Seeing Suguha, Minetaka and Midori in such a state made my blood boil like few things had in my life. I recognized the feeling...it was all too familiar. It was the exact same way I felt when I had seen what Sugou had done to Asuna back in his VR world. The way her face was so bruised made me want kill the fucker in the most painful way possible and, now, I was feeling that exact same resentment for the deranged monster standing in front of me, wielding a butcher's knife, without a care in the world. That was the thing about Vassago. Whether it was the VR world or the real one, he didn't give a shit about the consequences of his actions, as long as he was having fun. He was a completely different kind of monster, in comparison to the other player killers in SAO, who were, merely, killing other SAO players because they knew there wasn't any punishment for doing it. Vassago, genuinely, took pleasure in killing and causing chaos in the real world, the repercussions of his actions be damned, and this fact made me hate the bastard, even more. When I had met Ms. Tanaka...when I met his little sister, Lilith, I actually thought that Vassago was only half a monster but, in that moment, seeing him hold that weapon so close to my family made me give up on that false belief, instantly. Despite having a sister to come home to and to take care of, he chose to throw all of that away just to come to my house and hold my family hostage. If I took him down here, he was finished and there was no way that he didn't know this. If I beat him, he'd be arrested and he would never be allowed to see his sister, again, and, yet, he was doing it, anyway. It, honestly, made me question how much the son of a bitch even cared for his sister? If all of the horrible things he had done in his life were just for his sister's well-being...then he wouldn't have been at my house, right now, but, rather, he would have returned to his apartment, where his sister was. I had to know why...why he didn't choose that option...why he chose to do this stupid shit, instead?
"You're...a dumb ass," I insulted, finally, managing to talk, despite the current rage I was feeling.
"Haha, that's not very nice, Black Swordsman," responded Vassago, still grinning. "Hell, I'm surprised you would resort to petty little insults when I'm this close to your little family, holding something that could kill one of them, before you could even reach me."
"Fucking...fucking dumb ass...how could you possibly be so fucking stupid?!" I yelled, taking Asuna, my family and Vassago off guard. "Why...I have to know why...why you would do this...when you could have just gone home to your sister?"
The smile on Vassago's face disappeared at the mention of Lilith but wasn't replaced with a scowl...rather, the look on his face seemed like returning to his sister wasn't even something that had crossed his mind. The expression on his face...seemed like genuine shock...shock at himself for not even thinking about doing that, after our fight in GGO.
"You already beat me in GGO...you could have, easily, just left it at that and gone home to your sister that's waiting for you to come back," I continued. "She misses you...so much...I could tell that much just from talking to her. You...risked never seeing her, again, just so you could make me 'suffer.' Like you haven't already made me suffer, you psychotic piece of shit?! Like you haven't already made life hell for Asuna and I both?! Now, not only do you have to fuck up our lives but your sister has to grow up without a brother as well?!"
"Careful, Black Swordsman," Vassago warned. "You're talking about some shit that you have no reason to be speaking about. If you piss me off enough, I'll start slitting these fuckers' throats in a heartbeat. I've killed...so many times...at first, you're right...it was to provide for my sister but somewhere along the way, it...grew into something else, entirely. A...bloodlust, of sorts. Now, I kill because I need to...because it makes me happy."
"Is killing more important to you than your own sister?" I questioned.
Vassago thought for a moment.
"Don't misunderstand, Black Swordsman. The reason I'm here isn't to just kill you, even though, that's part of it. I'm here...for Lilith...you went out of your way to pay my family a visit so I figured I'd return the favor. If you didn't meddle into my fucking personal life, then I might have actually considered letting things end with our little scuffle back in GGO but you made this shit fucking personal."
"Great, so now you're using your sister as an excuse for holding my fucking family hostage?!"
"Just shut the fuck up, already, Black Swordsman!" yelled Vassago, putting his butcher's knife right under Suguha's chin, in front of her throat. "If you keep...bringing up my sister, I promise that I will kill yours, understand me?"
Seeing Suguha in danger caused me stop lashing out against Vassago and the two of us entered a stare down for a couple of seconds, before he removed the blade from Suguha's throat.
"Hey, Lightning Flash, I'm glad you're here too but how about you leave this between the Black Swordsman and I?" asked Vassago, now, talking to Asuna, who was still having a tough time processing what was happening around her.
