Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

A/N: I made a brief reference to the god Sephiroth. From here on out, I'll be referring to him as [Sephiroth].

The Whys of What Ifs

Chapter 7 - In the Mind: Differentiation

"We're in my mind." That was what Sephiroth had said. The words rang like the final toll of doom: hollow, but sure.

What type of experiences could force a mind to produce a landscape of such hopelessness? The dark sky roiled overhead, seeming to cast its black sliver of light in lieu of the natural rays of the sun. The ground, barren and cracked, sat among its dust, like a corpse too long among the sands of its own past. Everywhere she looked, Hotaru could only hear silence; only feel stillness. This place was empty. Except for Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel, and herself.

The demonic angel itself stood even as it had when greeting the two soldiers: grim, with crimson eyes spilling a sordid brightness over the wasteland, back straight with its mangled set of wings drawn back as though in preparation for fight or flight, probably the former, thought Hotaru, and its mien set in a mixture of amusement, arrogance, and sympathy. A most unusual combination, Hotaru thought.

But even the dangerous being did not garner significant concern in Hotaru's mind. She was too preoccupied for that. She was worried about the way Sephiroth had sounded when he had told her where they were. He had sounded like a man on the edge of shattering.

Right now, he stood tall and straight, eyes glittering as he considered his surroundings. The glow from his eyes was not of the same sort as the One-Winged Angel's. The demonic angel's gaze sent lines of red seething through the parched ground, like the blood of all the damned slain among some ancient battlefield rising up to enact against others the torment they had endured. But it was not so where Sephiroth cast his gaze. As his eyes slipped over the ground, the earth itself drew close to its own, compacting the cracks into firmness and health unbroken. Even as the general cast his gaze elsewhere, grass grew in the barrens, rising up, not like the legion of blood that the One-Winged Angel compelled, but with the exuberance of a creature too long confined against its will. The grass grew like it had a right to do so.

If Sephiroth noticed the effect that the glow from his eyes had, he neither spoke nor reacted in any way to it.

Dimly, Hotaru remembered the words that Phobideum had told her only… what was it? Two days ago? It had seemed much longer. 'Time passed and the child grew into a warrior that made the very earth beneath his boots humble.' What if Phobideum wasn't just being figurative? What if he was being literal? Even more than that, Hotaru thought, her mind accelerating at the idea, what if making humble wasn't the only thing Sephiroth could make the Earth do?

The One-Winged Angel chuckled lowly, diverting Hotaru's attention. "What's so funny?" Sephiroth asked, his eyes sharp and his tone bland.

"Nothing… nothing." The One-Winged Angel replied as its laughter trailed off, but it still wore a light smile. To Hotaru, the smile looked like one that someone donned when they saw the living butt of a joke and was trying to be polite. Whatever it was, she didn't like it.

"Is there any particular reason we're here?" The Soldier of Death and Destruction asked bluntly in a somewhat annoyed tone. Out of the corner of her eye, Hotaru saw Sephiroth's eyes draw tight, but from what she couldn't tell. Maybe it was pain. Maybe it was guilt.

The demonic angel mock-bowed to her before responding. "I can't tell you."

"What do you mean 'you can't tell us'"? Hotaru asked, becoming even more annoyed.

The One-Winged Angel assumed a thoughtful pose for a moment before shrugging. "Because the two of you are here for completely different reasons. Therefore, I can tell you the reason that each of you is here, but there is no way I can tell you what both of you are here. As for telling you what you're doing here, I'll happily tell you." To Hotaru's disconcertment, the bizarre entity began to chuckle, an odd, unnerving sound.

"Why are you laughing?" The Soldier of Silence asked, the first vestiges of fear creeping into her tone.

"Why am I laughing? I'm laughing because of your sheer simplicity. Think about it. You're in a place that humans can only reach when their souls leave the physical plane. The only reason that he," it gestured towards Sephiroth, "was even able to make it here was because it's his body's natural defense mechanism in certain situations for his soul to retreat into his mind's depths when he is injured unto the point of death. You see…" The demonic angelic finished in a low tone, smirking, "you are here because your body was destroyed by the explosion created by the Sword of Destruction and the Glaive of Silence. You are here because you… are… dead."

Upon hearing this, Hotaru's mind spun. Hands of bewilderment and despair settled into her thoughts, sending them scattering, isolating her from the rest of whatever reality existed here, and trying to pull her psyche under. Why was this happening? If she was dead, why was she here? Why had she not been recalled to the palace of her god, Dis? Was she not to be reincarnated? Had she somehow displeased Dis? Had he withdrawn his protection of her? Chosen another avatar? A far more morbid thought now entered her mind: her friend Chibi-Usa had sometimes spoken of the future. In no detail was Hotaru ever reflected there. Maybe it was because the person known as Tomoe Hotaru no longer existed at that point in time.

And then her mind slowed. The hands of despair grew claws, digging dig, spurting blood. Of course, she thought, maybe that was it. After all, the upcoming era was to be one of peace and joy. What use would a Senshi be whose main power brought only death and woe? None. At that time, her life would be a curse upon the whole of reality. And reality, Hotaru thought bleakly, tolerated no burdens, carried no curses.

And then her mind stopped. The claws held her heart now, moments from crushing all life from her fragile body. The wounds they had inflicted were now gangrenous, consuming the pale flesh as they flowed, swift and strong as a wildfire, as foul as her memory of the spirit of Mistress 9, the keeper of nightmares. Even as mild a reference to the devourer of pure hearts as this brought to the forefront of Hotaru's mind the nightmares she had suffered from, starting the very night she regained her powers following the incident with the daughter of Pharaoh 90.

The nightmares were always the same. They were always set in a palace, presumably the Obsidian Citadel located on Saturn. She stood in the center of room, its floors composed of onyx, standing in sharp contrast to the ivory pictures of the life and history of the universe carved into them, garbed in the attire of the Celestial Warrior of Death and Destruction. She held the Silence Glaive in her hand, slowly weaving it to and fro through the air. Eventually the weaving became a dance, full of grace and serenity, yet bristling with the energy and power of the Dark Senshi. As all things do, the dance eventually came to a halt. Hotaru held the Silence Glaive vertically even, dividing her face in two with the sharper arc of the weapon facing outward. She lifted the Silence Glaive above her head and spoke three words. They were the last words of her former life. Death Reborn Revolution.

