#when i asked what weapons he ends up wielding it was uhh. not all innocent curiosity!

[crowned-ladybug]

With weathered wings and broken bones A flight for the fallen flies the crow

@riftwalker-limbro's fashionable math problem Vince here to kick some ass and love his fiancée and unfortunately one of those is maybe currently not available

[etlunainmorte]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

***

“Lo, a shadow of horror is risen,

In eternity! Unknown, unprolific!

Self - closed, all - repelling:

What Demon hath form’d this abominable void,

This soul - shudd'ring vacuum?

Some said ‘It is Urizen’, but unknown, abstracted,

Brooding secret, the dark power hid.”

“Vergil, are you sure you want me to read this?” The girl asked the little boy one fine morning in the beautiful garden. “We’ve read this lots of times.”

The little boy looked up with pure, innocent eyes. “It is Urizen! Urizen!”

“I know, I know,…” Galatea answered, helpless in front of the sweet child. “Okay, I’ll read it for you. But, you have to listen while I read about the Little Lamb! Or the Tyger, or,…”

“URIZEN!”

The girl sighed and opened the book once more.

“Times and times he divided, and measur’d,

Space by space in his ninefold darkness

Unseen, unknown! Changes appear’d

In his desolate mountains rifted furious

By the black winds of perturbation.”

“Gala - te - a!” The child cried as he ran to her.

“What happened? Why are you crying?”

“Dante kicked me in the face!”

Galatea wrapped her arms around the boy and rubbed his back. “Sshh, it’s okay. I’m here now. I’m here. I will protect you,…”

“For he strove in battles dire

In unseen conflictions with shapes

Bred from his forsaken wilderness,

Of beast, bird, fish, serpent, and element

Combustion, blast, vapour, and cloud.”

“Vergil! Where are you? Vergil!” Galatea called as she desperately looked for the boy.

But, instead, she found her mother lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Her own blood.

“Mama! Mama,…” The girl uttered in shock, unable to believe that such a thing would happen to her.

The woman smiled at her, her eyes glistening with tears. “Please, find him and save him before it’s too late! Protect him at all cost. Save him from his death!” She begged you once more. “I’ am so sorry, my dear. Fulfill my wish, I beg you,… Galatea,… ”

The girl reached out a hand but, she was too late,…

“MAMA!”

“SAVE HIM! FULFILL,… MY LAST REQUEST!”

“Your wish,… is our command,…”

***

XX

***

You walked aimlessly around, wanting your enemies to find you. You waited for something to happen, anything at all, as you traversed that lonely and dangerous road.

Your heart filled with heavy and conflicting emotions, your eyes red with tears that silently fell non - stop, your head burdened with all the visions of the near future, you moved on, waiting for something else to happen.

Deep inside your heavy heart, you still longed for a sliver of hope, no matter how small,…

… you want to find him and tell him everything,…

But, it seemed that the man, himself, did not want to be found.

Or, did he?

V was observing you with keen, wary eyes as you aimlessly walked around. Like you, he was waiting for something to happen, anything at all, no matter how small.

But, unlike you, he was not longing for any kind of hope.

He was looking for one last proof to end all your lies.

There was nothing in his mind but your complete and utter destruction. So much so that he spied on you for four days without you knowing it. He had seen how you fight, how you moved, how you finished your enemies but, he knew that you have not revealed your true colors just yet.

And for that, something huge must happen - a larger, much stronger enemy. The type for you to use your true potential with.

And, it seemed that he didn’t have to wait for too long,…

You looked up, your eyes wide with anticipation. You felt and heard some movement, and surely enough, a group of scythe - wielding Demons appeared before you.

Three, six, twelve, eighteen, twenty - four of the same demonic species appeared, overwhelming you with their numbers.

V concealed himself quickly, not wanting to waste his energy by helping you. He watched you as you drew your rapier and shield in the form of a bow and a violin. You made your first move but, he saw it was too reckless. You managed to evade the first attack but, the second one landed a strong, direct hit right on your mid - section. The scythe - like arm of the Demon then extended, carrying you with it, and pinned you to a wall.

The poet resisted to help you still, watching as the Hell Judeca plunged its weapon deeper within you. He knew deep within his being that you would unleash your true power any moment now.

However, something truly weird, and yet, expected, happened. The moment the wind blew and your blood dripped on the ground beneath you, a strong scent of fresh flowers wafted through the air, confusing the enemies and making them freeze.

As soon as the strong scent reached V, he covered his nose in an effort to protect himself. Your alluring scent has never attacked him this effectively before, and it took all his strength and effort to prevent himself from going directly to you.

But, not the same could be said about the Demons around you.

To V’s utter surprise, he saw how the Demons kneeled in front of you, like you have just become their master.

His eyes widened in shock and his hand dropped from his nose and mouth.

It was all true. Fleminger was right, all along. You’re the Dreadnought!

On the other hand, you were so confused as to what just occurred before your very own eyes. The fearful Demons, which considered ending your life a bit earlier, all started worshipping you like you were their queen.

You looked down from your wound and realized it must have been your blood that drew them to you.

All of a sudden, an idea struck your head.

Despite your wounded state, you drew your weapon and started attacking the Hell Judeca that wounded you. It didn’t even flinch as you pushed the bow deep within its heart. The other Demons didn’t even react as it fell lifeless on the ground before you. They remained rooted to the earth, mesmerized by the mere sight and scent of you.

V watched intently as you finished the Demons one by one, none of which were doing anything to protect themselves. And as you were about to kill the last Hell Judeca, something roared not far from where you were, and a few moments later, a larger, much fiercer enemy came running towards you like a raging bull.

You tried to jump away but, your rapid blood loss was hindering your movements. Just as you were about to get mauled to your death, a dark being in the form of a volley of spikes rose in front of you, fully stopping the Demon and making it stagger.

With your blurry sight, you saw V as he landed gracefully in front of you, commanding both Shadow and Griffon to attack the enemy. And when it could no longer move from the series of hits it received from his demonic familiars, he plunged his metal cane deep within its flesh, finally putting an end to it.

Bloody and tired, V turned and looked at your pitiful form, looking cold and uncaring. Despite that look of his, he went directly towards you and caught you as you were about to collapse.

“V - v,…” you stuttered as you felt numbness taking over your whole body.

The man didn’t say anything. Instead, he lifted you effortlessly and carried you to who knows where,…

*

The next time you opened your eyes, you found yourself staring at the ceiling of Nico’s trailer. You slowly and carefully sat up straight, feeling the thick bandage wrapped around your stomach, and looked around.

Despite your glum mood, the sunny and cheerful weather outside greeted you as you made your way to the dashboard. You saw the time and date and sighed.

June 15, 6:45

It was the expected date of the Dreadnought’s arrival.

And then, one thought came to mind - V.

Well, you still kind of promised to Nico that you would confess.

You had to do it. You had no idea how long you would last, so, it’s all, or nothing. After all, you’re about to face the Dreadnought in a few hours. You had to really do it, before anything bad befall you.

And you must say it now, before,…

You saw him there, standing outside of the van, calmly reading his beloved William Blake anthology. He was alone, and it was a perfect timing.

You inhaled deeply, actually expecting for the worse. Even despite your friend Nico’s reassurance that everything would turn out fine, you just could not shake off the foreboding feeling that this insane idea would end up with disastrous results.

But, then, you’re here with him now. There’s no use turning back.

V saw you in his peripheral vision as you made your way towards him.

Hiding his sigh, he asked in a polite and well - mannered way, “How can I help you?”

“I, uhh,…” You stuttered. “I wanted to tell you something.”

“Go on.” V answered, intentionally making himself uninterested in this conversation.

“I just wanted to say,… uhh,… thank you. For saving me earlier.”

“I always come when I can to help those in need.” He lied, for he didn’t want to save others, at all. Especially you.

He just wanted to be the one who would finish you.

Your chest felt heavier, your breathing more labored. Your lips trembled as you tried to say the words,…

“You are such a good person, and I,… I really like you,… for that,…”

And why was he not surprised? Of course! You’re a deceiver! And now, it looked as though you’re doing everything you can to win him for one last time.

But, it’s never going to work. V was dead set on his goal.

You took what courage and little confidence you had left and decided to pour everything out of your bursting chest.