"Besides, you have a little visitor, in your boyfriend's room...I just know that they're dying to talk to you so you shouldn't keep them waiting...don't want to be rude, right?"
Asuna gulped and turned to face me, almost like she was wondering if listening to Vassago was the right thing to do? Judging from the knowing look on her face, Asuna already knew, who was waiting for her in my bedroom and, besides, things were about to get ugly between Vassago and I...real ugly. It might have been better for her not to see what happened here, next. The only thing I was worried about was her safety but...I had faith in her ability to take care of herself. She was the strongest person that I knew, after all.
"Go ahead, Asuna," I said, nodding my head towards my bedroom. "I got things, here. Don't worry about me, aright? You go settle things and...be safe."
Asuna nodded her head in affirmation and replied, "Yeah, you be safe too, Kirito, and don't you dare lose to that crazy asshole."
With that, Asuna made her way towards my bedroom, down the hall, past the kitchen where my family was being held hostage in, and, in less than a minute, I heard my bedroom door shut, indicating that Vassago and I...and my family...were the only ones in the area.
"Ah, that's better," claimed Vassago. "It's much better now that it's just the two of us...well...five, technically, haha."
"This is between me and you, Vassago," I stated, aggressively. "Leave my family out of this."
"It's funny. I don't think you're in any position to be making demands, right now, Black Swordsman."
"Don't give me that shit. You want to kill me, right...after all, I was the one, who visited your family...I was the one that meddled in your personal life to understand you better...the man...behind the monster. It was all me so make me suffer...not them."
"Oh, I intend to," responded Vassago, his smile disappearing from his face. "You had, absolutely, no right...no fucking right visiting my apartment and getting my sister and Ms. Tanaka involved! They...they had no idea about...what I did. All this time, I was able to keep my profession a secret from them...it was for the best that they didn't know what I did to earn money. Now, thanks to you, Black Swordsman, Ms. Tanaka knows about the monster that I truly am and, odds are, she'll end up telling Lilith all about how her brother is nothing but scum, who enjoys killing people. Ya know, Lilith has this picture of me on the wall...it's one she drew, herself. It shows me...as a super hero...a fucking superhero, can you believe it...hahahaha! I'm sure to you and everyone else who's had the displeasure of meeting me, I'm more of a villain. If that's the case, it would mean you are the actual hero in this scenario, Black Swordsman. Must be nice. Getting to be a hero...that was something that was never in the cards for me...my whore mother...my asshole father...they all made damn sure that I would never grow into the heroic type. Plus, being a hero doesn't always pay the bills and what Lilith needed when our parents were fucking dead wasn't a hero...she needed a brother, who was willing to do whatever it took to get her the help she needed. I may not be a hero like you, Black Swordsman...and, to be honest, the two of us might be more different than I, originally, thought. However, looking at you, now, I'm still not convinced."
"Convinced about what?" I questioned, tired of hearing his voice.
"That...we still might not be, completely, different. That look in your eyes, right now. It's the look of a killer, without a doubt. I've seen that look a million times in my life. There's no mistaking it. You want to take the knife that's in my hand and jab it into my fucking throat, isn't that right? You want to kill me, in order to protect your little family...shouldn't be too difficult for you. I mean you've already killed several Laughing Coffin members, in order to protect your girlfriend...you tortured that deranged bastard, Sugou, after seeing what he did to that same girlfriend, and, in this moment, you want to take my life, to protect the people you care about most. You're willing to kill...to protect...although, at the end of the day, that still makes you a killer, same as me, Black Swordsman."
"How many fucking times do I have to tell you this?! I'm nothing like you! You're a psychopath!"
Vassago sighed and made his way towards Minetaka, putting his butcher's knife in front of his throat.
"We'll...see about that, Black Swordsman...we'll all...see about that."