Beyond the outer ring of the planets, from somewhere within the void that filled the space between suns, an immense wave of seething darkness roiled inward. At the sight, or rather, the lack thereof afforded by the menacing wave of destruction, the planets and all that lived upon them cried in terror, all save Pluto, now already fifty thousand years dead at the hands of something similar, but altogether more terrifying. The wave plowed past Neptune, killing all life within its oceans and leaving frozen methane in its wake. At the touch of the ebon killer, the fertile plains of Uranus turned into poisonous ash and rose into the air, choking the entire population of the once mighty planet. And then it reached Saturn. The graceful arches and curves of the Obsidian Citadel shattered and split, fragments tearing apart from their base materials and whipping about as though in a cyclone.

Hotaru winced as flying debris tore into the skin along her face, arms, chest, and legs. One particularly nasty chunk sliced through her right calve like soft butter, tearing muscle away from bone, crippling her and smearing blood about the chamber on the winds of destruction. Even as Hotaru struggled to remain conscious through the mind-searing pain, she knew the end had come. The top of the Citadel shattered, allowing the beast that she had created to be clearly visible. Now Hotaru could feel the true effects of the D6 Wave upon her own body tissues. As she watched, the molecular and atomic bonds within her flesh broke. She could only watch as, starting with her hands and spreading its course like an out-of-control wildfire, her body seemingly dissolved before her eyes. The pain became so terrible that the Dark Senshi wished that the flying shrapnel had finished her off before this could happen.

But, yes, she remembered. This was the manner in which she had died during the last day of the Silver Millennium. Even as the dread wave of void energy passed on, seeking its true goal, even as Hotaru's soul departed from her the ruin of her body and the shell of her planet, she knew how many had and would perish from her summoning. Twelve billion, six hundred thirteen million, four hundred sixty-two thousand, seventy-nine.

As she recounted this, Hotaru despaired. 'How can I be of aid against this new enemy? The power I possess would destroy all life within this system. Of what use is that? Less than nothing. I am a detriment to our cause. They should simply let me die. Sephiroth is strong; he can handle whatever challenges this force can throw at him. Yes, that's it. I'll simply fade into nothing.'

And then her mind colla…

Her mind exploded with power and emotion as she found a pair of powerful hands desperately holding her arms and a pair of lips pressed hard against her own stiff lips in an urgent kiss. Her mind reeled as she opened her eyes and realized who was kissing her. It was Sephiroth.

Hotaru couldn't figure out why he was doing this and, at the moment, she didn't care. She closed her eyes again relaxed into the kiss, letting the silver-haired general massage her lips with his. Hotaru even began to return the kiss, gently moving his hands to her shoulders before she looped her hands behind his head. Chaos and energy flowed through her body as a joyous respite from the waking nightmare she had just experienced. Where once she had felt nothing but soul-shattering sorrow and despair, now she was exultant and strong. At the moment, it felt like she could do anything.

This continued for some several seconds before a voice interrupted them. "Ahem." It said; the word so drenched with derisive amusement that Hotaru could hardly believe that it came from a living creature. Hotaru wondered idly, her mind still somewhat hazy, whether the One-Winged Angel knew of any nearby cliffs it could jump off of, as Sephiroth stiffened. The pressure on her shoulders increased for a moment before he pulled himself away from her. Hotaru looked up into his eyes, wondering again why the handsome general had kissed her. And why the One-Winged Angel's interruption was enough to stop it.

At seeing his face curled in distaste and his eyes blazing with anger, she stepped away from him slightly in fear, confusion, and hurt. But it was her that was the target of his displeasure. Upon seeing the look on Hotaru's face, Sephiroth's features softened immediately. He hugged her lightly and whispered into her ear. "I am sorry if I scared you." Then the silver-haired general turned toward the One-Winged Angel, his look of derisive anger once again back in full force.

"You sorry son-of-a-bitch! Why did you do that?! You could have destroyed her soul! Why?!" Sephiroth demanded, appearing to be only about three nanoseconds from ripping his sword from its scabbard and shoving it through the demonic angel's chest.

'Destroyed my soul…? What did it do?' A vague sense of dread enveloped Hotaru.

The One-Winged Angel chuckled triumphantly, apparently having weathered Sephiroth's verbal firestorm without so much as a blister, before spearing the general with a fierce, cunning glare that contradicted the amiable smile plastered on its face. "If you had been ignorant, if you had been stupid, or if you had been false in heart or mind or spirit, you would have been the one to have caused the destruction of her soul. Hotaru is the Celestial Warrior of Darkness. Her powers are rooted in the blackest emotions of the soul: for in despair and hatred, in sorrow and contempt, in anger and fear do the powers of darkness breed. But you see, Hotaru is a human being. She cannot stand the true powers of Darkness. To even attempt to channel the purer Darkness techniques without further aid would be enough to shatter her soul."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed, his teeth tightly clenched, his eyes mere slits of glowing emerald. "I still don't see how that shifts the blame for what almost happened to me. You were the one who did that to her." His tone hardened even further, if possible, in contempt, anger, and hatred.

The demonic angel shook its head pityingly at the general's ignorance. "That is exactly it. You do not see. By your very presence, you force the Spirit of the Celestial Warrior of Darkness within Hotaru to utilize an incredibly powerful darkness technique without her conscious knowledge. You wonder why the Masamune and the Silence Glaive produce explosive death energy when they are brought into contact with each other. It is because they are both weapons of Death and Destruction. They recognize, even though you don't, the connection between you two. You, Hotaru, are the Senshi of the Dark, as well as a Soldier of Death and Destruction, whereas Sephiroth is a Soldier of Death and Destruction who does not possess the addition benefit of a celestial blessing."

"There is a special connection between Soldiers of Death and Destruction. Your weapons realized your connection and did the best they could to keep you two from killing each other. Any way they could." The One-Winged Angel smiled slightly as it continued, Sephiroth and Hotaru alternating staring at the bizarre being and at each other as they tried to digest all the information that they were getting. "You see, the Spirit of the Celestial Warrior of Darkness was trying to grant you a celestial blessing, Sephiroth, to make you into a Celestial Warrior, which is by no means a simple process to do. As a matter of fact, it's one of the most complicated techniques ever developed. Until the process is completed, every moment you spend in the same dimension with Hotaru, you threaten to fracture her soul so badly that nothing short of a Supreme Blessing could heal the fracture."