“What I mean to say is, I really, really like you, V. I just thought I should let you know before,…” There! You finally said the words. But, before you could even begin to say the word 'Dreadnought’, he looked up from his book with a smile on his lips.

He left his spot and went slowly towards you, swinging his cane playfully.

At last! That smile! You missed his smile so much. You just ached to see it once more,…

“Those words you just uttered, were you certain about them?” He asked you, that strange smile still on his lips.

Your heart suddenly became heavier as nerves took over your whole system. Something was really wrong about V and how he smiled at you.

It didn’t look,… genuinely happy.

“Sorry?”

He just chuckled, like he was making fun of a child.

“Those feelings you have for me, I’m afraid we do not share them mutually.” He simply said without any difficulty.

He is,… breaking my heart?!

“I see. Well, I just wanted you to know - ”

“But, that was not enough for you, yes?” Using his cane, he made you look up to him, propping your chin up to properly meet his piercing gaze. “You said I’m a good person, if I got it correctly.”

“Y - yes.”

“Then, I do feel obliged to tell you that I’ am not the person you seem to know. I’ am neither a good person, nor a hero you consider. In fact, I’ am the villain of your story.”

I’ am the villain of your story,…

You heard that same line again from one of your unwanted visions,…

But, this time, it’s for real,…

“V?” You said helplessly, confusion and sadness taking over.

“And I, may I add, only helped you because you seem so,… useless. Why would you even take up this massive commission in the first place? You are not as half as strong as the weakest Devil Hunter here to begin with. You are just a weak human who relies on others for survival.”

“I,… ” You felt the tears wanting to pour out once more, feeling this endless torture wanting to break you until you could no longer retaliate.

It hurts,…

V, I’m doing this for you! What I’ve been doing for ten years, I’m doing it all for you!

And he surely didn’t know your own reason for doing all of those, even though the pain you felt hiding all those things kept on piling up, higher and higher, until you could no longer contain the sadness.

Until you could no longer contain the tears of frustration and heartbreak.

And he didn’t stop there despite seeing the tears in your eyes.

It seemed like breaking your heart was not enough.

Oh, my, V thought sarcastically. How genuine that is. What a great actress! This girl deserves an award! What would it be? Shadow’s scratches? Too easy. Griffon’s thunder? He would refuse to do it.

This cane? Hmm, a slow and painful death. I like it.

“You would only become a burden. I suggest you leave this place even before the first signs of the enemy.” He said, letting your chin go as he gave his final warning to you. He was about to walk away when he heard you call his name.

“I will not be a burden, V!” You helplessly said to him, tears streaming down your face. “I have to face this battle, please!”

“Apparently,” V said in a threatening voice as he turned back to look at you. He strode towards you like a predator, and you had to step back in fear of what he might do to you. “You are not only useless, but an imbecile, as well. If I were you, I would gladly take this chance to leave in order to spare my own life. Take it from me, it is better to run away.”

You could not say any more words to him. He completely broke you, and now, you just stood there, shocked, and a complete whimpering mess. He brought the tip of his cane down as forcefully as he could, summoning Shadow in the process as some of his tattoos vanished from his pale skin.

You looked as the great, dark Demon growled at you, something that made you even more heartbroken, for the huge cat, for some reason, used to purr quite loudly and shamelessly whenever you scratch her chin and ears as she laid down beside you.

“Now, we do not want bloodshed here so early on in the game. Leave. Now.” He warned for the very last time.

You had no choice but to turn away. From the Dreadnought. From your purpose.

From the man you have grown to love despite everything.

And as V made his way towards the north where the largest Demon awaited, he felt a strange kind of pain crawling underneath his skin. He looked at his hand,…

… and noticed that it was crumbling,…

V’s eyes widened in fear. He closed them, wanting to chase the hallucination away. He opened them once more and glanced at his hand,…

… it looked normal.

Griffon materialized and faced him.

“You,…” the demonic bird began. “YOU HAVE GONE DOWN TOO DEEP FOR ME TO SAVE YA!”

The poet only chuckled. “For what purpose must you save me, pray tell?”

“I’m sorry, V.” Griffon answered mournfully. “I’M BREAKING OUR CONTRACT! YOU’RE NO LONGER THE STICK SHAKESPEARE NOODLE I USED TO KNOW! YOU’VE BECOME DIFFERENT! YOU - ”

“By all means, go.” V chuckled, not caring in the least for his very first companion. “But, I do hope you are aware what will happen to you if you break the contract,…”

“I DON’T CARE! YOU’VE GONE FAR ENOUGH!” Griffon yelled, his golden eyes glistening with unspeakable pain. “YOU JUST HURT THE WOMAN WHO - ”

“Wanted to use me like a whore. Is that it?” V finished for him, his eyes and facial expression alike getting darker and more evil.

“FFFUUUCCCKKK YYYOOOUUU!” Griffon shrieked angrily as he flew up high, summoning all his powers to attack his former master.

But, he couldn’t,…

Despite everything, Griffon respected V. He knew he was only brainwashed by that Fleminger guy. And he needed someone to wake him up.

Griffon needed you to wake him up.

He withdrew his attack and calmed down. This made V cover his face and show a sick kind of psychotic mirth.

“Hahaha. Hahaha! HAHAHA! You make me laugh,…”

“You’re not worth it,…” The demonic bird quietly said, letting V laugh it off, and finally left him, breaking their contract once and for all.

And he sure wasn’t joking about it. V noticed how some of his tattoos vanished,…

Meanwhile, back in the trailer,…

“Hey, hey, sshh, it’s okay,…” Nico gently whispered to you as you let it all out on her.

You have been crying non - stop since V rejected you, and you didn’t care in the least how you looked.

If it was written that he must murder you in order for him to survive, it won’t hurt as much if he only had the same level of emotions for you!

But, no!

Again, you were wrong!

How stupid of you!

He already stabbed your heart, and fuck! It hurts!

It hurts so fucking much!

“I’ll go.” You told Nico. “I still,… h - have to g - go,…”

“Ya sure about this? You would surely not make it outta there alive. Not for gettin’ smacked by Demons.” Nico, who only recently found out about your fate, told you.

You looked up from the towel that Nico offered you to wipe your tears with.

“I know. I have accepted that ever since I decided to join. Nico, I know my fate, and I embrace it.”

“You know your fate but, not the dying bit, huh? That’s a bitchy move by your entities right there!”

“I don’t know. They must have a reason for keeping it from me until now.”

Your friend sighed.

“Still can’t tell him?”

“No. He doesn’t have to know.”

You glanced out of the window to see the massive thing floating in the sky towards the deserted city. You were sure that the others were already dealing with it as of the moment.

That must be the Dreadnought, then.

You sighed, inhaled deeply and exhaled almost angrily. You wiped your tears with the drenched towel one last time and madly slammed it on the table near you. You stood up, rubbed your nose with your arm in a very unlady - like fashion, took your weapons, and angrily faced the radio.

“Why does my heart go on beating?

Why do these eyes of mine cry?

Don’t they know it’s the end of the world?

It ended when you said goodbye.”

“TURN THAT FUCKING THING OFF!”

“ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!” Nico obliged as she did so hastily.

“Could you play something more upbeat for a change?!” You asked bravely, ready to face your own death. “Like, with no heartbreaks, or rejections, or douchebags, or what the fucking ever?!”

Nico gasped in fright. “Wow! Sailor - mouth Nero sure made an impact to you, huh, hon?”

“Just fucking do it!”

“Alright! Alright!” The freckled woman said and slammed the jukebox button on. “How about this?!”

Nico nodded. You have become angsty and mad, and at least that’s better than you moping around, tending to your broken heart.

“I’ll go, just like the usual.”

“Alone?” Nico asked.

“And after the boys.” You said with utter resolution. V may have rejected your feelings, but he would not dare reject your permanent, once in a lifetime offer of an insurance policy, and you damn well know it.

“Hey, come here.” Nico wrapped you in a tight hug all of a sudden. You really were dead set on dying now that she couldn’t help but be sad.

Then, the prophetic entity’s words came back to Nico’s head,…

“Would you weep, human?”

“Uh, it depends,…”

“You are strong and vigilant. Remain as such until the promised hour.”