It all happened so fast that I, barely, had time to process what transpired. Vassago's butcher's knife slit Minetaka's throat all of the way from the left side to the right in one swift motion. Blood drained out of the newly formed wound and poured onto the short-sleeve shirt that he was wearing...a shirt...that his wife had boughten him for his last birthday. It was a strange detail to latch onto, in this moment...his shirt, of all things, but it was as if my mind was broken. Like it couldn't process what had just happened and was still trying to decide if it had really happened or not? But it did. Vassago...had just killed Minetaka, right in front of me. Muffled screams came from Midori as she watched the life leave her husband's eyes and Suguha just stared at her deceased father, her eyes devoid...of anything. There weren't any tears in Suguha's eyes and she wasn't screaming...I imagined that she was scarred from what had just happened. Vassago had just, permanently, scarred my sister, most likely, for the rest of her life...he had just taken Midori's husband away from her...he had killed the man, who had been a father to me, my entire life. And...as he stood in front of me...amid all of Midori's screams...he was just standing there, smiling, almost like he was waiting for me to act. He could have kept going. He could have killed Midori or Suguha as well but he didn't. The thing...he wanted to see...more than anything, was my response to what he had just done. And...I was going to give it to the fucker! My mind began functioning normally, again, and all of the suppressed emotions of rage, hatred, disgust, malice and most of all...killing intent surged throughout my entire body, causing me to dash at Vassago, screaming bloody murder while I did so. Vassago didn't even try to avoid my charge but allowed me to spear him right into the kitchen sink that was behind him. I reached for the butcher's knife that was in his hand...the same one that he had killed Minetaka with because...because...because I wanted to slit his fucking throat with it! Vassago grabbed me by my spiky, black hair and rammed the side of my face into the side of the sink, dazing me, and turned on the garbage disposal, via a switch on the wall. He then took my right hand and pulled it towards the garbage disposal in the sink. Despite being dazed still, my brain realized that it had to act quick or I was going to lose my right hand so I grabbed the closest thing that could be used as a weapon which was a frying pan that was on the stove top and slammed it on top of Vassago's head, forcing him to release his grasp on my right hand. While he recovered from the blow, I turned on the stove top, behind me, to the highest setting, via a switch, and the stove top began to glow bright red from the formation of heat. Vassago, recklessly, slashed his butcher's knife at me and it managed to slice the left side of my chest but I held my ground, to the best of my ability. I grabbed the knife-wielding hand with both of mine and placed it on the hot stove top and Vassago let out a pained cry that sounded like it came from a wounded animal. The stove top managed to badly burn the entirety of his right hand and he dropped the knife onto the very same stove top, leaving himself, weaponless. Using the strength of both of my hands and arms, I pulled him right into me and kneed him, directly, in the gut, and, then, grabbed his head and slammed the right side of his face onto the stove top and proceeded to hold it there as all of the skin on the right side of his face was burned off in gruesome fashion.
"How does that feel you sadistic, son of a bitch?!" I yelled, furiously, the image of him slitting Minetaka's throat still fresh in my mind.
You could, barely, hear my question over Vassago's screams of agony but I must have gotten caught up in my own anger because Vassago used his left hand, while pushing through the pain, to grab the butcher's knife that he had dropped and slashed both of my forearms with it, cutting them both, deeply. I, finally, released the death grip I had on his head and looked down at my bleeding forearms, concerned about the blood loss.
"I-I'm going to rip your fucking heart out, Black Swordsman!" hollered Vassago as he started slashing his butcher's knife at me, over and over, again, some of them managing to slice various parts of my body.