The look on Sephiroth's face was pained. "How do I prevent that? It's not like I can just leave this dimension. Neither Hotaru nor I have bodies left, remember? Even if we did, I don't have the power to cross dimensions."

The One-Winged Angel shrugged its shoulders. "Complete the ceremony to grant you the celestial blessing. That will remove the threat to Hotaru's soul. And as for the other, do you remember my offer?" At Sephiroth's slight nod, the demonic angel continued. "And do you agree?"

Sephiroth hesitated only for a moment before replying. "Yes, I agree."

"Then I will take care of that little detail, as per the agreement. Hotaru," it said, turning and addressing Hotaru, "if I act as a conduit for the dark energy of the ceremony, so that it will not destroy you, will you perform it?" At Hotaru's hesitance, the demonic angel continued speaking, trying to persuade her. "I am usually not one to push the issue, Hotaru. I'm usually the one who offers once, and if you refuse once, you've damned yourself. But this is important. If you don't do this, not only will die and your soul be shattered beyond redemption, but Sephiroth will most likely also die. Although it is possible for him to defeat the sefers, with Zack's aid, that is, without the celestial blessing, it would be folly for him to try to match the other (Sephiroth) without it. The other has years more experience in weapons and materia, as well as having absolute control of the abilities of Jenova and partial control of the abilities granted to him by Silentia."

"Without the celestial blessing, Sephiroth as you know him will vanish, and without him, your planet doesn't stand a chance. The god [Sephiroth] will not help you. He has his own problems to deal with. Phobideum is trapped within the void, where Silentia sealed him all those years ago. Zack is strong, but even he cannot hope to defeat the other (Sephiroth). Without Sephiroth, the Senshi will fall, one by one, until the Eternal Light shines black. Do you think you are unnecessary? You are needed more than you can imagine. Do you think that everyone would be better off if you, because you possess enough power to sterilize entire planets, were dead? Do not have such foolish thoughts. You see, if you condemn yourself; you also condemn the people of the Earth and the peoples of every planet in this dimension to a hell so terrible that even I shudder to think about it."

Sephiroth stepped forward; acting as though he would strike the demonic angel, but Hotaru stopped his movement with a single upraised hand. The silver haired general watched as she bowed her head in thought, raven tresses covering her amethyst eyes, hiding the pattern of her thoughts from his eyes with black silk. Sooner than one might expect, the Dark Senshi raised her head, the shine of resolve and determination in her eyes illuminating the dark sanctuary where the One-Winged Angel resided. "I'll do it."

The One-Winged Angel's grin was positively feral. "Excellent. Then if there are no objections…?" It looked at Hotaru and Sephiroth, both of which signaled for the being to continue. "Very well then. Just follow her lead, Sephiroth, and we will get started."

The three gathered into a triangle formation, the One-Winged Angel positioned in the upper point. The demonic angel reached out, placing a hand on the shoulders of both soldiers. Although Hotaru shuddered almost imperceptibly as the being touched her shoulder, the only visible reaction Sephiroth had to the tactual presence of the One-Winged Angel on his body was that his eyes became slightly colder.

Hotaru raised her hands, mysterious, spider-like words emerging from her mouth. As Sephiroth mimicked her motion, Hotaru's hands began to glow with a purplish-black fire. The fire leapt from her hands to Sephiroth's hands, leaving a trail of the coldly burning energy that seethed at the contact of the warm desert air. The One-Winged Angel stood with its head back, eyes wide open with a scream of torment etched upon its features as it processed the awesome power involved in the ceremony. Towards the center of the formation, as the trail of fire passed, it left parts of itself, forming a bulge of powerful death energy. Slowly, the bulge became a ball several feet in diameter.

After a moment, the growth of the ball of death energy stalled. Stillness seemed to dominate the barrens for a few seconds. Then, with a sudden jolt, the energy leapt forward, imbedding itself in Sephiroth's chest. Sephiroth arched his back, his eyes widening at the pain of the darkness energy that was entering him. As more and more of the death energy consumed him, his body became a shadowy black, an obsidian colored spirit warrior. When the last of Sephiroth's body had been replaced by the ebon sheen, a flash of light erupted from the center of the dark formation, blinding all within its range.

When Hotaru could see again, some minutes later, the situation had changed. The One-Winged Angel and Sephiroth were not where they were the last time she had looked. The demonic angel stood about ten feet to Hotaru's left with its arms crossed, looking rather pleased with itself. Sephiroth stood only about three feet directly behind the Senshi of Destruction, sporting a new look. When Hotaru turned around and saw the costume change that had take place as a result of the celestial blessing, she definitely had to say that she liked it.

A loose fitting outfit with white as its primary color had replaced Sephiroth's usual black trenchcoat, pants, and boots. Around the shoulders, bands of black drew the chest area tight. A short vest of black decorated his frame over the white. A belt of dark purple edged in silver cinched his waist, while a similar type of material divided his chest diagonally, starting from his belt's right side, running across his torso and meeting the black band on his left shoulder. Tight black gloves crafted with various archaic symbols and made of some leatherish material adorned his hands half of the way up his forearm. Boots made the same strange material hugged his legs, ending just above Sephiroth's kneecaps with diamond shaped kneepads. Symbols similar to those etched along his gloves coated the surface of his boots. Inside the diamond of the kneepads, a somewhat altered version of the symbol for Saturn, this one taking the right side of the symbol and replacing it sideways at the bottom of the straight line, creating the overall effect of an up-side down scythe, was emblazoned. Sephiroth's hair had been tied back and braided into a tight queue by the transformation. At seeing Sephiroth's hair bound in this somewhat ancient style, Hotaru's eyebrows raised slightly in amusement. 'At least he's not clad like the Starlights. I don't exactly know what I would do if that had happened. To die laughing or cry myself silly? Oh, decisions, decisions.

"So, you think that your new powers will be enough to stop them alone? Hmmm, it makes me wonder whether I just wasted my time and both of your lives." The demonic angel sneered, eyes glittering with power.

"They are dead." The newly created Seishi of Ruin and Rebirth answered, drawing his weapons, twin wavy-edged krises, from the air behind him. 'Those weapons must be similar to my Silence Glaive. They can appear and disappear into the ether.' Hotaru thought. After regarding the weapons with an indecipherable expression, he continued. "They just don't know it yet." Sephiroth did not smirk, Hotaru noticed, nor did he sound mocking when he made this statement. He was dead serious.