“I’m gonna miss you so much, hon.” Nico quietly said to you, still not letting you go. “You can always go back here when the going gets tough.”

You controlled the tears as it threatened to spill again.

Damn, you’re going to miss your only best friend in the world,…

“I’m gonna miss you, too.” You answered as you hugged her back with the same intensity. “Oh, God. I wish I had breakfast,…”

At the mere mention of a meal, something suddenly banged on the windshield of the trailer. The two of you looked to find it was only Griffon who somehow landed on the glass, wings spread and beak up.

“Chickee?” You mumbled as you opened the door and waited for the demonic bird to enter.

And when he finally did, boy, had he got something truly surprising for you.

“SWEET PEA! I’M DYING!” The bird whined.

“What do you want me to do?! I’m gonna die too, you know?!”

Griffon’s eyes widened. Of course, you would find that out,…

“CONTRACT! WE NEED A CONTRACT!”

“Chickee, I thought you’re V’s - ?” Nico asked when she was abruptly cut off by the bird.

“SHAKESPEARE AND I ARE OFFICIALLY THROUGH!” Griffon announced. “SWEET PEA, ARE YA GONNA ACCEPT OR WHAT?! V’S OUT TO KILL YA!”

“I KNOW!”

“THEN, MIGHT AS WELL WE DIE TOGETHER THAN ALONE!”

After a few agonizing moments later, you found yourself marked with the same tattoos as V’s, only a bit smaller and more subtle than his loud ones.

A proof that you and Griffon,…

“… we’re partners now!” The bird gleefully announced in your head, thinking about what the entity told him before.

“Remain true to your instincts. Even in the face of true danger.”

“I don’t know what weird shit just happened but, I do sure feel better with you partnering for good.” Nico admitted as she crossed her arms.

“Yeah.” You answered. “I feel ten times better.”

Griffon materialized as the markings on your right arm vanished.

“FUCK YEAH!” The bird triumphantly screamed. “Hey, you know what, it felt somehow cleaner inside you than V’s,…”

“Whatever you say.” You answered as you walked out of the trailer for the last time. You looked at both Nico and Griffon, smiled, and screamed,…

“LET’S DO THIS!”

***

Just before going with his sisters, Cassandra roamed around for a while inside the burning house. She knew exactly where Vergil was. But, she knew she was too late to go to him now.

It was,… inevitable,…

She just have to do one last thing before going away to find a new vessel,…

… a disposable vessel that would carry them until the day they would reunite with Sparda’s blood.

She looked up and spread her arms, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Forgive me for what I have to do.” Cassandra said as she closed her eyes. “But, I have to do this in order to protect us. I pray you do not feel sorrow, for these memories shall return the moment we reunite.”

A strange kind of light emanated from her body as she said those words, and when she finally dropped her arms, she sighed.

“Until we meet again,…”

***

The present

*

Dante stopped dead in his tracks. He was about to face the horde of Demons before the much larger and fiercer - looking Dreadnought when some words suddenly came up on his lips.

“Andro,… meda,…” The Devil Hunter mumbled under his breath. “Cassandra,… Galatea,…

… who,… are they again?”

***

🖤🖤🖤

***

[thedyingmoon]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

***

XX

***

"Lo, a shadow of horror is risen,

In eternity! Unknown, unprolific!

Self - closed, all - repelling:

What Demon hath form'd this abominable void,

This soul - shudd'ring vacuum?

Some said 'It is Urizen', but unknown, abstracted,

Brooding secret, the dark power hid."

"Vergil, are you sure you want me to read this?" The girl asked the little boy one fine morning in the beautiful garden. "We've read this lots of times."

The little boy looked up with pure, innocent eyes. "It is Urizen! Urizen!"

"I know, I know,..." Galatea answered, helpless in front of the sweet child. "Okay, I'll read it for you. But, you have to listen while I read about the Little Lamb! Or the Tyger, or,..."

"URIZEN!"

The girl sighed and opened the book once more.

"Times and times he divided, and measur'd,

Space by space in his ninefold darkness

Unseen, unknown! Changes appear'd

In his desolate mountains rifted furious

By the black winds of perturbation."

"Gala - te - a!" The child cried as he ran to her.

"What happened? Why are you crying?"

"Dante kicked me in the face!"

Galatea wrapped her arms around the boy and rubbed his back. "Sshh, it's okay. I'm here now. I'm here. I will protect you,..."

"For he strove in battles dire

In unseen conflictions with shapes

Bred from his forsaken wilderness,

Of beast, bird, fish, serpent, and element

Combustion, blast, vapour, and cloud."

"Vergil! Where are you? Vergil!" Galatea called as she desperately looked for the boy.

But, instead, she found her mother lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Her own blood.

"Mama! Mama,..." The girl uttered in shock, unable to believe that such a thing would happen to her.

The woman smiled at her, her eyes glistening with tears. "Please, find him and save him before it's too late! Protect him at all cost. Save him from his death!" She begged you once more. "I' am so sorry, my dear. Fulfill my wish, I beg you,... Galatea,... "

The girl reached out a hand but, she was too late,...

"MAMA!"

"SAVE HIM! FULFILL,... MY LAST REQUEST!"

"Your wish,... is our command,..."

***

You walked aimlessly around, wanting your enemies to find you. You waited for something to happen, anything at all, as you traversed that lonely and dangerous road.

Your heart filled with heavy and conflicting emotions, your eyes red with tears that silently fell non - stop, your head burdened with all the visions of the near future, you moved on, waiting for something else to happen.

Deep inside your heavy heart, you still longed for a sliver of hope, no matter how small,...

... you want to find him and tell him everything,...

But, it seemed that the man, himself, did not want to be found.

Or, did he?

V was observing you with keen, wary eyes as you aimlessly walked around. Like you, he was waiting for something to happen, anything at all, no matter how small.

But, unlike you, he was not longing for any kind of hope.

He was looking for one last proof to end all your lies.

There was nothing in his mind but your complete and utter destruction. So much so that he spied on you for four days without you knowing it. He had seen how you fight, how you moved, how you finished your enemies but, he knew that you have not revealed your true colors just yet.

And for that, something huge must happen - a larger, much stronger enemy. The type for you to use your true potential with.

And, it seemed that he didn't have to wait for too long,...

You looked up, your eyes wide with anticipation. You felt and heard some movement, and surely enough, a group of scythe - wielding Demons appeared before you.

Three, six, twelve, eighteen, twenty - four of the same demonic species appeared, overwhelming you with their numbers.

V concealed himself quickly, not wanting to waste his energy by helping you. He watched you as you drew your rapier and shield in the form of a bow and a violin. You made your first move but, he saw it was too reckless. You managed to evade the first attack but, the second one landed a strong, direct hit right on your mid - section. The scythe - like arm of the Demon then extended, carrying you with it, and pinned you to a wall.

The poet resisted to help you still, watching as the Hell Judeca plunged its weapon deeper within you. He knew deep within his being that you would unleash your true power any moment now.

However, something truly weird, and yet, expected, happened. The moment the wind blew and your blood dripped on the ground beneath you, a strong scent of fresh flowers wafted through the air, confusing the enemies and making them freeze.

As soon as the strong scent reached V, he covered his nose in an effort to protect himself. Your alluring scent has never attacked him this effectively before, and it took all his strength and effort to prevent himself from going directly to you.

But, not the same could be said about the Demons around you.

To V's utter surprise, he saw how the Demons kneeled in front of you, like you have just become their master.

His eyes widened in shock and his hand dropped from his nose and mouth.

It was all true. Fleminger was right, all along. You're the Dreadnought!

On the other hand, you were so confused as to what just occurred before your very own eyes. The fearful Demons, which considered ending your life a bit earlier, all started worshipping you like you were their queen.

You looked down from your wound and realized it must have been your blood that drew them to you.

All of a sudden, an idea struck your head.

Despite your wounded state, you drew your weapon and started attacking the Hell Judeca that wounded you. It didn't even flinch as you pushed the bow deep within its heart. The other Demons didn't even react as it fell lifeless on the ground before you. They remained rooted to the earth, mesmerized by the mere sight and scent of you.

V watched intently as you finished the Demons one by one, none of which were doing anything to protect themselves. And as you were about to kill the last Hell Judeca, something roared not far from where you were, and a few moments later, a larger, much fiercer enemy came running towards you like a raging bull.

