man. All he kept thinking of, was how pathetic he was in those last moments… But he didn't feel sorry for himself. Rather, he liked to think that it had humbled him instead, even if it was only a little.
Right then, a familiar voice entered the room along with a few others—ironically, from the ones they had both just been talking and thinking about, "Well, look who it is! Glad you made it out alive!"
When Ulrich looked to the door, he was surprised and at a loss for words… Why had they— "You… You're—"
"That's right, turtle boy. It's me. The guy who kicked your ass."
"Havoc! You don't have to be so blunt about it." Another more friendly voice spoke in reply to him from behind. This one was familiar too, and the same one who fought Kiki and her possession atop his quarters at the Crimson Dragon's castle.
"So what? I know it, he knows it, you know it—we all know it… I'm not one to beat around the bush, Ryo."
Then after them, a female entered last into the room. Her hair short and black, layered over a longer blonde in the back. She had a black eyepatch over her right eye and the other exposed—a dark purple eye that caught Milo's gaze, a distinguishing feature. "Oh! Well, if it isn't gassy girl! Hi!"
"Ophelia! You too! … You two!" Ryo slumped, "Keeper, don't any of you Black Wolves have any empathy or restraint?" he said, gesturing with his hands in the air to both Ulrich and Milo not to be offended by them.
"It's fine. We deserve it. After all the trouble we caused, it's really the least derogatory punishment." Ulrich replied; his once pompous attitude completely out the window. It was as if Havoc had blasted it entirely away during their fight instead of Ulrich's physical self.
"You see, Ryo? Just chill out."
"That doesn't make it any more acceptable, Havoc, it just pardons your rude behavior."
"I think you're a stiff that needs to loosen up a bit."
Ryo sighed and then changed the topic, making it clear why they visited today. He composed himself before he spoke to the former Blue Phoenix Execs in the room, "Anyway. Ulrich, Milo, and Kiki… I'll get to the point as to why we are here today."
As Ulrich turned his head slightly to listen, Milo propped her head with her arm, laying on her side and facing them.
"As you can tell, you were stationed to a regular civilian hospitalization room. This wasn't by mistake. You see. You were sent here to be picked up."
"Yes, we know… to Tartarus."
"Not quite." Ryo injected serendipitously. Ulrich and Milo gave him curious looks. "Captain Belle of the Golden Rose Knights has issued a new… service… for lack of better word for it. Since none of the Blue Phoenix Knights are to go through Trial, due to Syemore's actions and you all following under his lead, many of your Guild will be sentenced to prison directly for a length of time or Tartarus for life, depending on the roles you played—skipping the Trial entirely. Because of your three's positions, you would be sent to Tartarus along with your Vice Captain…" they remained silent, wondering what point he was trying to make. They were also curious with his choice of wording with that last part—'Vice Captain', singular… "There were some of us, however, who thought this to be just a bit unfair—some of whom are in front of you right now, myself included."
He paused for a moment, and surveyed them. Ryo then looked to the back of the room where Kiki was. She had seemed asleep… Seemed. "Now about this service… Because of Captain Belle's status in the Valley, she can choose a few convicts to pardon from their current sentence of life in Tartarus and instead have them participate in community service through a company she started. Those convicts, being you three."
Ulrich and Milo's eyes widened at this point, and Kiki, who was presumably sleeping and facing the other way, had opened one eye as she listened in to Ryo's proposal.
"From here on you three will be members of Arabella Housekeeping and will serve your time with the Black Wolves."
There was a but a moment of silence at first, and then Milo had busted out in laughter. It was the most gleeful she had been up till this point. Ophelia gave her a pleasant smile from where she was. It was neither of discontent or of mockery, rather it was a mixture of relief and irony put together. Even Ulrich gave her a faint smile, and, unbeknownst to all of them, Kiki smiled for her as well as she continued to face the wall, away from them all. It was at this time she barely realized…
"WAIT! THE BLACK WOLVES?! SO THAT MEANS—" Finally, Kiki emerged from her supposed slumber, shouting at them all.
"I will be a maid for my Demi!" she began to fantasize after saying the name of her deceased lover, even though who she was thinking of was indeed not him.
"It's good to see that you're doing okay Kiki." Ryo said to her, "However, like we discussed just yesterday before we dropped you back off here… His name is not Demi nor is he Demi. When you arrive, you will address them as Master and Misses. In other words, you will address him as—"
"Master Greed!" she said a little too enthusiastically. The room went silent for a comical minute. And Ophelia had begun to give her a jeering look. "Sorry… what I meant was—I understand." A changed expression. She seemed almost disappointed, but with her head tilted down so the others couldn't see the blush on her cheeks and the coquettish smile on her face.
