Lilith was sifting through the database files frantically, trying to pull up as much
information on Eveon Kasaguri as she could... "This is why you came to see me? Don't we
already have all the information we need about her?" Eric asked, obviously annoyed.
His arch nemesis had come banging on his door, insisting that she needed help. "We're
after Eveon and we think she's with Miki," Lilith said. "But I think we're missing a big
part of the picture."
She was using the computer at his desk in his office since he didn't want her seeing
all his little Alice clones. "And what would that be, oh intelligent one?"
She ignored his sarcasm. "Solomon said that three powerful exorcists were with Eveon
and Miki. The facility that Miki attacked was dismantled by an unknown group. Eveon's
stepmother is the former Living Inferno... and I was attacked during a meeting with
Pandora."
"So, Eveon's got her own little protection squad... that's not that big of a deal,"
Eric muttered, delighted to find a milkshake on his desk that Erin had gotten for him
earlier.
"It is a big deal," Lilith hissed. "There are implications that Eveon has connections
to the people that purified the souls in the Pit of the Damned! I'm trying to find
connections between her and others so we know exactly what we're dealing with..."
"Should our Intel department be dealing with that?" Eric asked, even though he knew
that Lilith was being very smart about it all.
"I'd rather do it myself..." she said, trailing off. "Eveon's... a lesbian, right?"
"Uh huh. So I've heard... Miki confirmed that when she broke in to rescue Dark."
"Then would she have..." Lilith started typing away, furiously trying to dig up the
information she needed. "Who's her girlfriend?"
Eric watched as Lilith began scouring through Eveon's school records. There had to
be- The woman stopped, taking a look at the picture of a rather familiar girl. "Mina
Lamet... goddamn, she's got to be Eveon's girlfriend."
"Ooh, she's cute," Eric said off handedly. "How do you know she's Eveon's
girlfriend?"
"Because she was with the group of women that attacked me!" Lilith got up quickly.
"Damn it! I should have...!"
Eric sucked on his milkshake as a devious look got onto Lilith's face. "I have the
perfect plan... I need to go see Adrian."
She walked off confidently, leaving Eric confused and with a bad feeling in his
chest. Exactly what was Lilith up to?
*****
"What is that?" Isaka asked, scrutinizing the plate of fruit in front of Tsuru.
The Demon Lord was just as confused. "Well... uh... Carmilla has been making me eat
certain things."
Isaka rolled her eyes. "Huh... you'd think she'd be trying to make you eat her..."
Krystal giggled slightly and just ate her own stuff as Mina rubbed her neck sorely.
"Speaking of Carmilla," the ebony haired girl said. "Where is she?"
"Sleeping," Tsuru said through a mouthful of pineapple. "She said she'd join us for
dinner after a nap."
Mina grimaced, knowing that she was the only thing on the menu for dinner... "It is
really odd that she's having you eat fruit," Krystal said, returning to the subject. "I
would think she'd be trying to make you drink her blood."
"Oh, she does that too," Tsuru said with a sigh. "I never drink it though..."
Isaka laughed quietly to herself. "That's just because you get all kinky when you
drink it."
Tsuru's fork made a nasty screeching sound against the plate. "Shut up! That was only
a couple of times and it's your fault!" She immediately quieted down when she saw the look
on Krystal's face. "...sorry..."
"Does that really happen to you?" Krystal asked, obviously curious. Isaka wasn't
liking the fact that she was interested in her and Tsuru's past escapades, but it was
probably better than her being mad...
Tsuru flushed a bright red. "...yeah. Isaka used to do it just to see what would
happen... it wasn't that big of a deal."
"Actually, she would be like a whole 'nother person in bed," Isaka chimed in.
"Hey! You were the submissive little bottom whenever we did it so don't act like you
didn't want it!" Tsuru snapped.
"That's not true," Isaka hissed out, embarrassed. "I was on top plenty of times!"
Krystal found the whole entire concept of Tsuru dominating Isaka in bed a crazy
paradox. "Is that even possible...?"
"No!" Isaka said trying to cover it up. "I only did that to make Tsuru feel good
about herself!"
"Whatever," Tsuru said, spearing a grape with her fork. "You don't have to act like
you're all dominant all the time... Krystal must be a really nice girl to let you do
whatever you want."
Isaka clamper her mouth shut, fuming over being exposed as more submissive than
Tsuru. "It's not that big of a deal," Krystal murmured, rubbing Isaka's back. "It's not
like your life is defined by what role you play in bed. You can always switch back and
forth."
Mina suddenly interrupted. "I wonder... if Eveon was partly vampire like Tsuru and I
gave her blood... would she be really kinky too?"
The three other women stared at her. "Uh... nice to see you're keeping up with the
conversation," Tsuru said blandly. At least they all knew what Mina had been thinking about
for the last couple of minutes...