You tried to jump away but, your rapid bloodloss was hindering your movements. Just as you were about to get mauled to your death, a dark being in the form of a volley of spikes rose in front of you, fully stopping the Demon and making it stagger.

With your blurry sight, you saw V as he landed gracefully in front of you, commanding both Shadow and Griffon to attack the enemy. And when it could no longer move from the series of hits it received from his demonic familiars, he plunged his metal cane deep within its flesh, finally putting an end to it.

Bloody and tired, V turned and looked at your pitiful form, looking cold and uncaring. Despite that look of his, he went directly towards you and caught you as you were about to collapse.

"V - v,..." you stuttered as you felt numbness taking over your whole body.

The man didn't say anything. Instead, he lifted you effortlessly and carried you to who knows where,...

*

The next time you opened your eyes, you found yourself staring at the ceiling of Nico's trailer. You slowly and carefully sat up straight, feeling the thick bandage wrapped around your stomach, and looked around.

Despite your glum mood, the sunny and cheerful weather outside greeted you as you made your way to the dashboard. You saw the time and date and sighed.

June 15, 6:45

It was the expected date of the Dreadnought's arrival.

And then, one thought came to mind - V.

Well, you still kind of promised to Nico that you would confess.

You had to do it. You had no idea how long you would last, so, it's all, or nothing. After all, you're about to face the Dreadnought in a few hours. You had to really do it, before anything bad befall you.

And you must say it now, before,...

You saw him there, standing outside of the van, calmly reading his beloved William Blake anthology. He was alone, and it was a perfect timing.

You inhaled deeply, actually expecting for the worse. Even despite your friend Nico's reassurance that everything would turn out fine, you just could not shake off the foreboding feeling that this insane idea would end up with disastrous results.

But, then, you're here with him now. There's no use turning back.

V saw you in his peripheral vision as you made your way towards him.

Hiding his sigh, he asked in a polite and well - mannered way, "How can I help you?"

"I, uhh,..." You stuttered. "I wanted to tell you something."

"Go on." V answered, intentionally making himself uninterested in this conversation.

"I just wanted to say,... uhh,... thank you. For saving me earlier."

"I always come when I can to help those in need." He lied, for he didn't want to save others, at all. Especially you.

He just wanted to be the one who would finish you.

Your chest felt heavier, your breathing more labored. Your lips trembled as you tried to say the words,...

"You are such a good person, and I,... I really like you,... for that,..."

And why was he not surprised? Of course! You're a deceiver! And now, it looked as though you're doing everything you can to win him for one last time.

But, it's never going to work. V was dead set on his goal.

You took what courage and little confidence you had left and decided to pour everything out of your bursting chest.

"What I mean to say is, I really, really like you, V. I just thought I should let you know before,..." There! You finally said the words. But, before you could even begin to say the word 'Dreadnought', he looked up from his book with a smile on his lips.

He left his spot and went slowly towards you, swinging his cane playfully.

At last! That smile! You missed his smile so much. You just ached to see it once more,...

"Those words you just uttered, were you certain about them?" He asked you, that strange smile still on his lips.

Your heart suddenly became heavier as nerves took over your whole system. Something was really wrong about V and how he smiled at you.

It didn't look,... genuinely happy.

"Sorry?"

He just chuckled, like he was making fun of a child.

"Those feelings you have for me, I'm afraid we do not share them mutually." He simply said without any difficulty.

He is,... breaking my heart?!

"I see. Well, I just wanted you to know - "

"But, that was not enough for you, yes?" Using his cane, he made you look up to him, propping your chin up to properly meet his piercing gaze. "You said I'm a good person, if I got it correctly."

"Y - yes."

"Then, I do feel obliged to tell you that I' am not the person you seem to know. I' am neither a good person, nor a hero you consider. In fact, I' am the villain of your story."

I' am the villain of your story,...

You heard that same line again from one of your unwanted visions,...

But, this time, it's for real,...

"V?" You said helplessly, confusion and sadness taking over.

"And I, may I add, only helped you because you seem so,... useless. Why would you even take up this massive commission in the first place? You are not as half as strong as the weakest Devil Hunter here to begin with. You are just a weak human who relies on others for survival."

"I,... " You felt the tears wanting to pour out once more, feeling this endless torture wanting to break you until you could no longer retaliate.

It hurts,...

V, I'm doing this for you! What I've been doing for ten years, I'm doing it all for you!

And he surely didn't know your own reason for doing all of those, even though the pain you felt hiding all those things kept on piling up, higher and higher, until you could no longer contain the sadness.

Until you could no longer contain the tears of frustration and heartbreak.

And he didn't stop there despite seeing the tears in your eyes.

It seemed like breaking your heart was not enough.

Oh, my, V thought sarcastically. How genuine that is. What a great actress! This girl deserves an award! What would it be? Shadow's scratches? Too easy. Griffon's thunder? He would refuse to do it.

This cane? Hmm, a slow and painful death. I like it.

"You would only become a burden. I suggest you leave this place even before the first signs of the enemy." He said, letting your chin go as he gave his final warning to you. He was about to walk away when he heard you call his name.

"I will not be a burden, V!" You helplessly said to him, tears streaming down your face. "I have to face this battle, please!"

"Apparently," V said in a threatening voice as he turned back to look at you. He strode towards you like a predator, and you had to step back in fear of what he might do to you. "You are not only useless, but an imbecile, as well. If I were you, I would gladly take this chance to leave in order to spare my own life. Take it from me, it is better to run away."

You could not say any more words to him. He completely broke you, and now, you just stood there, shocked, and a complete whimpering mess. He brought the tip of his cane down as forcefully as he could, summoning Shadow in the process as some of his tattoos vanished from his pale skin.

You looked as the great, dark Demon growled at you, something that made you even more heartbroken, for the huge cat, for some reason, used to purr quite loudly and shamelessly whenever you scratch her chin and ears as she laid down beside you.

"Now, we do not want bloodshed here so early on in the game. Leave. Now." He warned for the very last time.

You had no choice but to turn away. From the Dreadnought. From your purpose.

From the man you have grown to love despite everything.

And as V made his way towards the north where the largest Demon awaited, he felt a strange kind of pain crawling underneath his skin. He looked at his hand,...

... and noticed that it was crumbling,...

V's eyes widened in fear. He closed them, wanting to chase the hallucination away. He opened them once more and glanced at his hand,...

... it looked normal.

Griffon materialized and faced him.

"You,..." the demonic bird began. "YOU HAVE GONE DOWN TOO DEEP FOR ME TO SAVE YA!"

The poet only chuckled. "For what purpose must you save me, pray tell?"

"I'm sorry, V." Griffon answered mournfully. "I'M BREAKING OUR CONTRACT! YOU'RE NO LONGER THE STICK SHAKESPEARE NOODLE I USED TO KNOW! YOU'VE BECOME DIFFERENT! YOU - "

"By all means, go." V chuckled, not caring in the least for his very first companion. "But, I do hope you are aware what will happen to you if you break the contract,..."

"I DON'T CARE! YOU'VE GONE FAR ENOUGH!" Griffon yelled, his golden eyes glistening with unspeakable pain. "YOU JUST HURT THE WOMAN WHO - "

"Wanted to use me like a whore. Is that it?" V finished for him, his eyes and facial expression alike getting darker and more evil.

"FFFUUUCCCKKK YYYOOOUUU!" Griffon shrieked angrily as he flew up high, summoning all his powers to attack his former master.

But, he couldn't,...

Despite everything, Griffon respected V. He knew he was only brainwashed by that Fleminger guy. And he needed someone to wake him up.

Griffon needed you to wake him up.

He withdrew his attack and calmed down. This made V cover his face and show a sick kind of psychotic mirth.

"Hahaha. Hahaha! HAHAHA! You make me laugh,..."

"You're not worth it,..." The demonic bird quietly said, letting V laugh it off, and finally left him, breaking their contract once and for all.

And he sure wasn't joking about it. V noticed how some of his tattoos vanished,...

Meanwhile, back in the trailer,...

"Hey, hey, sshh, it's okay,..." Nico gently whispered to you as you let it all out on her.

You have been crying non - stop since V rejected you, and you didn't care in the least how you looked.

