I looked back at Tetsuya. I... I couldn't leave him in this state. What if he became like Yuko when she couldn't control the darkness? But... would I even be capable of reaching out to him? Rosa might be better able to, or perhaps Yuko.
"What's going on?" I heard someone call out. It was Yuko herself. She rushed over toward us.
"We captured the enemy," Kohri said with a nervous grin. He turned back to look at my cousin, the one I cared for, not the jerk I wanted to kill. "But Tetsu... Roa here said some un-choice words."
"I wouldn't say that. Quite the opposite, they were very choice words," I said, glaring at Roa.
Roa shrugged. "Guilty as charged. Though, it's what you get for getting in my way of rescuing Etsuo." He narrowed his eyes. "Now, where is he?"
"Roa, we aren't in a position to make demands here," Man-kin whispered as he shifted his eyes between Kohri and Naoru.
Yuko walked up to Roa and slapped him. "You hurt master, didn't you? Yuko won't let such actions go unpunished."
Roa rubbed his face. "What happened to you? Last I saw you, you were a cute little girl without emotions."
She narrowed her brown eyes at him.
"Slap him some more," I muttered as I turned away.
Roa sneered. "To think that Etsuo said you were nice."
I nodded. "Oh, I can be, if you're someone who is nice in return. But if you hurt those I care for then not so much."
"So, you care more about Rosalba than Tetsuya?" Roa said, scoffing.
"Rosalba is like a little sister to me. While I haven't known her as much, she is dear to me." I clenched my hands into fists. "Whoever played this cruel trick on them will pay. If it turns out that it was Satoru then I'll go into the depths of that pit and drag him out and give him a worse punishment."
"Is that so? I'll like to see you try," a voice echoed behind me.
I gripped Aventine and spun around, slicing the air. There was no one there...
"What's wrong? Seeing things?" the voice called out.
"You, where is Dan!" I yelled, spinning around yet again. There was no one other than Yuko and the others.
"Are you alright?" Man-kin asked.
I gasped. "You don't hear him?"
Roa raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Satoru of course!"
"You're going crazy, peasant boy," the voice echoed yet again. I felt a tail grip my neck and yank me back. "Just like your mother!"
My eyes widened. "How do you know that?" I yelled, slicing the tail only for it to disintegrate into shadow.
"How indeed... you could say I am omniscient."
"Ha, like I'll believe that!" I yelled.
"I am also omnipresent," he said as he appeared in front of me. "I am a god!"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You are no god, you're only a demon who wishes to be one! Now get out of my head!""
Satoru grinned before fading. "Tic-toc... the clock ticks closer to your undoing, peasant," his voice echoed. "Soon you'll lose the one you most care for."
"Are you okay?" Roa asked, looking around.
I gripped my head. "You... didn't see him? Did you?"
"No," Kohri responded, furrowing his brow.
I looked down. Then was that a figment of my imagination then? Could it be that I am going insane? No, I... I can't be. I won't. I won't end up like my mom... I won't! I can't...
I turned to see Tetsuya once more. Yuko who already was there hugging him, even as he showed no signs of snapping out of the trance he was in. Could it be that he too was hearing Satoru's voice?
My silver eyes widened. Black markings were starting to spread across Agnes' chrome plating like the tails of a kitsune on a rampage. The chrome plating itself turned purple and parts of it protruded out of the edges while the green core was dyed red.
"Agnes, it's changing, but why?" Kohri asked as he too noticed.
"Man-kin, now!" Roa yelled. I turned back to the prisoners. The boy carrying him had jumped into the heavens. Naoru though was already pursuing them.
I sighed and dashed toward them. I punched Man-kin in the stomach, causing him to drop Roa.
Roa gasped as he fell toward the ground. I watched as he fell while I held onto Man-kin. His wings spread out but he continued to fall. I didn't chase after him to catch him, instead I just watched, waiting for him to splat into the ground. Though, I doubted that it would kill him. He was an abyssmal after all.
"Roa!" two voices called out as their owners drew closer.