"Let's get one thing straight, lastly…" Ryo's tone shifted drastically, "Though this is a gift and, quite frankly, a second chance for you three… If you do anything to go back on the grace that has been given to you, the three of us here" he referenced, Havoc, Ophelia, and himself, "will put a stop to you personally… By lawful execution."
They all glared at each other. More so, they glared at the ones they fought—Milo to Ophelia, Kiki to Ryo, and Ulrich to Havoc. All of them had solemn looks on their faces.
It was then that Havoc broke the ice and gestured with his thumb, trailing it across his neck, and made a squishing sound with his mouth.
"Do I make myself clear?" Ryo said like a stern command that demanded respect. And his face, like one you should not cross.
"Understood." The three ex-Blue Phoenix Knights said unanimously.
As they said this, Ryo's expression changed entirely back to his usual serene and carefreeness, "Good! Now let's talk about your attire…"
After that, Ryo continued talking, discussing their duties and when they would begin training for housekeeping. They were also to meet with Belle so she could cast a lock spell on them in case they were to try and escape. Ryo had a feeling none of them would, but it was a precautionary measure that Belle wanted to take. She didn't know them like he, Havoc, and Ophelia did after all.
When all was said and done, Havoc approached Ulrich at his hospital bed. As he stood next to him, Ulrich just met his glance and said nothing. Havoc then, to Ulrich's surprise, grabbed his wrist.
He saw the traces of the golden cuffs he wore previously and simply observed it for a few seconds, putting his arm back down shortly after.
"You rely too much on your magic items. That's why you lost. It's okay to use an item if it helps you fight, but to solely rely on it is what weaklings do."
Havoc's hypersensitive senses could tell him—by the way he sat, the way he locked eyes without unwavering, and his demeanor—that Ulrich had a desire to get stronger. He had a similar desire himself once—and still does—so he brought him up the same way he had been, brash as it may have been.
Ulrich simply looked down to his wrists and agreed silently. When Havoc watched him, he closed his eyes and sighed before saying, "Also… You gotta lose this…" as he stretched out a finger and poked Ulrich right in the gut.
Ulrich gasped and then faced Havoc entirely from his sitting position, "What—what are you trying to say?" he nervously responded.
"I'm trying to say you're fat. You gotta lose that."
"You can't just!—"
"Well, I just did. And if you got a problem with that then fix it."
Ulrich bit his tongue and clicked it in response to him.
"How do you expect to deliver in a fight if your body can't keep up with what you want it to do? At that point, you deserved to lose. Lesson number one—failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Remember that."
Ulrich's eyes gleamed at the words. No one had ever spoken to him this way before. He was born gifted with natural abilities, not having to work hard for his strength. His family was rich, and he got whatever he wanted. So, to listen to the words of someone who treated him the complete opposite of what he was used to—direct. It was refreshing to say the least.
He couldn't help but feel inspired by that. And that day, he rose to the challenge and made an oath to be better than he was right now.
They all soon left that hospital and began their duties with the Black Wolves the following day.
***
**Present**
On the battlefield, that was once the peaceful dirt clearing of the Black Wolves, Ulrich in his Primal Leomantoise form had tackled an army of Nightbanes outside the Wolves Den head on.
Drakthor and his Nightbanes had a goal, from what it seemed, which was to abduct Alice for some reason. And there was no way Arabella Housekeeping would let that slide, Not after what they all promised.
As the Nightbanes rampaged him, their combined group attacks pushed him harder than he could handle. They managed to even make him take a step back from his immovable stance. The attacks were relentless and from all angles as a group of six jumped him. From the sight of them, Ulrich cast a shield of wind that blew the attackers away. From below another group of four went to flank him. He then pushed his heavy body up onto his two hind legs and back down, causing an earthquake that caught some of them in the cracks of the ground, crushing them beneath.
From all sides again, a group of eight surrounded him, dashing directly at the center. One of the Nightbanes cast Lightning magic, shocking Ulrich in place while another cast Blue Flame magic onto him—an elemental weakness of Lightning magic, burning and electrocuting him at the same time.
"Annoying pests! Get lost!" Ulrich roared as he charged another beam from his mouth. When the beam shot out, combined with the lightning and blue fire that engulfed him, he triggered an explosion that not only wiped out the eight there but also the next group behind them.