If it was written that he must murder you in order for him to survive, it won't hurt as much if he only had the same level of emotions for you!

But, no!

Again, you were wrong!

How stupid of you!

He already stabbed your heart, and fuck! It hurts!

It hurts so fucking much!

"I'll go." You told Nico. "I still,... h - have to g - go,..."

"Ya sure about this? You would surely not make it outta there alive. Not for gettin' smacked by Demons." Nico, who only recently found out about your fate, told you.

You looked up from the towel that Nico offered you to wipe your tears with.

"I know. I have accepted that ever since I decided to join. Nico, I know my fate, and I embrace it."

"You know your fate but, not the dying bit, huh? That's a bitchy move by your entities right there!"

"I don't know. They must have a reason for keeping it from me until now."

Your friend sighed.

"Still can't tell him?"

"No. He doesn't have to know."

You glanced out of the window to see the massive thing floating in the sky towards the deserted city. You were sure that the others were already dealing with it as of the moment.

That must be the Dreadnought, then.

You sighed, inhaled deeply and exhaled almost angrily. You wiped your tears with the drenched towel one last time and madly slammed it on the table near you. You stood up, rubbed your nose with your arm in a very unlady - like fashion, took your weapons, and angrily faced the radio.

"Why does my heart go on beating?

Why do these eyes of mine cry?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when you said goodbye."

"TURN THAT FUCKING THING OFF!"

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" Nico obliged as she did so hastily.

"Could you play something more upbeat for a change?!" You asked bravely, ready to face your own death. "Like, with no heartbreaks, or rejections, or douchebags, or what the fucking ever?!"

Nico gasped in fright. "Wow! Sailor - mouth Nero sure made an impact to you, huh, hon?"

"Just fucking do it!"

"Alright! Alright!" The freckled woman said and slammed the jukebox button on. "How about this?!"

You listened to the upbeat music and nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now, at least I won't have to die having LSS of The End Of The World."

Nico nodded. You have become angsty and mad, and at least that's better than you moping around, tending to your broken heart.

"I'll go, just like the usual."

"Alone?" Nico asked.

"And after the boys." You said with utter resolution. V may have rejected your feelings, but he would not dare reject your permanent, once in a lifetime offer of an insurance policy, and you damn well know it.

"Hey, come here." Nico wrapped you in a tight hug all of a sudden. You really were dead set on dying now that she couldn't help but be sad.

Then, the prophetic entity's words came back to Nico's head,...

"Would you weep, human?"

"Uh, it depends,..."

"You are strong and vigilant. Remain as such until the promised hour."

"I'm gonna miss you so much, hon." Nico quietly said to you, still not letting you go. "You can always go back here when the going gets tough."

You controlled the tears as it threatened to spill again.

Damn, you're going to miss your only best friend in the world,...

"I'm gonna miss you, too." You answered as you hugged her back with the same intensity. "Oh, God. I wish I had breakfast,..."

At the mere mention of a meal, something suddenly banged on the windshield of the trailer. The two of you looked to find it was only Griffon who somehow landed on the glass, wings spread and beak up.

"Chickee?" You mumbled as you opened the door and waited for the demonic bird to enter.

And when he finally did, boy, had he got something truly surprising for you.

"SWEET PEA! I'M DYING!" The bird whined.

"What do you want me to do?! I'm gonna die too, you know?!"

Griffon's eyes widened. Of course, you would find that out,...

"CONTRACT! WE NEED A CONTRACT!"

"Chickee, I thought you're V's - ?" Nico asked when she was abruptly cut off by the bird.

"SHAKESPEARE AND I ARE OFFICIALLY THROUGH!" Griffon announced. "SWEET PEA, ARE YA GONNA ACCEPT OR WHAT?! V'S OUT TO KILL YA!"

"I KNOW!"

"THEN, MIGHT AS WELL WE DIE TOGETHER THAN ALONE!"

After a few agonizing moments later, you found yourself marked with the same tattoos as V's, only a bit smaller and more subtle than his loud ones.

A proof that you and Griffon,...

"... we're partners now!" The bird gleefully announced in your head, thinking about what the entity told him before.

"Remain true to your instincts. Even in the face of true danger."

"I don't know what weird shit just happened but, I do sure feel better with you partnering for good." Nico admitted as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah." You answered. "I feel ten times better."

Griffon materialized as the markings on your right arm vanished.

"FUCK YEAH!" The bird triumphantly screamed. "Hey, you know what, it felt somehow cleaner inside you than V's,..."

"Whatever you say." You answered as you walked out of the trailer for the last time. You looked at both Nico and Griffon, smiled, and screamed,...

"LET'S DO THIS!"

***

Just before going with his sisters, Cassandra roamed around for a while inside the burning house. She knew exactly where Vergil was. But, she knew she was too late to go to him now.

It was,... inevitable,...

She just have to do one last thing before going away to find a new vessel,...

... a disposable vessel that would carry them until the day they would reunite with Sparda's blood.

She looked up and spread her arms, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Forgive me for what I have to do." Cassandra said as she closed her eyes. "But, I have to do this in order to protect us. I pray you do not feel sorrow, for these memories shall return the moment we reunite."

A strange kind of light emanated from her body as she said those words, and when she finally dropped her arms, she sighed.

"Until we meet again,..."

***

~ A V X Reader set in an Alternate Universe wherein we finally caught up with the prologue! Wow! How long has that been? 🤔

~ Now tagging ( again ) these wonderful people: @heaven-on-a-landslide , @gxthghoulfriend , @boundbysoul , @krazy06 , @ehrzeth , @lessy86 , @ceruleanworld , @simmy-ships , and @diabeticsugarush . 🖤

***

The present

*

Dante stopped dead in his tracks. He was about to face the horde of Demons before the much larger and fiercer - looking Dreadnought when some words suddenly came up on his lips.

"Andro,... meda,..." The Devil Hunter mumbled under his breath. "Cassandra,... Galatea,...

... who,... are they again?"

***

Note: In movies, the little scene we see after the credits rolled in ( just like in the MCU ), are called "tags", or commonly and infamously known as "end - credit scenes". Congratulations, you just saw one in this chapter. Yeah, the more you know. 👌👍👍

***

🖤🖤🖤

***

[amahontl]

SINoALICE - Famitsu App Interview with Jino on Character Design

An interview with SINoALICE’s character designer, Jino

Published on August 25th 2017.

The untold story of the birth of the girls from the illustrator of “SINoALICE”, Jino! As well as info on a new character…..!?

Why are the girls so gorgeous?

“SINoALICE”, a mobile RPG that is the work of a collaboration between PokeLabo and Square Enix.

One of the reasons why this title became popular is because of its charming ‘character designs’. Jino, the illustrator who gave birth to the beautiful girls from the world of “SINoALICE”, of who you wouldn’t think at first glance that they would come from a dark tale spun by Yoko Taro.

▲ One of the concept art that Jino conceived. Jino possesses a rather unique touch which resonates well with the “NieR” series and the very essence of Yoko’s own world. This is truly ‘art’.

From the previous interview, we learned that Jino, with a professional mindset in place, visited a library and even looked up the story’s own setting of its era. Just how did he bring the 9 girls to life? We’ll unravel the truth!

The 9 girls brought to life by Jino

From here on, we will go through Jino’s creative process as well as some rough sketches. We hear the players asking questions about the design, such as “Why did you go with this design?” “Where is the point of focus?” and so on. Jino shares with us his comments regarding the matter.

Alice (CV: M.A.O)

Alice, you may call her the main character of SINoALICE. The keyword is “Restriction”, not to restrict someone in the game, rather, to restrict your own self. This trait of Alice’s shows one side of her largely mysterious character.

▲ Coupled with a large pocket watch and a distinctive sword, as well as an aura of blue, filled with valiant air. Completed with a frilly maid outfit, creating a gap that received much praise from the players.

Jino’s comment

The maid outfit was a proper request (from Yoko). There are gothic motifs in the sword as well, which was created faithfully to Yoko’s orders…. That’s my intention!

“In a scenario where her original flange broke off in a fierce battle and she fled off to somewhere, what weapon would she use as a substitute?”, which was the delusion I had which lead to me to the idea that she’d use a circular-shaped weapon. So I thought, slap a pocket watch on it! And so, that was the conclusion I arrived at.