The four of them were gathered in Krystal and Isaka's hotel room so they all turned
to the door when Carmilla walked in. "Nothing like a little nap," the vampire said with a
smile. Mina shuddered a bit since she could see the vampire's fangs.
Carmilla took it upon herself to sit really, really close to Tsuru and nuzzle into
her neck. "Are you eating all the fruit I got you?"
"Y-yeah," Tsuru said, blushing at the close contact. She popped another grape in her
mouth. "Why are you having me eat all of this anyway?"
Carmilla straightened up, smiling dreamily to herself. "Well, if we want to have a
stable relationship, I can't go around biting poor innocent girls all the time and making
you jealous!"
Isaka and Krystal exchanged glances. "I guess that is true," Krystal murmured. Mina
was highly relieved to hear such a thing - it meant no more vampires trying to be all over
her girlfriend.
Tsuru looked down at her now finished plate. "But what does that have to do with
fruit?"
Carmilla seemed very proud of herself. "By eating good foods, it should help out the
flavor of your nasty tasting blood! Then..." The vampire went back to nuzzling and stroking
Tsuru's neck. "I can eat you up whenever I want."
Tsuru looked like she was about to die from the double entendre. "Is sex really an
important part of a relationship?"
Mina's sudden question made her the object of many stares. "I mean, it's not
everything, is it?"
"Of course it isn't!" Carmilla said, surprising everyone else. "Relationships can be
purely physical, but they'll soon fall apart. At the same time, expression of love through
physical contact is just as important as the emotional stuff."
"I figured," Mina said. "It's just I don't think me and Eveon are ever going to find
the right time to... you know..."
"Well, just take your time, like I'm doing with Tsuru until she's comfortable,"
Carmilla stated, leaning into the Demon Lord.
"This is taking you time?!" Tsuru exclaimed, not believing the vampire's words.
"I wonder what it would be like if she wasn't," Krystal mused with a smile. "You
didn't really try to take time, did you?"
Isaka cleared her throat awkwardly. "I... I wasn't that bad... I mean, Faye
practically jumped Erin!"
"That's because they've already known each other for a long time," Krystal pointed
out, making the demon sulk.
Mina averted her gaze to the window as the couples started to talk to one another.
She really wished she could be with Eveon...
*****
An awkward silence followed after Abby uttered the dead name of her husband. He
looked the exact as he had the morning he left the house, briefcase and lunch in hand. He
was supposed to come back a little earlier from work to go buy some things for Eveon's
upcoming birthday...
He didn't even make it to work when his car was smashed into an oncoming lane. Abby
took an unsure step towards him, doubting the whole entire situation. Sure, the Hall of
Memories summoned dead people back, but could it really be Terry in front of her?
He shifted his weight to one foot before fiddling with his hair. "This wasn't exactly
how I wanted us to meet up again... I was hoping..." He looked up at the black mass that
contained Sakura. "I was hoping it would be under less tense circumstances..."
More silence followed until he turned his bright blue eyes back at her. "How's
Eveon?"
Abby couldn't help herself. She took the last few steps toward him before launching
into his arms. He barely caught her, just as surprised at her reaction. He was very warm -
nothing like the malignant form of Diana.
She started to cry and he held her closely, trying to calm her. It was all oddly
nostalgic to be with him so she cried even harder. "I'm so sorry," Terry murmured. "I
didn't mean to leave you all alone..."
"But you did...!" she sobbed out. "How was I supposed to...? How did you expect me to
go on?"
He was silent as she began to calm down, still nestled against him. "I had to explain
it all to Eveon," Abby whispered. "Why you couldn't be there for any more of her
birthdays..."
"I know," he said, closing his eyes. "You had to do a lot without me and I just
wished... that I didn't have to leave both of you."
He wiped away her tears and said, "I missed you."
"I... I missed you too," Abby whispered.
He suddenly laughed. "I guess a lot of things have changed since I left, huh?"
Abby flushed bright red and sighed. "God, this is really what you're here for isn't
it?"
"No, no," Terry said, shaking his head. "I'm not a master of scathing jokes like you
are. Bringing it up seems to be enough to embarrass you. I'm just glad Eveon's happy,
but..."
He looked back over at the black mass. "I'm sure you know why I'm really here."
Abby's heart began to race... it almost felt like something was squeezing her chest.
"Y-yeah..."
He rubbed her shoulder gently as he continued talking. "I'm glad that you've found
someone since I've been gone... I'd rather have that than have you mourn over me all the
time-"
Abby cut him off. "You want me to choose, don't you?"
He shrugged sadly. "Yeah... I'm sorry to do this to you... to make you decide between
me or her, but you've been thinking about it for a long time. The moment you first started
to fall for the Living Inferno, you began to ask that question. Who do you love more?"