The explosion subsided, and Ulrich's intimidating form stood amidst the smoke and cinders—the only one standing as the Nightbanes he defeated lay at his large hooves.
Another group began to back away at this time, growing more cautious. There, his enormous silhouette glowed, ferocious yellow eyes beaming down upon them.
"Is this guy really a Leomantoise type?" one of the Nightbanes asked the other.
"That's what it looks like…"
"So why can't we beat it even with our numbers? What the hell is he on!?"
When he emerged from the smoke, Ulrich snarled a primal roar onto them, blowing the smoke away and intimidating them further.
"I won't let any one of you scum pass! You are all ants beneath my feet… Cower!"
Each of these ex-Blue Phoenix Knights there now had their own reasons of becoming better. Ulrich to be a strong, worthy mage. Milo to be confident and attractive. And Kiki…
As she held off Drakthor in place with her toon shark garden shears, she pushed onto him and moved him nearer outside the blown out wall of the Wolves Den.
Drakthor was impressed by the girl's strength despite her petite figure. Kiki's unique ability was one that allowed her to change any tangible object into a cartoon, but it didn't stop there. Her ability, Comic Distortion magic, didn't just allow her to change the physical appearance of objects; it also allowed her to restructure the human anatomy at the molecular level. Right now, she had restructured her bones and muscles with strength that could match even Drakthor who was more than twice her size. The caveat, of course, was that it also transformed her bones and muscles into cartoons.
Hehehehe… Hehehehe… chilling laughs echoed from within her skin as it rippled with pushed out faces from all over herself. She pushed Drakthor further back.
"Interesting ability you have there, girl. My group specializes in collecting unique abilities… Forget your duties here. What say you join us? I could use someone of your skills in the Nightbane. I also knew Syemore, your former Captain… With my strength, we can avenge him together."
Kiki looked at Drakthor back curiously, then said, "Tempting… avenge Syemore you say?" Their push against each other creaked and the floors beneath them moaned, "I always had a thing for strong men. When they ask, I follow… That's why I followed Syemore and then Demi when I offered my body to him. I let these men use and abuse me until I was nothing more than just their doll. I enjoyed it… and the reason I did, was because they enjoyed it. They enjoyed ruling over me—little Kimiko—Kiki. I was their loyal plaything that did whatever they asked of me. And I wanted to relish the enjoyment with them. Become one with them. I thought that if I did that, I would eventually find… Love." She lowered her head and shadows formed over her pink eyes, dimming them, "But he was so strong, and yet… unlike the others, he didn't ask me to follow him," she almost trembled at the end of her sentence as she finished, "Why?"
***
**A week ago**
After the Wolves Den had run out of steam, the Black Wolves were lucky enough that it had done so just halfway through past the South gate. And to their "joy", all they had to do was push it the rest of the way back to the outer East gate area where they originally resided.
While the rest of the crew were outside pushing, Greed and Ryo were in another room interrogating an Executive Blue Phoenix Knight who had been possessed previously by the demon Demi—the one who had held Greed's memories captive this whole time.
"She awake?" Greed asked.
"Not sure, she was out when I brought her here." Ryo replied.
The girl was tied to a gothic chair and the room was well lit, letting in the peaceful sun's rays into their slowly moving Den. Her head was lowered and her face unseen from where Greed and Ryo stood, a few feet away. Her blue and pink pigtails draping down to both sides of her head.
"Untie her." Greed said flatly.
"You sure? What if she attacks?"
"Then that's her choice."
Ryo nodded, and with a quick snap of his finger, he burned the ties on her. But just as quickly, she darted forward aggressively in front of Greed; her arm had turned into a cannon that chuckled as she pointed it at his temple.
Ryo reacted, but when he did her other arm morphed into another cannon that pointed in his direction, "One move from you, Ryoku, and after I blow off his head, I'll blast you as well." Kiki threatened.
Unphased, Greed responded to her without moving an inch. His hands in his pockets, appearing almost bored, "So that's your choice?"
She whipped her head back to him, "Where is Syemore?"
"Dead. I killed him."
"Lies!" she yelled as she shoved the cannon's barrel into his head. His expression unreadable, calm like there was no threat in the room.
"You don't have to believe me… Just make sure, before you pull the trigger, that it was your choice to do so and not someone else's," he locked his eyes onto her unwavering. "What's it gonna be?"
Ryo did and said nothing as Greed spoke to her. She snarled at him, staring into his eyes with her vibrant pink ones. She was looking for something—looking for weakness. But she couldn't find it.
"How?" she finally asked after a tense moment. the cannon still stuck to Greed's head.