There was also the “If the apron shoulder straps come off then I’ll fool em by wrapping it around” and “The scabbard was quickly lost so in order to put back the sword, I’ll give Alice a harness”, as well as “The knee socks look like it’ll tear apart so I’ll add in something simple instead” and etc, in addition with that sort of behaviour and combat style (which I simply made up myself) I imagined and I designed it from there.

▲ Underneath the maid outfit are the harness and its belt and even a ton of pocket watches. These are details you won’t be able to notice in the game, all mixed in with my tastes.

Snow White (CV: Ueda Reina)

The keyword for the titular character of her own story, ‘Snow White’, is “Justice”. In the story, she’s easily taken as self-centered, however, she strongly enforces her own twisted form of ‘Justice’.

Jino’s comment

Actually, her hair and clothes and all give off a very general looking silhouette, as per request. There’s a contrast between a katana and a greatsword, so I designed it in a way that would have the same difference between a samurai and a knight.

If you give her some clunky armor… Well, you wouldn’t be happy with it, would you? (darkly smirks) Which was what I thought, so I gave her a great sword that’s easy to wield, coupled with a light outfit. I tried to make it so that the armor would assemble as much as possible on the front part of the design.

▲ Adorned with a pure white dress, decorated with a bouquet of blood-smeared roses leaves quite the impression. She seems to have settled in with the dirt sullying the end of her dress.

Hansel and Gretel (CV: Uchida Maaya)

Gretel, a girl with a few screws loose who has a relentless obsession with her older brother. I’ve gotten a snippet that she has already laid her hands on him…… The keyword for her is “Delusion”.

Jino’s comment

I’ve gotten a request to implement a robe but that would’ve made Gretel’s silhouette to be similar to Red Riding Hood’s. I was troubled on how to make Gretel more distinct. I felt that I made a pretty good impression with it.

In the game, Gretel is shown to be messed-up so her clothes mimic that trait of hers. Her exposure is also sort of mismatched. The mismatch is a specialty of Gretel’s, I wonder if I conveyed that correctly, even my comment became mismatched.

▲ The cage that Gretel carries is her feature. This cage has a motif of teeth and gums.

Pinocchio (CV: Sanpei Yuuko)

Due to not knowing what to do on his own, Pinocchio sets out to revive his Author. In contrast, I didn’t think much about the verbally abusive staff-Pinocchio. His keyword is “Dependency”.

Jino’s comment

The request was to make him look like he was brought up with proper manners. The head that’s attached to the weapon was originally supposed to be eerie-looking, as if it’s cursed, there’s also the setting where it’s able to talk and the result of focusing on that gave birth to a rather charming chap.

My favourite is this mysterious flapping open bag. I think it’s actually hard to use but I wonder if that’s alright…..

▲ Pinocchio’s staff is able to grow limbs and is able to move freely. With the upcoming Job designs for Pinocchio, I’d like to fully utilize that setting.

Little Mermaid (CV: Noto Mamiko)

The Little Mermaid, a girl who expresses her own story as a ‘Tragedy’. She holds a twisted ideology where “Tragedy is Beauty”. Her keyword is “Sorrow”.

Jino’s comment

It was a setting where her hair would have fish fins protruding out, but, there wasn’t any twin-tailed character so far so. “The tail end will have fins then!” was what I went with and so she has an extremely thick tail fin extending from her head.

I tried reading the setting book again, but I have a feeling I’ve made a mistake. I think there was a request to make her look like Medusa…… N-nah, I’m able to present the final design like so, so that means I did the job! Yes I did!

▲ Her weapon has ocean motifs embroidered on it. “You can break coconuts with it”, according to Jino’s comment.

Princess Kaguya (CV: Itou Shizuka)

Princess Kaguya, she has the most mature physique amongst the 9 girls. In the game, she stands out with her masochistic trait where she seeks out a companion who will torment her. Her keyword is “Suffering”.

Jino’s comment

Her outfit originally was supposed to be that of a courtesan’s, but, when I looked up the fashion in the Heian-period to see how it looks like, I decided to go against the request. (What) Or so I thought, I had to implement her twelve-layered ceremonial kimono no matter what so I was put in a really tough spot. As a result of trying to find a solution, “A person who returns to the Moon is an Alien!” and with that, I mixed in Alien-like elements into a courtesan. (What)

It all looks pretty messy to me but, I’m truly grateful to Yoko’s big heart!

▲ The skull ornaments on the weapon and her clothes give out quite the impression. Her characteristic is her bewitching aura.

Briar Rose (CV: Hondo Kaede)

“Briar Rose”, a girl who wishes for a world of everlasting slumber. One who disturbs her from her sleep will be torn apart by her cage of thorns. Her keyword is “Slumber”.

Jino’s comment

The request what that for her to be sleeping in an encasement of thorns but, in terms of the game system, how is her sprite going to be animated was a problem. So, the Art Director and I pondered about it together. In the middle of all that, somehow, a certain famed post-apocalyptic game’s “that vehicle” popped into my head.

Thanks to that, we now have a bit of a firmly established character. And also thanks to having settled on the character, I was able to make the weapon more flashy, it was like killing two birds with one stone. Wasn’t she supposed to be a much more docile character? Uhh…...

▲ The doll that Briar holds in her hands can be associated with her “childishness”. But, the thorns surrounding her give off a sinister impression.

Red Riding Hood (CV: Imamura Ayaka)

“Red Riding Hood’, a girl who holds a psychopathic line of thinking no matter how much she kills, kills, and kills, will never be enough. In accordance with her keyword; “Violence”, she holds her greatest desire of slaughter with pride.

Jino’s comment

I had torture tools as the first image in mind but at the same time, her violent personality gives me the impression of “I don’t feel any sort of attachment to the tools themselves”, with that, I shifted the outfit and weapon design into a dicey manner.

Just like Jac◯y Chan where he picks up things that are around him and use it, if he likes it, he takes it home. I feel like I’m wrong about the comparison.

▲ The huge gap between a pure and innocent smile and a ferocious-looking weapon. It truly compliments the aspect of a psychopath.

Cinderella (CV: Kitamura Eri)

“Cinderella”, a strong-willed character. Her personality is rotten to the point that it feels good, you often see her being gleeful in-game when she sees others suffer. Her keyword is “Depravity”.

Jino’s comment

Truth is, the final design is radically different from the initial request. It seems I’ve added a lot of my tastes into it…..

I had a hunch where Cinderella’s colour palate and silhouette would look similar with the other characters, so I pretty much went with a discriminative approach, Cinderella is designed in a way when someone looks at her, they’ll go “Huh?”.

Small arms aren’t my specialty, so I had a quite a tough time.

▲ The combination of a rotten facial expression and a gun as a weapon goes hand in hand. Inside her skirt is another weapon cramped inside of it.

Jino’s Untold Story of Development

After the game launched, “SINoALICE” has gained a lot of responses of the players, I would like to hear your current impression of the game.

Jino: I’ve never had a career before this, I’m just but an inexperienced illustrator, so reality hasn’t quite set inside me just yet. This was the kind of work where I kept pondering on whether “Was this right?” during the long period of time before the game launched, but no matter how much I ponder, it’s tough to answer it. Honestly speaking, I feel quite relieved to see the huge reception for the designs. Thank you very much.

In addition to be the one to supervise the designs, what was the hardest thing about it? And also, what was it that bore in mind during the process?

Jino: The question was how to shape up Yoko’s worldview, which left me exhausted. The designs I made for the characters must match up entirely with the theme of the game or else we would’ve failed our goal. Characters are often regarded as the face of the game, likewise, I kept in mind that they are one part of the game. With regards to the comment from above, isn’t it absurd……? That was the impression I had but, I’m doing a proper job! A proper…. Job…. Especially receiving a piece of advice of having a consistent coloring style. If I’m not aware of what I’m doing, then there will be messy areas so this has been quite the learning experience for me.

We’d like to hear who your favourite character is and the reason for it.

Jino: It’s a bit of an unfair response but “Everyone!” is what I’d like to say. I did have a go at the game, saw some fan art and that’s when it came to me, the aspect I never thought possible and all the pairings, that’s when my indecisiveness struck. But of course, my impression might change along the course of development…..?