The One-Winged Angel sobered slightly, nodding. "We will see. Actually, I do not doubt your ability to defeat them. But I wonder. Can you move quickly enough to accomplish your mission objectives and still avoid that?" The creature's bloody eyes narrowed.

Sephiroth met the creature glare for glare before giving it a nasty little grin. "Trust me. I know how to get things done."

"And the other?" The demonic angel asked, a slight edge of an emotion similar to giddiness entering its tone. Sephiroth did not even speak as he reached into his new subspace pocket and brought the two materia that Zack had given him into the air before tossing them carelessly to the One-Winged Angel. The strange, dangerous being caught them automatically before nodding, apparently pleased.

"…" Sephiroth stood grimly silent for a moment before replying tightly. "It will be as we compromised. Every… single… thing as per the agreement."

"Wait a moment… what agreement?" Hotaru asked, finally voicing what had gnawed at her mind for some time. "And why did you give him your materia?"

For a moment, neither the One-Winged Angel nor Sephiroth moved. Tension crackled in the atmosphere like one of Jupiter's lightning bolts. Finally, Sephiroth answered slowly, in a low voice that was slightly tinged with resignation. "It was part trade-off, part bet. If I win, we'll both be alive and the stronger for our experiences, all only at the expense of two materia. If I lose, you'll still be alive and I… well, I'll have taken some sefers out with me. As for the materia, well, that's the trade-off part of the deal. Apparently, having a celestial blessing prevents you from using materia." He shrugged, but before Hotaru could voice a comment or complaint, the silver-haired general looked at her, his eyes unusually soft. "I chose this path, Hotaru. Had I chosen not to accept the One-Winged Angel's offer, I would be alive and you would be trapped here forever as a rouge spirit." Sephiroth's eyes sharpened, challenging Hotaru to make a counterstatement. "I will not allow that to happen to you. No one deserves to be a bound soul, especially in a place as foul as my mind."

At this, Hotaru looked down to hide the tears that suddenly formed in her eyes. 'Oh, Sephiroth. How can you think that?'

Sephiroth was forced to turn his attention away from Hotaru when the One-Winged Angel began speaking again. "I would advise you to be a bit more careful than you usually are when you confront the sefers this time. The only reason you are even getting this chance to take them on again is because of your regenerative powers. But remember that until either they die or you fall, your regenerative abilities will be locked, and in the later case, having impressive regenerative capabilities will do you no good if you are already permanently dead by the time your self-revivification kicks in."

"Wait a moment," Hotaru interrupted, ignoring the One-Winged Angel when it rolled its eyes at her interruption, "Why wouldn't Sephiroth have his healing powers? I mean, it's not like they're one of his new Celestial Warrior powers. It's not like they can be riven from him, I mean they're part of his very flesh aren't they? Why wouldn't he have his powers?"

When the demonic angel replied to Hotaru's questions, cutting off Sephiroth's own attempts to do so, some of the impatience that its face displayed bled over into its tone. It sounded like a person who hates to repeat himself once on his third go-around. "Because that's the bargain, you silly girl. Sephiroth will allow me to borrow his self-regenerative powers. I have a special talent for making powers work conversely, inversely or contrapositively. I will use these powers to regenerate Sephiroth's body. While he kills the sefers, I will use the excess energy released from the battle to regenerate your body. However, until I acquire all the energy I need to regenerate and until Sephiroth can make the return connection that will allow not only your soul to transit back to your body, but also will permit his powers to channel back into his body, he simply won't have his powers."

Hotaru was quiet, glancing at Sephiroth, before she murmured under her breath. "You did this for me?"

Sephiroth's ears, however, were so sharp that they could discern even that low sound. He turned to her for only a moment, his face melancholy, before his gaze returned to the One-Winged Angel. His eyes lit again with fury. "Enough babbling. I am rather eager to show those sefers what they get when they screw with me."

The demonic shrugged eloquently before flashing a toothy smile and stepping to Sephiroth's side. "So, you're ready, are you?"

"Absolutely."

"Perfect." With that, the One-Winged Angel used its hand to dislocate its jaw, drag it far out into a massive maw, and, with little other ceremony, promptly devoured Sephiroth, leaping forward and swallowing the silver-haired general whole.

Shocked, the Senshi of Death and Destruction could say nothing for several minutes.

"Wha… Why did you do that?" Hotaru asked breathlessly, finally recovering her voice and horrified beyond description by the sight she had just witnessed.

"It was necessary, girl… for the procedure you see." Hotaru drew back slowly in mounting horror as the One-Winged Angel began and continued to speak. "An animal consumes the flesh of another to gain vitality from the subdued body and spirit of the dead creature. It is based upon this principle that I exist. Do you wonder how Sephiroth acquired his disguise power? He does not possess an object similar to the Luna Pen that your leader uses. It was because of me. A sefer's true strength comes from the emulation of a lifeform. Blinding your eyes to the truth with my powers of illusion, I devoured that pitiful sefer when I borrowed Sephiroth's body. However, because it was Sephiroth's body but my technique, the power of the sefer, the power of emulation, remained in Sephiroth's control. The reason that Sephiroth possesses these powers is that he, all unknowingly, holds the soul of that pathetic sefer in thrall and forces it to do as he wishes. It is upon this principle that I shall revive you."

Hotaru started back when the One-Winged Angel gave a low rumbling chuckle.

"Do you know why Celestial Warriors cannot use materia? It is because materia are formed from the remnants of Lifestream energy when it reaches the surface of a planet. When part of this energy river of souls crystallizes, it forms materia. The reason that anyone who wields materia can do magic is because the souls that became that materia knew how to do magic naturally! The Gods of your world knew of this long ago and used a similar system of power concentration to make your powers. Because you, through the use of your henshin sticks, gain intuitive mastery over your magic, you are able to spend that time improving your martial or psychic skills. It's actually an excellent system for creating the perfect avatar."

"However, most of the Gods are fickle or untrusting. How do they trust those that are imbued with some of the Gods' own magical gifts not to become ambitious and destroy them? Simple. They make it so that, if a Celestial Warrior were to draw power from a source of energy that did not carry a celestial blessing, like materia, it would begin to harm them terribly until it killed them. In a similar fashion, they must keep their avatars from reaching perfection upon the mortal plane. In the throes of their perfect power, a Celestial Warrior can be as strong and as dangerous as a god. You know what I'm talking about, don't you little girl." The cruel, searching eyes of the demonic angel chilled Hotaru's soul. "Your power of perfection, your Power of Death, enables you to destroy anything: man or woman, child or adult, good or evil, flesh or stone, mortal or immortal." Hotaru shook her head; was it said couldn't be true. They had to be lies! The Gods wouldn't do that. Would they?