He said nothing as he stayed glowering at her. With each moment, she began to shrink, until she yelled and pointed the cannon to the window and shot, shattering it amongst the tears she shed. Bang! Shatter!
He said nothing as the tall window exploded to the side of them and a mere piece of glass had cut open his cheek—he bled.
Calmly, Greed finally spoke to her, "Why didn't you shoot me?"
"Because!" she shouted back quickly, but didn't have anything else to add.
"Is it because I look like him?"
She gasped and her eyes widened, focusing on his face now. Her lips trembled and she struggled to find the words.
"Let's get one thing straight here," Greed took the lead, "I am not Demi, and he is not me. We made a deal in the past, and that was it. Whatever he was to you and what you were to him has nothing to do with me… don't let the fact that I 'look' like him be why you can't seal the deal."
Kiki hesitated. The words she wanted to say didn't come out, leaving her flustered, trying to gather herself.
It was so swift and without sound, but she did not hear or see him move closer to her. He grabbed her arm, which was still in the shape of a cannon, and pointed it back at his head. "So shoot."
"Greed!" Ryo finally reacted, and Greed simply threw up his other hand, stopping him without words.
"I killed her Captain, and now her lover is gone too…"
Kiki squealed at his words. She was caught off guard that he knew her true feelings for Demi, "H-H-How did you—"
"I may not be him, but we still share the same mind… unfortunately. When I got my memories back, I also got his memories too… some of them. And they were mostly ones of you."
Her eyes gleamed. The moving sunlight flickered them to him, "They were abusive, weren't they?"
"They loved me!" she said, almost offended by that careless question… or had it just been the truth? "They… loved me!"
The cannon slipped past his hand and pressed onto his head again onto his forehead—the trail of blood from his cheek gushing still.
"Did they? If I loved someone, I'd make it clear. And they'd know it. There would be no shadow of a doubt. They wouldn't have to second guess themselves just by saying it out loud."
"SHUT UP!" she yelled, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"
He grabbed her cannon-shaped hand once more and lowered it without any effort. When he pressed it, it morphed back into her normal hand, as if it had been told to change back by his command. What was left was a bandaged and burnt hand from underneath.
Greed gently held it, staring with soft eyes all the while. He saw what happened when Ryo was burning Demi. He saw Demi cry out for her to save him, ignoring the fact that she could very well die if she went to him. Touching the wall of fire and lightning with her bare hand—ignoring the pain for one whom she thought loved her with equal ferocity.
Kiki couldn't tell what emotion she was feeling at this time. It was as if the feeling she thought was "love" was not truly what it was, and this moment was revealing to her now what it could actually—unapologetically be—right there in front of her now…
Was I wrong about what I considered to be love? Is this… is this what it really—
"It must hurt," he said, interrupting her thought, "to know you did it all for them, and never truly know yourself if what you did was ever reciprocated… even with them gone." He brushed her palm with his fingers, and she winced at the slight touch, still raw. "No one should be left alone to wonder if they were ever loved, especially by those who they chose to love." His eyes squinted as if somehow feeling the pain she had felt, both physically and emotionally. "At the end of the day, it was still your choice… Had I gone through what you have, I would have done the same."
She only stared at him with wide open, watery eyes. When his eyes met her's once more, he let go of her hand and proceeded to walk away, wiping his bloodied cheek all the while.
Still in awe, Kiki shook her head and the water in her eyes wiped themselves away. She then pointed her other hand, still in cannon form, at him as he now faced away from her. She hid her other bandaged and burnt hand behind her like she was also trying to hide her shame.
"I've heard about your power. How it can overpower or even wipe away physical and magical damage… so why?" she asked. "Why didn't you protect yourself from that mere piece of glass that scraped your face just now?"
He stopped and didn't face her as he said, "I didn't need it here."
She shuddered. She could kill him right here, right now if that was the case. Just one shot to the back of his head would be all it took to get her revenge.
"This was initially supposed to be an interrogation about why Demi was the demon that possessed you and what you were doing with him, but…" Her arm trembled as he spoke, even as she desperately tried to steady it. "I already know the reason."
His last words struck a chord with her. He had read her like a book, and she was exposed for what she truly was. A loveless, desperate girl searching for true love even if the ones she had sought it from were the same ones to rip it away from her and leave her to die. To be left flayed open like that, in this moment to her, was the worst kind of punishment.
"Bring her to the hospital. Her hand needs attention." Greed said to Ryo. And he was gone.