Could you spare us some details about the currently-under-development character?

Jino: It’s definitely a fairytale character! Even though it’s a fairytale character, it’s an old story yet also relatively new, the next character is quite new! I’m beating around the bush but I have a feeling people will quuuuickly figure it out! Yeah?

▲ A special acquisition of the silhouette of the 10th character! Of what seems to be hair braided into three and a coat that extends down to the knees…..!?

And finally, a word you’d like to say to the players?

Jino: Thank you very much for playing SINoALICE! We’ve only just begun so I’d like to give it my all for the road ahead. I’ll also beat the producer’s butt! To the people who are interested in this article, please give the game a try. Thank you!

Source: Famitsu App

[hopeymchope]

Planning Ahead - Naegiri One-Shot - Danganronpa Fanfic

This one grew way beyond my intended length. Sorry, but… here’s the longest one-shot I’ve ever done.

Honestly… I wound up being kind of proud of it.

Naegi and Kirigiri squatted down to focus on the dusty concrete floor. Kyoko instinctively glanced at the hem of her skirt to see whether any of the filth from the ground was brushing it, then promptly returned to ignoring the matter. This was not the time or place to worry about the state of her outfit. It’s not like she expected to be imprisoned in an abandoned building today.

No - this time was best spent strategizing.

Kyoko extended her left forefinger and used it to trace out her vision in the dust, placing it just within the beam of sunlight that extended from their cell’s tiny window along the back of the small room. “We put Togami-kun here,” she told Makoto as she drew a circle in the filth. “That way, he can serve as a distraction.”

Makoto chuckled a little. “He won’t like that,” he said.

“The venue is ideal for it,” Kyoko countered. “The entryway serves as a bottleneck. If we have him near the door, then align ourselves so that you and I have a direct line of sight to both his location and said door-”

“I get it,” Makoto said, smiling in realization. “He can cut off any unwanted guests and prevent them from getting decent shots of us. And they’ll naturally be drawn to look at him anyway, since he’s… Togami-kun.”

Kyoko smirked and gave a nod in response. Pleased with herself, she raised her right forefinger to her lips in thought. “Perhaps we should put Fukawa-san with him?”

“He definitely won’t like that,” Makoto replied with a grin. However, his face fell as a complication occurred to him. “Wait, what if she accidentally sneezes and ‘changes’ on us?”

Creases appeared in Kyoko’s forehead as she mulled the possibility over. “I think we can prevent exposure to any of the obvious triggers,” she said. “I’ll just tell the florist to keep all arrangements away from their table, then ask the chef to go light on the pepper in Fukawa-san’s dishes.”

“There’s another thing to consider,” Makoto warned her. “Komaru will want to be wherever Fukawa-san is.”

“Fine,” Kyoko said as she drew a few more ‘x’ marks next to her first circle. “Then the table closest to the entry will have Togami-kun, Fukawa-san, Komaru and Pennyworth-kun.

“What if Togami-kun starts wandering, though?” Makoto asked with concern. “To get away from Fukawa-san, I mean. If he moves off, we lose our shield against the paparazzi.”

Kyoko frowned slightly. “Then… hm… ”

She started to wipe away three of her dusty ‘x’ marks when a loud noise came from the metal door. Kyoko quickly stood to regard the armed man in ill-fitting fatigues who stepped through. He was joined by a partner wearing a white tight-shirt and jeans. This one had his spiky hair dyed a bright, unnatural blond.

“It’s time,” one of them said roughly. Naegi stood up and took his place by Kirigiri’s left side.

Kyoko placed her hands on her hips. “No last requests?” she asked indignantly.

“Boss says you don’t deserve any,” the blond one answered.

Makoto glanced down at Kyoko’s left hand, nervously eyeing the engagement ring slipped over her gloved hand. He grabbed her hand in his and swallowed.

Even as she gripped Makoto’s hand with her left, Kyoko ran her right hand through her hair, flipping it defiantly. “Your 'boss’ is unfathomably rude,” she informed the men.

The one in fatigues gave her a toothy grin. “I’ll pass along your complaints,” he snarled.

Naegi and Kirigiri were marched down a dark corridor with a rifle pointed at each of their backs. They kept their hands locked together while they walked.

As they approached the end of the tunnel that exited into blinding sunlight, Kyoko cleared her throat. “Just for the record… ” she began.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Makoto interrupted her.

Nevertheless, she continued: “You shouldn’t have come after me.”

Makoto had beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but he managed to smile weakly. “I know.”

“I’m perfectly capable of handling myself,” she went on.

“I know,” Makoto repeated.

“You could’ve at least wait for an official rescue operation to be mounted instead of running off half-cocked,” she finished with exasperation.

Makoto looked over at his fiance with an expression containing both affection and regret. “Did you really think there was any way that I wasn’t going to come racing after you?” he asked.

Kyoko smiled sadly at him. “No, I suppose I didn’t,” she acknowledged. She squeezed his hand a little tighter in hers as they walked out and into the light.

Once her eyes adjusted to the glare of the sun, Kyoko saw that the pair had been taken into a small, dirty parking lot with a makeshift barricade of shipping crates blocking access to or any view of the adjacent road. The other three sides of the lot were blocked in by buildings, including a large skyscraper to the far right and the mid-sized building they’d just emerged from on the left-hand side. A shorter two-story structure made up the back wall that faced the barricade. Three-quarters of the lot was surrounded by men spaced a few feet apart from one another, adding up to maybe 20 or 30 individuals by her initial estimation. More than half were openly wielding firearms.

“As I thought,” Kyoko mused aloud. “We’re only 10 kilometers or so from the school.”

“Next time you go outside the campus walls to 'check the perimeter,’” Makoto advised, “Could you maybe take more than one bodyguard with you?”

Kyoko eyed him affectionately. “I’ll consider it, Headmaster,” she teased lightly.

“Shut up and move,” the man in fatigues ordered them.

The two men at their backs led them over to a pair of metal poles, each mounted in a concrete-filled tire. They resembled the kind of thing one would attach a tetherball to, but their captors attached Naegi and Kirigiri to the poles instead by pulling them apart, then tying their hands behind their backs and around the poles. The wall of the building directly behind them was the only area of the arena not lined with members of the controlling gang. Kyoko was not at all surprised to learn that this was because she and Makoto were to be shot by weapons facing that direction, firing-squad-style.

A large, muscular man wearing dark green pants and no shirt stepped out from the crowd and slowly strolled up in front of the two, standing about five meters away from them. He was holding a Kalashnikov rifle in both hands, but his most notable feature was that his face was painted half-white and half-black. Kyoko immediately pegged him as the aforementioned “boss” of this group.

He let his rifle hang down on one side as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “Sorry,” he said insincerely to his captives. “Our group isn’t as well-funded as Enoshima-sensei was. We’re gonna have to film this thing guerilla-style, but don’t you worry: Everybody will still get to watch you die.”

Makoto swallowed hard. Kyoko just stared blankly at the group’s leader, clearly bored by his little speech. “I’ve been told that you don’t believe in last requests,” Kyoko said flatly. “Am I at least allowed some last words?”

The leader’s grin revealed that he’d filed some of his teeth down to ragged, painful-looking points. “Oh? Got something to say, sweetie?” he hissed.

Kyoko let her eyes drift around the parking lot, looking each member of the group in the eyes for a fleeting moment as she announced, “I just wanted you to know that I understand. I understand that you abducted two people who work at a school because you long for discipline. And I want to assure all of you that you will get what you’re after very, very soon.”

The assembled group of thugs chuckled awkwardly at her words. A few of them shifted their stances uncomfortably. The leader just shook his head in disbelief. “You ain’t the one in charge here, little girl,” he growled with a twisted half-smile. “You got nothing on us.”

Kyoko smiled at him confidently and stared him in the eyes, saying nothing. Gradually, his own smile faded into an irritated scowl.

“Whatever,” he grumbled. The leader turned his back on the two and held the phone in his outstretched arms, beginning to record a “selfie” video with his two captives in the background. “A despairing day to you,” he began in a rasp. “We are the Sons of Enoshima, and today we present you with a long-overdue treat: The execution of the Ultimate Hope. Along with him, we-”

Kyoko couldn’t bring herself to pay attention to the rest. He continued droning on, but she turned her attention to Makoto instead. “You know how I wanted to do a Fall wedding because of the traditionally Autumnal wedding colors?” she began innocently.