"Etsuo! Dine!" Roa said, opening his eyes. He smiled slightly even as he continued to lose altitude. His friends spread out their arms and caught him.
"Sealing Vines!" Hideaki yelled as he and the rest arrived.
Roa screamed as he and his friends were apprehended.
"Dad!" Kiara yelled.
"Sorry, but had to catch them off guard." He held out his hand and pulled Kiara away from the other two while continuing to cover them in what looked like seaweed wraps more than vines.
"Let us go!" Roa yelled, struggling.
Setsuko ran over to him and took out a pair of black handcuffs and put them on his wrists. "You'll pay dearly for what you did to my friends," she said, pushing him.
Roa grimaced. "So, this is the way my cousin was treated, huh?"
"Not really," Etsuo said, laughing nervously.
Roa gave him a deadpan look. "Why are you acting so relaxed? You aren't worried about being captured again?"
"I don't really mind, as long as Dine and you are nearby."
Roa turned away. "Seriously? You're an odd one."
I scoffed as I landed back down, still holding onto a struggling Man-kin. "Didn't you just say the same thing earlier?"
"Shut up, who asked you?" he yelled.
I dropped Man-kin to the floor for Hideaki to wrap up and walked over to Roa. I pressed my sword against his neck. "You're on thin ice. You know that."
He glared at me. "I don't blame Tetsuya for hating you."
"Roa," Etsuo said. "Stop it! Serrano here won't hurt you, right? Cousin?"
I turned away and stared at my reflection on Aventine's rust colored blade. My eyes were probably as filled with hate as when I threw Tetsuya out of the palace after he had been released from the dungeon. The blade shook.
I... I was the worst. I wasn't worthy of it, of his forgiveness.
"Serra, don't listen to that dark inner voice," Setsuko said as she put black handcuffs on Man-kin. She kept her eyes on the handcuffs. "It'll lead you to nowhere good, you know that."
I did, but its voice, it was strong. Perhaps, far stronger than I could hope to be.
"She's right," Ximena said, walking over to me. She placed her hands on my face and pressed her head against mine. "Don't give into it. Neither of you."
Neither of us? I turned back to look at Tetsuya who was surrounded by what appeared to be black flames. Rosa was watching him and Yuko. She looked down at the ground and let out a stifled cry. "This... this is all my fault," she murmured. She turned around. "Nori! Please, save him like you did Suzuki!"
Nori watched Yuko and smiled. "Nori thinks he'll be fine. This is just like in Xeleria. Mister Tetsu was the only one who could reach Yuko, and Yuko is the only one who can reach him."
Rosa gasped and closed her eyes tightly. "I-I understand." She stared at the growing fire-like cloud of darkness around Tetsuya. It had almost consumed Yuko alongside him. "Please, save him. Yuko."
Why am I here? Why am I trying to regain what was lost? It is all meaningless. They won't trust me no matter what I say or do. None of them. Even though they claim they do, they don't. It's all an act. All they want is another pawn to fend off the abyss, so they pretend to be my friends. Was the attack on Rosalba even real? Or was it an act? Satoru... was he right about her? Was he right when he said that she wasn't to be trusted?
Even if it was real, it would've been nice if she believed in me. Was the love she claimed to have for me not enough to break through the fog of lies? Or perhaps, it was all a lie. She never loved me, it was all desire like that vile fox said. She never cared for me... And not only her, the others didn't as well. But that was to be expected. At least they didn't pretend to care for me. Not like she did, and not like Serrano did.
"Master, Master!" a voice called out to me. It sounded... distant, yet familiar. "Master! Please snap out of it!"
I looked up, there was nothing but darkness surrounding me. Nice, peaceful darkness...
"Master! Please, don't leave Yuko! Yuko needs her Tetsu! So please, come back to her! Please!" the voice cried out.
I gasped and held out my hand. Yuko... Right, she was the only one who stood by me all this time. I lowered my hand somewhat. But, what if she too turns her back on me? Like how Serrano and Rosalba did?
"Master! Yuko swears that she won't leave you! Not now, or ever! So, please, return to your normal self! Please! Yuko doesn't want to see her Master like this! I-it's scary! Yuko wants to eat the cookies she made with Master alongside him! Food tastes better when Master is around! Way better!"