The One-Winged Angel cocked its head to side, like it was listening for a signal, before grinning lowly, a smile that never reached its artic eyes. "Tick, tock, Sephiroth. You are all out of time."

Hotaru felt a deep dread clench her stomach as she listened to these ominous words. The demonic angel eyed her briefly, before turning its back on her and walking away. "Good-bye, Hotaru."

The perplexed and frightened Celestial Warrior of Darkness had no time for further thought. Hands formed of death energy swarmed out of empty air; knocking her down and obscuring whatever last glance she might have stolen of the Realm of the One-Winged Angel.

For when she awoke from her dream, she was no longer there.

***********

When the Senshi finally reached the scene of the battle, there was little to give them hope. A bloody mist coated the area, interrupted by a garish purple fire that seemed to feed upon the crimson stain in the air. Hotaru and Sephiroth were nowhere to be seen, but a formation of nine sefers stood, chattering nervously to themselves until they noticed the Celestial Warriors.

"World Shaking!" Uranus called out, taking the initiative. Her attack sailed into the middle of the sefer formation and exploded. However, when the smoked clear, the doppelgangers were unfazed.

"Is that all, is that it? Pathetic! Our master was right when he said that you Senshi were weaklings! You're even weaker than those other two!" One of the odd beings cackled, swiftly raising Haruka's ire as a cold, iron hand clenched her heart.

A soft touch on her shoulder brought her back to reality. It was Zack, his face a combination of compassionate pity and cold calculation. "Don't, Haruka. In the Perfect Nine formation, we can't beat them straight out. That's what may have happened to Sephiroth and Hotaru. We have to be more subtle."

"Well, what do we do?" Michiru, stepping forward, asked.

"I've got an idea. Do you remember what Sephiroth did to you the first time you met him?" Haruka's dark frown was all the response that the ebon-haired mercenary really needed. Zack walked a few feet ahead of them, facing the triple triad of doppelgangers as both the Senshi and the sefers watched. "Both of you, fire your attacks directly at my back." He unsheathed his sword, holding it with both hands in a comfortable position, its tip facing towards the Celestial Warriors. A note of iron entered his voice. "These things are without honor. Their kind have killed many innocents before, just as they killed Hotaru and Sephiroth. Whatever must be done to destroy them, do not hesitate."

Haruka and Michiru shared a short glance before nodding. They prepared themselves for what needed to be done. In unison, they called out their attacks.

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

The two elemental attacks raced toward Zack. However, instead of impacting and exploding, destroying the ebon-haired mercenary in the process, it struck the man's sword and kept going, pushing him towards the enemy at tremendous speeds. As the energies traveled they began to lose their spherical shape, instead unraveling into bands of power that encircled the mercenary's Buster Sword. Within a few tenths of a second, Zack's weapon positively glowed in shades of golden blue. Even as he watched the sefers' faces become frightened and angry at this unexpected turn of events, Zack grinned wildly, bringing his sword over his head, and calling out the name of his new technique as he let the blow fall.

"Fury of the Typhoon Sword!"

The explosion of power and water and wind created by the attack blinded, soaked, and chilled the Senshi. As soon as they could see, they discovered that sefers had broken their formation. Zack stood ready to attack, sword in hand, whilst gauging his opponents' reactions to his attack. The sefers lay in various scattered places, their formation broken although they had sustained no serious injuries. 'That's a pity', Haruka thought dispassionately.

Zack started yelling at the Celestial Warriors. "C'mon! What are ya'? A bunch of deadbeats? I didn't break their barrier so that you could lolly-gag around! Hurry up and attack!" With that, the ebon-haired mercenary used his sword to deflect a thrown kunai and chain composed of azure power. However, even deflected, the powerful weapon turned in mid-flight, writhing like an adder, wrapping itself around the blade of Zack's weapon and tugging. Zack struggled to keep his Buster Sword directly in hand.

The mercenary's deliverance came when Pluto was the first to respond to his plea/command, and was swiftly followed by several of the other Senshi.

"Dead Wail!"

"Oak Evolution!"

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

"Aqua Rhapsody!"

The attacks shattered the energy weapon, freeing Zack's Buster Sword. Seeing this, the sefers, especially the one who had lost its weapon, drew back in concern for their own well being, before gathering the last scraps of courage within them to face the Celestial Warriors in preparation for battle. Tension crackled as divine warrior and parasitic demon alike began to charge their attacks for a true start to the festivities.

The celebration began early when a purplish-black fire erupted from nowhere and sent three sefers flying. The fire grew stronger, feeding on an unseen fuel source, until a solid pillar of amethyst flames was formed. Within the dark flame, a deeper shadow could be seen, growing blacker and more distinct by the moment.

Haruka held her breath for a moment, examining the flame. A small trace of the purple fire that had remained… how had that formed this mighty fountain of power? The power inherent to the dark flame left Haruka with a vague, queasy feeling in her stomach, a feeling not entirely dissimilar from what she felt whenever she thought of the D6 Wave. Whatever was coming through, it had an immense dark aura surrounding it, an aura strong enough to kill ordinary humans with mere twinges of thought. It worried her. Maybe that was what happened to Hotaru and Sephiroth. Whatever was coming through the pillar of dark energy had defeated them and dragged them off to… Haruka made herself ignore such dark thinking and focus on the matter at hand.

The figure in the flames was coming out.

Attired in white, black, and a deep purple, the figure extruded an air of confidence and power that promised his mastery over whatever subject came to hand, whether it be combat or charismatic conversation. His bound silver hair and handsome, tanned face looked familiar, but the Celestial Warrior of Air and Earth could not place him…

"Hey, Sephiroth! Nice of you to join the party!" Zack called, his eyes excited and not at all surprised.

…until Zack said that. With the recognition, the glamour over the new arrival lost its effect over the Celestial Warriors, allowing them to see beyond the magical mask. Sephiroth, clad in the ancient garb of a male Soldier of Ruin and Rebirth, complete with the ancient symbol for Saturn, stood facing the sefers. He was poised for combat, body tensed as though in preparation for a pounce, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

But a question still screamed in Haruka's mind: 'Where is Hotaru?'