Kiki's cannon was still pointed even as he closed door, replaying every word he said to her. It was then, at last, she gave up. She lowered her arm and slouched upright onto the floor, "I'm done fighting, Ryo… just please… take me away already." Her other hand changed back to normal as Ryo walked over to help her up. He could sense no hostility from her any longer—especially since she had called him by his nickname instead.
***
**Present**
Drakthor continued to struggle with the mouth of the giant toon shark as Kiki casually went on with her outspoken thoughts, "I thought I loved Syemore and Demi because they asked me to be with them, but they only wanted a pawn. That was not 'love'… It had to take one male… one male who, even with a gun pointed to his head, didn't even need his own power to show me how strong he was."
Completely struggling now, Drakthor couldn't believe this girl was besting him in a clash of strength like this, "So when you ask me to join you, my heart fluttered, but only for a second… Because that was the old me. The old me that still longs to follow a strong man… But the truth is… the 'strength' you claim to have, does not compare to his. It does not make me want to follow you like his compels me to…"
She clenched a hand to her heart like it was aching, still looking down and shadows over her eyes, she held Drakthor at bay with one dainty arm effortlessly as if he was nothing at all. Drakthor's eyes burned with furious flame at her, she was also mocking his strength with her actions.
"And it never will… even if… even if he does not feel the same way, I will willingly follow him. I think that is what true love looks like… to allow the other a choice—a choice to be who they truly are, freely without worrying if they will be tossed to the side. It is that very reason that I choose to love him—to love Master Greed!"
Kiki raised her head, and her pink eyes blazed an intense passion with tears streaming from them that could only be expressed from someone in love—or someone completely obsessed. The aura around her rose and a wave of goose bumps rippled throughout her body—her bones and muscles singing as she roared, giving her the strength to blow away Drakthor from the entrance hall and onto the court clearing along with his fellow Nightbanes.
Her reason to be better… Was for the one she loved…
As Drakthor flew out into the court, he first flew over Ulrich, who caught him in his peripheral… With one quick motion he focused his mana to his legs as he recalled what Havoc said, How do you expect to deliver in a fight if your body can't keep up with what you want it to do?
"I can…" His monstrous legs cracked the ground. His muscles bolstering from them, "I will…" His mana exploded, brewing a strength within it that carried his will forward, and then his enormous body along with it, "Deliver!"
He jumped with powerful legs into the air, pushing off the ground as it left a large crater from below. When Drakthor saw Ulrich shooting towards him, he flipped his large body in the air to face him, "I think not!"
Crossing his arms in front of him to block, he attempted to form a shield from his black armor, however, he was surprised when nothing happened… What? He expressed to himself, suspended and vulnerable there, high in the sky.
"Aw, did you think it would be that easy?"
From below, Milo sauntered into the courtyard with the heavy steel beam propped on her shoulder. Behind her was a white gas, the same that she had emitted from earlier in her fight against Drakthor. She pulled out a cigarette from one of the pockets of her maid dress and used the gas to effortlessly light it.
She threw the cigarette in her mouth she said, "Remember that nullifying gas I tried to use on you earlier? Well, while you were preoccupied with little-ole Kiki, I snuck up and cast a thin layer of nullifying gas behind you… and guess who passed through it?"
"You cunt!" Drakthor yelled as his black armor shrank, revealing his pale skin from beneath.
"What's that? I can't hear your bitching from way up there!"
In that very same moment, Ulrich was still in route, shooting upward into the air towards Drakthor—who was defenseless now. His leap had met him directly under where he was, clashing onto him with his impenetrable Leomantoise shell. Drakthor, amid the strike, could do nothing to mitigate the calamitous impact. Nothing except receive it.
The force was so strong, it shot Drakthor raging upward into the sky. He flew so high and so fast, that his back led the charge, flailing and shooting upward at an intense speed. Below, his fellow Nightbanes were caught in shock as their infamous leader had just been skyrocketed out of bounds by three of the Black Wolf Knights maids.
Kiki sashayed into the courtyard from behind and passed by Milo just a little ahead her. Milo held a hand to her face with cigarette in hand all the while.
It was then; Kiki proclaimed to the remaining masses of the Nightbanes there with a cute pose—extending her left arm out, palms facing, upside down with a peace sign, "Arabella Housekeeping, at your service!"
After she said this, Ulrich, in his enormous Leomantoise form, plummeted onto the scene, causing a light blast of wind from behind Kiki and Milo, and positioning himself perfectly by their side. The scene was like fireworks as Arabella Housekeeping had properly introduced themselves to the Black Wolves' uninvited guests.