"I just... Do I really have to do this?!" Abby wrenched herself away from him. "This
is cruel to have to choose! This isn't black or white or... or... I can't..."
"Do you really love her? Or is she something to comfort you because I'm gone? If I
were still alive... would you have ever fallen in love with her? Would you still be with
me?" He paused with a smile. "But you already know the answer to that, don't you?"
"Terry-" Abby stopped as the world around them began to shift and change.
"I'm... I'm kind of glad I died," he said suddenly. "It makes this more easier on
me..." His tone began to change to sadness though he kept smiling. "Call me prideful, but I
think I can rest easier knowing that my wife hasn't been stolen from me while I was
around."
Abby felt something shudder through her. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't... I
can't leave her."
"I know," Terry said with a grin. "But you just needed a little shove to assure you
of that. Even if I hadn?t died, I still would have lost you... you just can't seem to let
her go."
"I still... I still love you," she said, almost trying to patch up something that was
crumbling.
Terry laughed as he started to disappear. "You love me... but just not as much." He
winked at her. "I'll always love you."
Abby's eyes began to tear up as she realized what had just happened. Her husband...
the man she'd wanted see for so long was gone again. She sunk to her knees as she began to
cry again, upset but relieved. She loved Sakura... so much that it hurt whenever she
thought of Terry. It had always been so heart rending and now it was all over...
Marx walked slowly over to her, but she lashed out at him. "Couldn't you do something
about this?"
"I don't control this place," he said calmly, looking over at where Terry
disappeared. "It shapes itself based upon what is needed. And what was needed... was your
pain."
Abby wobbled back on her feet, ready to give him a piece of her mind for tormenting
her, when all the walls seemed to melt and the pillars sunk away. The strange conglomerate
that was holding Sakura gently sunk to the floor, like a fluid or soft fog.
Marx let out a sigh of relief when Abby's attention was diverted to the figure lying
on the ground. "Sakura!"
She knelt down beside her lover, instantly recognizing the armor as the trademark of
the Living Inferno. Abby gently lifted Sakura's head to rest on her lap as piercing red
eyes opened to meet hers. It chilled the blonde to the bone to know that Sakura had to go
back to something she didn't want.
"It's alright," a voice rasped out. "I will... I will be alright as long as..."
The armor figure began to shudder. "Sakura...?" Abby asked. "Is something wrong?"
Her lover uttered no sound as she writhed in pain, horrifying Abby to no end. She
turned to look at Marx. "What's wrong with her?!"
"She has to transcend the Living Inferno," Marx said, putting his hands in his
pockets as the armor burst into flames. "This is the easy part."
"Easy?!" Abby exclaimed, resisting the urge to jump away from the fires. They were
harsh, unrelenting flames that seemed to seep into Sakura, but they weren't burning hot.
"The hard part was getting you to let go of Terry," Marx said. "The Living Inferno...
is a lot different now."
Abby closed her eyes and cradled Sakura's body closer to her. After some time, a soft
hand reached up to touch her face. Abby looked down to see Sakura, stark naked. "Sorry,"
she murmured. "I didn't mean to hurt you..."
Abby just held her closer. "You didn't hurt me...! I was so worried and I... I'm
sorry I ever doubted you or me or... or whatever!"
Sakura blushed slightly. "I didn't... I never meant for you to choose... I'm
sorry..." She let out a slight sound and shuddered from the still residing pain.
"Are you alright...?" Abby whispered and Sakura nodded.
"I am now..." She blushed again. "As long as I know you love me."
Marx turned around, fixing his hat as the two women behind him began to kiss. It was
very romantic, but he doubted they would be happy to have him staring. He made a mental
note that Sakura had a surprisingly nice body, but decided to keep it to himself... thank
goodness Sakura's eyes didn't work on him.
After some time, Abby helped Sakura stand up, running a hand down her back. "Your
wings are gone," she said sadly.
"I know you like them," Sakura said quietly. "But I couldn't-"
"It's fine," Abby said with a slight laugh. "I love you no matter you look like."
It was then that Sakura stared into her eyes and Abby felt herself get a little light
headed. The way Sakura was looking at her... the Living Inferno kissed her fervently,
making her intentions known. She'd gone a long time not touching Abby, since her hellish
rebirth in Purgatory, so...
Marx coughed loudly. "May I suggest not doing that in the Hall of Memories? While I
sure would enjoy watching, as would Terry if he's still lingering around, I think I should
take you back to the hotel room and then make myself scarce. Deal?"
Sakura didn't like being interrupted, but Marx was right... "Okay," Abby sighed,
holding Sakura closer. "I guess it's time to go back."
Sakura leaned against Abby, enjoying the contact. "Yes... then we can worry about
everything else..."
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