Sephiroth, his voice cold and calm, finally broke his silence. "I'm on a limited time schedule, gentlemen, so if you'll just step up, I'll kill you in short order." Smiling shortly at the sefers' shocked glances, some for his statement, most for him actually being alive, Sephiroth leapt far up and out for his first attack.

In mid-jump, Sephiroth gathered strength and formed a green pulsating orb of energy. With a small grunt of effort, he aimed and released the attack, calling: "Poisonous Miasma!"

The orb of poisonous energy erupted in the middle of the sefer formation, forming its namesake atmosphere of thick, polluted air. Several of the sefers cried in pain. Apparently, the nature of the orb's poison caused crippling pain on contact. Then, Sephiroth did something that Haruka did not expect. Summoning twin wavy-edged daggers, Haruka's mind on some level recognized the weapons as Carvers of Ruin, from the air, Sephiroth cut his jump and dived straight into his own poison cloud.

Haruka vaguely wondered whether Sephiroth was insane before her mind, again, on some deep level of consciousness, realized that Sephiroth's poison couldn't hurt him. The poison was of a similar nature to Mercury's Shabon Spray. The magic was fairly intelligent, recognizing a celestial blessing and granting 'safe passage' to those who had it. The rest were just SOL. Then Haruka ran those words through her mind again. 'Wait a minute. Something doesn't add up.'

The sounds of pain intensified as Sephiroth began to battle inside his poison miasma. "Oh, so you don't like that, do you? Try some of this! Phantom Blades!" The body of a sefer tumbled out of the greenish mist. A second later, its head sailed after it. When they had both escaped the celestial miasma, the two parts of the sefer exploded into dust. 'That's something you don't see everyday.' Haruka thought, a single eyebrow rising.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Usagi asked Zack, an element of worry and certain note of awestruck horror in her voice.

The ebon-haired mercenary chuckled. "Does it look like he needs our help right now? If you're eager to get into a fight, just wait. You'll have more of them than you can stomach. For right now, let Sephiroth do the work. He's far more than those ignorant sefers could ever hope to handle." He chuckled again.

"I know he's strong, hell, I'm still feeling the effects of his strength, but how did he become so powerful? Last time, a single sefer took him, no problem. Now, he's tangoing with nine of them and it looks like he's winning hands down. How'd he get so strong in such a short amount of time?" Makoto asked, rubbing her side as though remembering her short flight during the last battle, courtesy of Sephiroth.

"I don't know exactly how he managed to get it, but it's definitely got to be the celestial blessing that he's got now. There are no other ways to advance your strength that quickly." Zack answered, the sudden glint in his eyes suggesting that he had just thought of something that troubled him.

A cry of pain, this time from Sephiroth, startled the Senshi. It was all the warning that they had before the silver-haired soldier was knocked out of the miasmatic cloud, a long whip gleaming with bluish energy attached to his left arm, which was now bleeding. A sefer ran out of the greenish fog even as it dissipated, the marks of the Sephiroth's blades gouging several wounds along his chest and arms. "I'll make you pay for that." The doppelganger growled, spitting salvia and blood at the ground at Sephiroth's feet.

The silver-haired general grimaced, and then gave a cocky grin despite the pain of his broken arm. He shook his silver-maned hair at the sefer. "Stupid, as always. You're the one who will die. As a matter of fact, you're already dead." Even as the doppelganger hissed in displeasure, appearing ready to charge at Sephiroth, the soldier brought his good arm, the right one, up with one his weapons in hand. He twirled the weapon along the handle in a three-sixty motion, appraising the dagger with a critical, yet appreciative eye. "These weapons, the Carvers of Ruin, are pieces of pure art. Made to handle and amplify the mostly corrosive powers of a male Celestial Warrior of Ruin and Rebirth, they are an excellent blend of offense, defense, and speed. They are also coated with a substance quite similar, but far more powerful in nature, to the poisonous miasma that I created. I give you maybe three more seconds before you start feeling it."

Even as the Seishi spoke, the sefer halted its forward motion, a look of horror and pain enveloping it. It convulsed once, then twice, its face darkening as the poison began its true work. It fell upon its knees, doubled up in torment and whispered lowly. "Why…?"

Sephiroth was unapologetic, almost cruel. "It was part of a deal. You killed Hotaru and me. If I come back and kill all of you, she gets to come back too. Considering your actions towards us and your own comrades," Sephiroth's eyes became colder, "I considered it to be a fair deal."

The sefer coughed as its body began to collapse inward. It gave a little smile and in a voice so kind, so human that Sephiroth looked almost sorry he had to kill it, said, "Maybe so…" With those last words, the sefer died. However, instead of turning to dust as the other doppelgangers did, his body turned into sparkles of silver and white that floated gently towards the heavens. Something about the atmosphere of the scene reminded Haruka of a story Usagi had once told her. It was about how the Negaverse general Nephrite had died protecting Naru. She said that his body had turned into sparkles of green and gold. She wondered if Nephrite's body had looked anything like the sefer's in death.

Sephiroth ran back to the remains of the dark flame from which he had emerged. He screamed at the flames as he stuck his hand into it, "It's done!"

The flames, as though in response, grew tall and wickedly bright in their blackness, forcing Sephiroth to stand back. A figure, more petite than Sephiroth, began to materialize. The silver-haired general gathered strength again and braved the terrible fire once more, pulling the person from the infernal driven flames. As the figure was dragged fully clear from the now fading dark flames, Haruka was able to recognize her instantly. It was Hotaru, clad in her Senshi uniform. She also noticed that Sephiroth now looked horribly tired and drained, not just physically, but as though some great burden was now upon him.

When Sephiroth brought her a fair distance from where the black flames had been, he set her gently upon the ground. The Senshi gathered close, jabbering questions left and right. Zack stood off to the side, a critical gaze now scanning the pair, Haruka noted in a detached way. She was too concerned with Hotaru's state and was now becoming annoyed with the way Sephiroth was trying to wave them away.

"Don't wake her." Sephiroth implored, a note in his tone blazing with fear, but it was too late. Hotaru, disturbed by all the noise, stirred and awoke, eyes fluttering. After only a moment, Hotaru looked around and then to the silver-haired general. "Sephiroth?" Hotaru asked, tone hopeful.

"I'm sorry Hotaru. I wasn't fast enough." Sephiroth looked at Hotaru with his eyes blazing with a sorrow so great that even Haruka's stomach twisted in dread of what could have caused it. "I was too slow, too unskilled in the fight. But, at least you're safe." A small amount of calm entered his visage.