Luckily, none of the slashes had done any major damage to me, other than the initial one to my forearms. On top of this, his attacks were getting sloppy and easy to read. I knew I had to do something, though, before he got over the pain he was currently experiencing because then his attacks would become a problem, again. In a split-second decision, I used all of the emotions that were soaring throughout my body, still, and ran right into Vassago, causing him to stumble, backwards, and then wrapped both of my arms around him. Vassago looked down at me in confusion...like the crazy piece of shit was wondering if I was giving him a hug of some kind...fat fucking chance of that.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Using strength that I could only attribute to my fight or flight response...or the overflowing emotions bursting out of me...I lifted Vassago off of the kitchen floor while he still had possession of the butcher's knife and as he began to swing his weapon, downward, at the top of my head, I, partially, suplexed Vassago into the dining room table that was next to us. He smashed right through the glass dining room table, resulting in tiny glass shards being sent everywhere around us. Some of the glass had managed to cut me but, thankfully, none of it reached Midori or Suguha, who were still restrained. Just like Vassago, I was lying on the kitchen floor, after performing a move I had seen once or twice when Suguha and I had decided to watch wrestling, together. I never in a million years thought I had the strength to pull off such a move but it seemed I had proved myself wrong. Despite being smashed through a glass table, Vassago was not only still conscious but actually still attempting to pick himself up. I couldn't allow that to happen. I moved towards where Vassago was, picking up two pieces of glass shards from the broken table, along the way, and, as soon as I was close enough, I stabbed both of them into his left and his right armpits, causing him to screech in agony and fall flat onto his back, again. The pain was so immense that it seemed that Vassago couldn't even use his arms, at this point, which was good but the bastard could still move his legs. Pain wasn't enough to stop him...or at least, the pain he was currently feeling wasn't enough. I picked up two more shards of glasses and stabbed them into his knee caps, disabling his legs as well. Both of Vassago's legs and arms were rendered useless and his back had to have been in pain as well from being smashed through the table. Now, that Vassago was unable to move in any significant way, there was only a single thought on my mind. Making him pay...making the fucker pay for what he did to Minetaka...for what he did to Midori...for what he made Suguha witness! I pressed my knee onto his throat, pinning his head against the kitchen floor and, before he could say a single word, my right fist made contact with his face...his face that was always smiling...always fucking smiling while he was causing people so much pain. One punch wasn't enough, though, because all he did in response was, merely, chuckle. Even at a time like this, he was...fucking amused. After killing Minetaka, leaving Midori husbandless and scarring Suguha...hell, even after finding himself unable to move because of all of the glass I had stuck into him...he was still fucking amused. This was why I hated him. This is why I needed to do what was necessary. I tried. I tried so fucking hard to understand the monster...or, at least, the man, behind the monster. The man, who took care of his sister for all of those years, even if it came at the cost of his humanity. Even after all of the horrible things he had done in SAO, not just to me and Asuna, but to all of the SAO players that got in his way...even after he assisted in killing Klein...I was prepared to let it all go...I was prepared to let things end with our fight in GGO. But...killing Minetaka...how the hell could I let the bastard live, at this point? There was no redemption for him, in my eyes. All of the small feelings of sympathy that I had towards him were thrown out the fucking window when he slit Minetaka's throat. Plus, if I let him live, what would stop him from coming after Midori and Suguha...or Asuna? Nothing. He would slit all of their throats just to prove his mother fucking point that I was a killer, like him!
You know what? I thought to myself as I stared at the bloodied face of Vassago. How about...I prove your fucking point, then? How about I give you exactly what you want...the thing you've wanted, this entire time?
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
As my punches continued to land, over and over again, my right fist became, completely, covered in Vassago's blood and everything went silent except for a small ringing in my ears. Blood from Vassago's face splattered onto mine. My mind was too numb with anger and I was too blind from rage to realize...that this situation was no different to when I was torturing Sugou in his VR world. The only difference was...this was the real world...not VR. Vassago couldn't use a "log out" function, in order to escape from me. There was no escape from me. There was no escape from the punishment that Vassago had earned by taking Minetaka's life. There wasn't a single thing that could save him...from the monster that he had created...me. Suddenly, a thought popped into my mind, stopping my right fist, mid-strike.
The...knife...where's the knife? I asked to myself, peering around to see if I could find it.
It didn't take me long to find what I was looking for. The butcher's knife was lying on the kitchen floor, a few feet away from the two of us. I released my knee that was pressed against Vassago's throat, to allow myself to stand up and proceeded to make my way towards the very weapon that was used to kill Minetaka. The blade felt...natural, once it was grasped in my right hand...as natural as my swords did...back in SAO. I walked back towards, Vassago, who was, violently, coughing blood onto the floor, under him. I studied his face on my way back towards him, with his own weapon, now, in my hand. Both of his eyes were swollen shut from my barrage of punches, a pool of blood was covering his mouth so that you could barely see it and bruising was already beginning to form across his face as well. I stopped for a second as a haunting memory flashed before my eyes...it was...the memory...of how Asuna's face looked, after Sugou had beaten her in his VR world...her faced looked...exactly, like Vassago's did, at this moment. Did that mean...I was no better than Sugou? This second of self-doubt was interrupted by huffing that was coming from Vassago, who was exhausted from his beat-down. However, despite how messed up his face was, Vassago was still able to shape his lips into a bloodied smile.
"I'll...kill...them...all...if...you let...me...live."