Makoto was sweating heavily from his face now, but he tried to give her as much attention as he could muster while still eyeing the leader at the same time. “Y-yeah,” he stammered. “Um, especially the purples.”

Kyoko gave him a small smile. “Naturally. Unfortunately, it seems that both lilacs and violets will be out of season in the Fall. The florist suggested we can surround the centerpieces with New England Aster, which I’m in favor of. But for the central focus… I confess that I’m struggling to make a decision. Do you have any thoughts?”

“I will count down from five,” the leader said to his phone’s camera with a sickening smile. “I want you all to watch the last five seconds before I rip Hope out of this world. And when I’m finished… it’s punishment tiiiiiiiime!” he screamed. Cheers erupted from the men around him, some of whom fired their guns blindly into the air.

“Uhh… Kyoko?” Makoto half-whispered.

“Don’t worry about him,” Kyoko said dismissively. “Focus on the task at hand.”

The blond man in the t-shirt and jeans ran up to his boss and took the phone from his hand, taking over filming duties as the leader turned around and aimed his rifle at Makoto and Kyoko.

Makoto closed his eyes, attempting to concentrate on his fiancee’s question.

“Five!” the leader yelled.

“What about an orchid?” Makoto suggested. “I know they’re not easy to find-”

“Four!” the leader continued.

“No, that’s perfect!” Kyoko said happily.

“Thr-”

The leader suddenly lurched forward in pain, cutting off his own count. Some confused chatter began to rise among the crowd of his followers.

Kyoko eyed this sight with a tight, satisfied smile, then returned her attention to Makoto. “The purple ones are gorgeous,” she noted with quiet enthusiasm. “And we only need a small number of them.”

Makoto wasn’t paying attention to the conversation anymore. A soft whup-whup-whup noise began to escalate in volume, filling the air around the parking lot. About half of the gang looked skyward, trying to identify the source of the noise, while others were looking at their boss-

-as he threw his head backwards, exposing the pair of scissors embedded in his jugular.

The blond thug dropped the cell phone and cried out, “What the unholy fuck?!”

The painted face of the leader gurgled a bit before his body fell backwards, hitting the ground with the sound of wet meat striking a slab.

The rhythmic thumping in the air grew progressively louder.

“Ehehehehehehehehe!” cackled a feminine voice above them. Makoto watched as the body of his friend Fukawa somersaulted over him, evidently having launched herself from the roof behind them. She hit the ground in a crouch, then rose to reveal the pairs of genoscissors in her hands and her long, dangling tongue.

“Shit NO!” yelled one of the thugs.

“Thank God,” Makoto mumbled, relieved.

The gang was still out of sorts, with some of them pointing their guns towards the sky and stumbling around as they searched for the source of the loud thumping while others were focused on the serial killer before them. The blond man backed away from the scissors-wielding lunatic before him and pulled out his pistol, pointing it at the woman. “Everybody aim at that psycho bitch!” he ordered the others.

Before the group could comply, a black helicopter flew over the adjoining mid-sized building. The group of men looked up in awe and horror.

Byakuya Togami’s authoritative voice called out over a megaphone. “This helicopter is armed with a minigun and an M197 cannon. Your entire force is currently within our sights. Drop your weapons and get your on your knees. I give you my word as a Togami that no one who complies will be harmed. I also give my word that anyone who disobeys will be destroyed.”

And with that, the entire gang obeyed. The sound of guns clattered to the pavement echoed through the lot.

“Ooohhh, I love it when he’s bossy, hehehe!” Genocider cooed.

The helicopter flew lower, and ropes unfurled from it so as to drop some troops into the makeshift arena. As the security forces came in, Makoto Naegi let out a lengthy sigh.

“I’ll have to talk to them about their response time,” Kyoko said to no one in particular, frowning. “They should’ve been here four seconds sooner. Sloppy.”

One of the security troops came over to the bound couple and stepped behind them. He worked quickly slice through their bonds with his combat knife. “Sorry for the delay,” the man in black offered.

Kyoko’s face turned stern as she whirled around to face the soldier, but Makoto cut her off. “No worries!” he told the security officer happily. “The only thing that matters is that you made it in time. We both really appreciate it. We’ll be sure to thank everyone on the team.”

He shot a warm smile over at Kyoko, who reluctantly added, “I… also thank you.” The soldier saluted her and then scurried off.

Moments later, the helicopter had landed in the center of the lot. Most of the troops were securing the so-called Sons of Enoshima. Byakuya Togami climbed out of the helicopter and headed for Naegi and Kirigiri, accompanied by one of the soldiers.

“Oh Master Sweet Cheeeeeeks,” a sing-song voice called out. Togami turned to right to see Genocider holding the now-severed head of the gang leader aloft. “Want some head? Hehehehehehe!” she cackled, clearly entertaining herself.

Byakuya looked utterly disgusted. Turning to the soldier beside him, he ordered “Get someone to gas her before I vomit.” The man with him just nodded and ran off.

“Awww, come on!” Genocider cried out plaintively. She held the severed head in her outstretched arm and declared, “Lookit lookit, I’m Hamlet! That’s the kind of classy shit you dig, right?!”

Byakuya ignored her as he strode over to Naegi and Kirgiri. “Are you both well?” he asked.

“Well enough,” Kyoko responded curtly.

“Isn’t Fukawa-san going to freak when she learns she killed somebody?” Makoto asked with concern.

“She’ll be fine once she knows I ordered her to do so,” Byakuya remarked coolly.

Kyoko folded her arms. “You were slow,” she said simply.

Makoto rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You’re too harsh,” he told her with a soft laugh, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“No, she’s entirely correct,” Byakuya fired back. “I’ve already made the team aware that their performance today was unacceptable.”

Kyoko was looking Makoto in the eyes and only half-listening. “I suppose… unacceptable might be a bit much,” she accepted as the corners of her mouth curled upwards.

Byakuya shook his head. “You’re growing soft, Kirigiri,” he said — thought his tone was far less harsh than his words. “Get yourselves checked out by medical, won’t you?” He turned on his heel and walked off without another word.

Once more alone with Kyoko, Makoto grinned at her. “Thanks for keeping me grounded during all of that,” he said sincerely.

Her tiny, subtle smile was still there when she told him, “It wasn’t just a distraction, you know. We really do need to make these decisions.”

“I know,” he said happily. “Um, I was thinking about our cake, actually, and… do you like Red Velvet?”

“More than I should,” she said, her smile growing a little.

“Awesome!” he said excitedly. His eyes glinted with playful intent when he added, “Next question, then: Are you going to admit it?”

“Admit what?” Kyoko countered with faux ignorance.

“That my special engagement gift was a great idea, of course,” he said, grinning. He put his hands around Kyoko’s hips, sliding them just above the back of her skirt.

She rested her hands on his shoulders and leaned her head down slightly to look him in the eyes. “I never thought having an emergency transponder in my engagement ring was bad, you understand,” she said. “Clever, certainly. Unconventional? Definitely.”

He giggled a little. “Come on, you thought it was weird,” he teased her as his face leaned closer to hers.

“And smart,” she said softly, leaning her nose against his.

“And weird,” he pressed, staring deep into her eyes.

Unable to help it any longer, Kyoko Kirigiri’s mouth broke into a grin. “Yes,” she acknowledged. “It was very weird.”

With that admission, she finally leaned in and pressed her mouth against his. Makoto gently pulled her closer to him as he took the kiss in. He kissed her softly at first, but after what they had just been through, that wasn’t what she wanted. Kyoko moved her hands around his upper back, balled them into fists, and pulled him hard against him, causing him to grunt low in his throat. His arms wrapped around her tightly in response and they pressed together so hard that she thought they might begin to grind into one another.

“Fucking hell!” shouted the dyed-blond thug. From six meters away and on his knees with his hands cuffed behind his back, he made a gagging sound of disgust as he watched Naegi and Kirigiri. “Get a fucking room, you nasty cunts!” he added.

Without stopping the kiss or even opening her eyes, Kyoko pulled her left arm away from Makoto and quietly raised her middle finger in the direction of the voice.