"Sephiroth… what are you talking about?" Hotaru asked, a frenzied worry evident in her manner.

Sephiroth tried to speak, but a shock of pain coursing through his body cut him off. The cause of this disturbance quickly became apparent though, when a short bar of azure energy flowed through Sephiroth's chest, drilling a hole quite similar to the one caused by the first sefer. Sephiroth stumbled back, eyes glazed over in pain and shock. Even as the Senshi tried to rush forward and help him, however, his right arm, from knuckles to the shoulder, erupted in a sheet of flame. The fires did not last long, but they severely damaged his right arm. Thin sheets of charcoal laced with blood and the sickening odor of cooked muscle and burnt flesh hung in the air. If he lived, he probably would never be able to use that arm properly as a weapon arm again. It would be too stiff, too wasted, and too dead.

Almost belated, Sephiroth murmured, pain heavy in his voice, "This…" The silver-haired general fell backward, unconscious and now in the critical phase of bleeding to death.

Usagi, Hotaru, Ami, and Zack leapt forward, using all the healing powers that they had at their disposal, Zack's were quite impressive, to try to keep the soldier alive.

Hotaru kept crying at Sephiroth not to die, sobbing even as she drained a portion of her life force to try to heal him. Haruka was concerned over Sephiroth's condition, sure, but she could not understand why her adoptive daughter was acting like this. It was like she was losing her best friend. All she could conjecture was that something, perhaps something relating to Sephiroth's new celestial blessing, had happened in that black and purple darkness from which Sephiroth and Hotaru had re-emerged.

All the time he worked, Zack muttered something to himself. As hard as she tried and as distracted as she was, all Haruka could make sense of from the low, frenzied mutterings of Zack was this: "You never should have trusted that bastard."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Setsuna waited outside the bedroom, leaning against the wall. Zack had entered the room to look after Sephiroth, forbidding all but Hotaru to enter. There was some aspect about Zack's eyes when he said those words that made them obey. When he wanted to be, the ebon-haired mercenary could be positively frightening.

Seven hours had elapsed since then and the Senshi had spent most of it talking about what to do now. Two hours ago, with the darkness of the night had become full, the rest of the Senshi had gone home. Hotaru had refused to leave that room and getting Haruka to go home and get some rest had been a miracle, accomplished by the persuasive powers of Michiru, Usagi, Ami, Rei, and Setsuna and then only when the Guardian of Time had sworn to wait up at Rei's temple until Hotaru was ready to leave. Even Rei had retired for the evening half an hour ago, leaving directions for Setsuna on how to find the pillows and blankets in the event that she needed to stay the night.

Setsuna nodded, feeling somewhat sleepy and sore from standing here so long, thinking that those directions may have been necessary. If Hotaru didn't leave that bedroom within the next few minutes, then she would need to stay the night. She started, however, when the door to the room slid open and Zack emerged, looking around quickly before quietly closing the door with a soft snick.

"How are they?" Setsuna asked in a whisper, walking with Zack away from the room.

"They'll be fine. Hotaru's pretty tired and more than a little stressed after worrying over him for that long. A little sleep should go a long way. As for Sephiroth, well, he still needs time for his body to recover all the energy he lost when he sustained those injuries." The ebon-haired mercenary answered, nodding slightly.

"That's what I don't understand." Setsuna grabbed Zack's arm, bringing him to stop and letting his eyes focus on her. Although she felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze, a most unusual feeling for her, she continued. "Where did those injuries come from? And… also, why didn't Sephiroth just heal himself? Sephiroth's healing powers should have thrown off those wounds like they were nothing. Yet they didn't. They didn't do a thing. Why?"

Zack sighed. "As far as I can tell, Sephiroth doesn't have his healing powers anymore. Apparently, in order to revive Hotaru, Sephiroth gave up his those abilities. As for why he suddenly got those wounds, it seems to be some type of accelerated regressive time damage curse. Any wounds that he's taken over the course of his life will come back to haunt him. It doesn't affect him in real time, either. For every second that passes here, about one to two minutes is counted back, according to the curse." He shook his head.

Setsuna was silent for a moment. "What happens when the curse hits his birth? What happens then?"

The ebon-haired mercenary stood dourly before he spoke, his voice grim. "I don't know. But probably nothing good."

They began to walk again for a few minutes before Setsuna broke the silence. "Why did he do it then? If he knew what the result would be, why did he agree to the bargain to save Hotaru?"

Zack turned to the Guardian of Time, looking directly into her eyes, again unnerving her. "Isn't it obvious?"

Setsuna shook her emerald-maned head shortly, trying to avoid the mercenary's piercing gaze.

Zack smiled. "It's because he is in love with her." Setsuna's eyes widened in shock at Zack's statement. The thought seemed almost foreign to her. Sephiroth had just met Hotaru. How could he be in love with her? And more importantly: did Hotaru feel anything towards him? Zack chuckled lightly, drawing Setsuna from her thoughts.

"I know what you're thinking and trust me: Sephiroth is in love with Hotaru and that is a thing to be glad for. I know the Sephiroths. They are stubborn and taciturn, but they are loyal to a fault. If you manage to win either their loyalty or their love, they will follow you to World's End. Why do you think that Jenova sought him, aside from his skills? It is because he will do anything for the ones that he loves, be it destroy the world or die in their defense."

Setsuna just nodded, absorbing this knowledge and guiding Zack all the while towards a spare guestroom. She opened the door and turned to Zack. "Rei said that you and Sephiroth can stay at her temple until this whole conflict is over."

As she started to move away, to let him into the bedroom so that she could go into the living room to go to sleep, he grabbed her by the arm. "Where are you going?" He asked, as though she were doing something silly.

"I'm just going to the living room so that I can go to sleep." Setsuna replied, trying to match him stare for stare and not really succeeding.

Zack snorted. "Don't be foolish. Go into the bedroom and take the bed. You haven't slept in nearly three days. You need a bed and a good rest far more than I do."

Setsuna, needless to say, was more than a little surprised. "But, where are going to sleep? And… how did you know that. About how I haven't been sleeping?"

The mercenary shrugged and raised his right hand, as though swearing a solemn oath. "I'll just sleep on the floor in the room. I swear to the Omniscient on the Book of the Cetra that I won't try anything funny. Is that okay?" Setsuna nodded, looking slightly dazed.