Those were the words Vassago had used the last of his ever energy to mutter and just like that, the temporary thoughts of self-doubt left my mind and I continued to walk towards Vassago, with the intent to take his life with the butcher's knife that I was grasping.
I'm nothing like Sugou, I told myself as I got closer to my target. He beat Asuna for no other fucking reason than because he could...it's what made him such a sinister piece of trash...and Vassago's the same way. They hurt people...for no reason at all! I only hurt people...when they hurt the people I care about, first. I only kill...to protect those I love the most. If that makes me a monster...then fuck it, I'm a monster...but I'm not the same kind of monster as those two scumbags. Maybe, in order to kill a monster, you have to become one, yourself? I...just really hope...that Asuna doesn't walk in and see...what I'm about to do.
I pressed my right knee onto the upper part of Vassago's chest and held the butcher's knife, right at his throat, just like he had done to Minetaka. My eyes were fixated on the face of the man, who had taken the closest thing that I had to a father away from me and the hand that was holding the butcher's knife trembled. I...had...to do it. I had...to do it...to protect...the people...
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"
A muffled scream snapped me out of the murderous trance I was in and when I turned to face, where the noise was coming from, I saw Midori facing me, tears in her eyes while still being restrained her chair. She shook her head, no, rapidly. She was telling me not to kill Vassago...even after he killed her husband. Midori was similar to Asuna, in that regard. She was the forgiving type. Unfortunately, for Vassago, I wasn't. Hell, if Midori was the one, who was killed, Minetaka would do the same thing to avenge her...right? My hand that was holding the butcher's knife stopped trembling as I recalled the late-night conversation that I had with my uncle, not too long ago. He mentioned that if he was in the same position that I was in...where I had witnessed Sugou, beat Asuna so badly...he may not have acted any differently. Although, the words that he said, next, entered my mind.
Midori...Asuna...they're the light in our lives, Kazuto. If we ever lose them, then I fear both of our lives will be filled with so much darkness...a darkness...that consumes everything in its path. We need them. I need Midori and you need Asuna...promise me one thing, please...no matter what, never make a choice that would extinguish the light in your life because I know how precious it is to you.
"My...my light," I repeated to myself.
If...if I killed Vassago...I'd not only be breaking the promise that I had made to Minetaka but I would be losing the light in my life, at the same time. Was killing Vassago...making him pay for what he did to Minetaka...was that worth losing the light in my life that's so full of darkness? And...my promise...with Minetaka...wouldn't be the only one I'd be breaking by killing Vassago. Suguha had admitted that she was scared of the type of person that I would become...that I would lose myself to the darkness that was inside of me...but, most importantly, she was afraid that I would become a monster like Vassago. I had just told myself that I was okay with becoming a monster...because it wouldn't be the same kind of monster that Vassago was but...in the end, that would have still been going against the promise I made Suguha.
And, I promise you, I'll never become that kind of person, no matter how many lives I take...no matter how much trauma I go through in my life...I...will...never...become a monster. So, you don't have to worry about that, Suguha, alright?
"I will never...become a monster, even...if it's a different kind of monster than you, Vassago," I told myself as my right hand that was holding the butcher's knife, slowly, stopped trembling.
Two separate promises...one to never become a monster...and the other...to not lose the light in my life. I couldn't let my resentment towards Vassago force me to break those promises. Suguha had already gone through so much and, to be honest, there wasn't any way of me knowing if she would be able to recover from this trauma, fully, of having to watch her father die, right in front of her face. Although, learning that her brother killed the man, who did it, would only make things worse for her. Plus, if I did kill Vassago, like this...in such a brutal manner...there wasn't a guarantee that I wouldn't suffer consequences of some kind...those consequences...might have meant that I would be isolated from my family and Asuna, for a while. If I had to go away while Midori and Suguha grieved by themselves...while Asuna continued to struggle with her trauma...Minetaka...Minetaka would never forgive me and...most of all, I'd never forgive myself!
I tossed the butcher's knife onto the kitchen floor, next to me, and the emotions that were bottling up inside of me were beginning to change. Rather than anger...hatred...and malice for the man...the monster that I was staring at, I was feeling something resembling pity. It might have been the genuine look of surprise when Vassago had heard me drop the knife. Hell, it could have been him realizing that even after all that he had done, I still wasn't going to kill him. He looked...lost...completely and utterly lost...that much I could still tell, despite how badly his face was damaged. His lips trembled as he attempted to speak, again.