Y-Yuko...
"S-snap out of it, Tetsu!" a voice yelled.
I gasped. It sounded like Rosalba...
"Snap out of it!" the princess and Yuko called out. Their voices seemed to blend together into one.
I opened my eyes and saw Yuko hugging me tightly.
"Master, finally," she said, smiling. She closed her eyes as her hands slid off of me.
I caught her before she could fall down. Wisps of darkness covered her from head to toe. "Yuko... No..." The image of the unconscious kid from when I got angry at the mob that attacked me as soon as I had left the palace flashed before my head. I fell to my knees and hugged her tightly. "Yuko, please open your eyes. Yuko! Please don't leave me! D-didn't you say that you were going to be with me? That you wouldn't leave me ever?"
Yuko opened her eyes and reached out a hand. She smiled as she caressed my face. "Yuko, p-plans to fulfill that."
I smiled and nodded. "Y-yeah... Let me just get some herbs and I'll heal you right up!"
"Here, let me heal her," Rosalba said, rushing over from the hill she had been standing on. I gasped as I looked around me. The grass all around me had been burnt away by what appeared to be black flames, some of which still lingered, leaving nothing but ash.
I turned away from her. "Go ahead, I'll give you the life force you need to do so."
Rosa squatted down and put a hand on Yuko's head. "This little one is strong, having survived all that."
"She isn't little anymore," I snapped.
She chuckled. "Yeah, but in my eyes I still see the same Yuko as before. But a happier one. Yuko cares a lot for you. You brought happiness into her life."
I shook my head. I didn't, I kept putting her through pain after pain. This was the fifth such time. First was when we were training in the university, second was in the battle against Satoru in the palace, third was after our expedition to the abyss, fourth was when I went ahead and died, leaving her all alone. Alone... She knew what it felt like, more than me. The only one she had was Nori, but they were separated. It was all his fault, the fault of the man I had once seen as a hero. He made Yuko for the purpose of being a tool, and yet I went ahead and continued to use her as such.
I looked up as I felt a hand against mine. Rosa stared right into my eyes but didn't say a word. It was as if she was unable to, yet the silence between us was enough to bring a certain level of comfort.
***
"They're delicious!" Yuko said, grinning. "Master, want another?"
I chuckled and shook my head. She sure made a quick recovery upon hearing that the cookies were ready.
"Come on," she said, pushing one up against my lips.
I laughed. "Alright, I guess I'll eat another," I said before taking a bite out of it. "Yummy."
She giggled. "Right? Hmm, wonder how they'll taste with raspberry." She smiled to herself. "Hey, once we return to the capital, want to buy some burgers? Yuko knows that you weren't very hungry before, but you might enjoy them now."
I patted her head. "Sure!"
She let out a squeal. "Yay!
"Ready to head out?" Serrano said as he walked in. We had decided to leave early instead of staying the night over. Mai and Mei had managed to flee from Hyosetsu. We couldn't let them run free.
I turned away. My memory of what happened was foggy, but I did recall yelling at him as I was being consumed by the darkness.
"You don't want some?" I asked, picking up a cookie.
He snickered. "I think that it'll be best if we leave them for Roa. It might help Hideaki control him. Honestly, he acts more like a wild monkey than the actual monkeys."
I chuckled. "True. Etsuo is more calm and elegant like a pegasus than Roa is."
Serrano shifted uncomfortably as he adjusted his pack. "Tetsu, listen, I..."
"No, don't say it," I said, standing up. I grabbed Yuko's hand and walked past. "I don't need it, but don't worry. I'll fulfill my task until I can get the trial. Then you'll see that my word was true."
He let out a choking sound. "I-I understand."
Our friendship, I wanted it to go back to the way it was, but I now knew it was all but an illusion. Nothing could go back exactly to the way it once was, not after the bonds of trust were shattered like they were.
**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter! This concludes this mini arc :3. Thoughts on the post-Xelerian events thus far? Where do you think Tetsu's path will take him?**