"Good. Tell you what…you can go into the room and change while I go get my blankets and stuff. I'll change on my way to get them. That way, there won't be any embarrassing incidents." The ebon-haired mercenary began to turn away when the Senshi of Time, partially startled out of her daze, grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "You still haven't answered my other question. How did you know that I haven't been sleeping?"

At this, Zack smiled. It wasn't his usual grin, cocky and full of mischievous humor. It was warm and bright. It was the type of smile that made you trust a person. "It's my job to protect you, Setsuna. At all times, from all dangers, be they external or internal. I don't know why, I don't know what for. If you want to know the answers to those questions, you'll have to ask Phobideum. All you need to know is this, Setsuna. I will protect you at all costs and make sure nothing harms you. Do you understand?"

Setsuna nodded, a faint flush rushing into her cheeks. It was hardly the answer she expected. It almost sounded like one of her fantasies as a young girl. A handsome, strong man who would protect her from all the terrors the night had to offer. Is this what Hotaru felt when she thought of Sephiroth, although he probably had never said anything similar to what Zack had just said to her. If so, then Setsuna was happy for her. She shook herself, telling herself that she was acting like some silly little girl, watching the mercenary go around a corner, before she went into the room, preparing for bed.

Having finished changed, she crawled into the bed, facing away from the door and closing her eyes. But she could not go to sleep. Her nerves, for some reason, highly strung, would not let her go to sleep.

She listened as the soft swaaatss indicated that Zack was opening the door and stepping inside the room. He seemed to make no noise, in and of himself, being as silent as the moon shining on the water. She heard a soft snuk, tut, put as he tried to close the stubborn door. She heard him as he threw the pillow on the ground with a light puft, the almost silent suf-tsss of him ruffling the blankets.

"Night." Zack said finally, laying down and turning over on the floor, tangling himself in his blankets.

A few minutes later, Setsuna said, "Zack?"

A moment of silence, then he responded, "Yeah?"

"Are you sure that's wise, leaving them in there together? How can you be sure that nothing will happen?" Setsuna asked, her thoughts rising somewhat more carefree to the surface.

Zack replied, a note of wry humor in his voice. "Wise? As long as Haruka never finds out about it, of course it's wise. As for the other, nothing's going to happen tonight. Sephiroth will be lucky if he wakes up day after tomorrow with all the wounds he's got and Hotaru doesn't strike me as type who likes to play 'Ride the Sleeping Stallion.'"

He might have said more, but Setsuna's spare pillow hit him in the head.

"Ow! What'd I say?"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

In a portion of Sephiroth's mind where even the mighty One-Winged Angel feared to tread, the Chamber of Mind's Deception, the silver haired general dreamed. It was a strange, unnerving dream, a dream of half-connected images and sounds, seemingly without a real meaning.

An old truck on its last legs.

A babe's scream.

Turks dressed in blue and scientists dressed in white.

And a single gunshot.

Upon waking, all Sephiroth could really remember of this dream was all he really needed to know. A voice, raspy yet mild, with an ethereal quality to it, spoke: 'The utmost limit of your remaining days to this realm is confined by the scope of the Child of Light. Its birth shall bring you death. May the path through knowledge bring us to the true Sovereign. May the Messiah stand tall and the Silence shake. Thus is The Will Of The Gods.'

*************

In the barren darkness of Sephiroth's mind, the One-Winged Angel brooded. The meeting with the two Celestial Warriors of Darkness had enlightened it, and perplexed it, almost as much as it had enlightened and disturbed the two soldiers. One thing ran through it infinite mind over and over again as it pondered the way those two had acted around each other and what its powers had shown it about the Dark Senshi's soul. The darkness within their souls had drawn them to each other, but deeper still, a light shown in the void of their souls, a sparkle altogether as strong and resilient as a human spirit, yet far different. The sparkle held an odd light, odd, but familiar in an incomprehensible way.

The familiarity tugged at the demonic angel's mind, taunting it to use the knowledge and wisdom of a hundred millennia to recall a simple sensation. The One-Winged Angel bent all of its power to remembering. Days passed in the void, but still the being of the void persevered, letting the knowledge come to it slowly. The demonic angel felt tinges of pain coming from Sephiroth, but shrugged them off, thinking that Haruka was beating the shit out of Sephiroth over something concerning Hotaru, nothing more serious. Suddenly, realization came to it in a flash. 'But Soldiers of Destruction and Desolation were not supposed to have that in their souls!' The One-Winged Angel thought, almost panicked. As a matter of fact, no Celestial Warrior was supposed to be able to hold that within their souls! No Celestial Warrior since the… the… 'It's impossible, impossible! The last one of those died shortly after the gods were brought into being!' It was a long time afterward before the being's thoughts resembled anything resembling coherence.

In that interval, a rustling and a cracking could be heard from the Chamber of Mind's Deception. A mighty bolt of ebon lightning, of a type so far alien from the sky of Sephiroth's mind that the heavens roared in protest to having to bear its presence, twisted through the labyrinthine nature of the demonic soul prison. It reached the center chamber of the complex, striking and shattering one of the three sacred seals that held a mighty demon behind it. Through the hole, a crimson energy flowed like a river of blood, reassembling its form once it was fully clear of the remnants of the seal.

The One-Winged Angel, in its catatonic state, did not detect the ominous occurrence.

The demonic angel finally forced its thoughts away from the disturbing revelation and tried to objectively analyze its meeting with the two. As it thought about the encounter, it realized an error that Hotaru had made. 'She never realized that when Sephiroth makes the barrens grow with the light of his eyes, it is only because she sees it. Otherwise, it has no power.' The One-Winged Angel shook its head sadly.

It heard a shuffling sound, almost like the steps of a beast, behind it. Spinning around quickly in terror of a secret dread, it found the object of that terror in full sight. A claw swipe sent the demonic angel to the ground in grievous pain. As the darkness threatened to steal its sight, the One-Winged could only lament its failure as guardian of the Chamber of Mind's Deception. 'I should have realized it. The transfer of Darkness energy that gave him the celestial blessing also weakened the sacred seals that bound them. Now he is loose.'

The One-Winged Angel groaned in pain and despair.

Things couldn't get worse. As a matter of fact, the only bright spot that the demonic angel could think of in the whole mess was that the other two hadn't awakened…

*************** ***************** **************

Next Chapter - The Three Meet: Running Amok