"K-Kill...kill...me," he said, struggling with every single word. "P-Please...kill...me."
"No."
In opposite fashion to Vassago, my response was clear, concise and without stuttering.
"No, I'm not going to kill you, Vassago. Ya know, Minetaka, told me that I was going to become a man, here soon? He said, 'With being a man, comes a ton of responsibilities...sometimes, you'll make the right choice and, sometimes, you'll make the wrong one...' It's obvious that I've made a lot of wrong choices in my life but...that doesn't change the fact...that I still want to be a man that Minetaka would be proud of. A man that's there for his family when they need him the most and a man...who keeps all of the light in his life held close to his heart. That's, who I want to become and I won't let me feelings towards you get in the way of that. Suguha...Midori...Asuna...they all still need me...more than ever because of what you just did and there isn't a chance in hell that I'm doing anything to jeopardize that. Even if that means, letting a piece of shit like you live. Although, this might be for the best. Killing you...would've been too easy...and would've been exactly what you wanted. No, you're going to rot in a prison cell for the rest of your fucking life, Vassago, and I promise you that you're never going to see, Lilith, again. Your sister is going to be living the rest of her life without her brother in it and you have no one to blame but yourself, Vassago. And I hope...no...pray, that I never have to see your face...hell, even hear your fucking name, ever again. Also, I want you to know one more thing, Vassago. After all the hell you put me through, you still lost...not to The Black Swordsman...but to Kazuto Kirigaya."
Vassago continued to make noises like he wanted to speak more but I didn't pay it any mind as I released my knee from his chest and stood up, over his body.
"Now, if you don't mind...I don't have time to give you any more of my attention. I...need to be there...for my family."
I walked towards the butcher's knife that I had, recklessly, tossed to the side, and picked it up, now, seeing a proper use for it. I headed towards Midori and Suguha and with the very knife that had killed Minetaka, I freed the two of them from their restraints. I then placed the knife on the kitchen floor and pulled the duct tape off of each of their mouths, knowing that it was going to hurt, no matter how, carefully, I pulled it off. No semblance of emotion had returned to Suguha's face but the very first thing that Midori did, once she was free, was hug me, tighter than she ever had before. I wrapped my right arm around her to hug her back and wrapped my left arm around Suguha to pull her into a hug as well. After the experience we had all gone through, none of us could speak, especially me, who was...crying. Crying over the loss of the closest thing that I had to a father.
I'm sorry, Minetaka, I apologized inside of my mind so that Midori and Suguha wouldn't hear it. I know, you want me to become a man but, please, let me just cry...like a boy...one last time. Because...I'm going to miss you...so much, Minetaka. Thank you...so much...for everything...for raising me...for being there for me when I needed you...for letting me be part of your family...I...I love you...dad.
I had never once referred to Minetaka as my "dad" or "father" except for this one time inside of my head which was just another regret I would have to pile onto the others. The sound of a door being opened could be heard over Midori and I's crying and I looked up, in the direction of the hallway that led to my bedroom. Making her way down the hallway, her face covered in blood...was Asuna. Both of her knuckles were bruised and bloodied as well and she was staring, emptily, at my teary eyes, like she was in just as much pain as I was.
"A-Asuna...w-what happened?" I asked, through my own tears.
Author's Note: Hello, thank you so much for reading this week's chapter! Hopefully, this chapter served as a good conclusion to Kirito and Vassago's rivalry. Vassago pushed Kirito to his breaking point in this chapter and we, once again, got to see Kirito's darker side. Throughout both of my SAO fan fictions, exploring this darker side of Kirito has been one of the things that I wanted to accomplish so, hopefully, I did a halfway decent job at that. Also, this chapter shows just how Vassago's obsession with Kirito, ultimately, led to his own downfall which I felt like was an appropriate end for his character as well. I really tried to flesh out and develop Vassago's character more throughout my SAO fan fictions too because I always thought he had the potential to be a really good foil and antagonist to Kirito. As you can probably tell from how this chapter ended, next week I will be switching the focus to Asuna and we will see if she's able to rescue her friend from being consumed by her darkness. See you all next week!