“I’ve won this cute skirmish. I could kill you all bare-handedly, but I’m magnanimous. Stand down and leave in peace. Keep your tongues and I won’t darken your doors... that is, unless you’re foolish enough to speak of my business.” Mitsu stunned me with his sudden offer of peace.

“Why?” I assumed another fighting stance. “Why would you think you could trust any of us to keep our mouths shut after everything you’ve done? Of course we won’t, and you won’t.”

He laughed, “Because I win. Can you not see it? You foolishly passed the scroll to the fox. The scroll is in my possession now. It’s within range. I can assert control over it and call Enenra back. Let’s talk about what led to your folly. Her mistake.” He tightened his grip on Natalia-sama’s neck. She chewed her lip but clutched at his wrist firmly as she glared at him. He ignored her. “All because she rushed to the defense of you sorry lot. In any case, you asked why I think I can trust you... well, the fact is that all three of your yokai friends were captured by my scroll, so they can be recalled to it no matter where they are, if I’m of a mind to do so. They’re mine. I don’t need such useless minions like them, but if you cross me, I’d reclaim them.”

“You never stood a chance to begin with. You’ve put up an amazing fight, but it’s futile.”

I gaped. T-this bastard!

“Furthermore, you yourself have fully become a yokai and far sooner than I thought, which greatly simplifies things. Now I can trap you too, just like them. That’s why you can’t win.”

I looked at everyone’s faces. Natalia-sama snarled, pained by the grip of Mitsuhiko’s arm around her neck. Akuchi had retained his rocket launcher form. Glancing at his motionless form, I wondered if he’d shot his brain at Mitsuhiko. Ume looked concerned. Rui glared balefully. “The only wildcard here is this small one.” He gestured at Rui. “She’s clever and treacherous. I suppose I could kill her, but as clever as you all are, I think for your own sorry asses, you’ll restrain her and remain silent. The moment you darken my doorstep again, things will go so wrong you’ll wish you never saw me.” His eyes were just as dispassionate as ever.

CRAP! What do we do now? He has a point!

“Put your hands up. I won’t accept your surrender otherwise,” Mitsuhiko continued. “Let’s make sure you don’t have any other little tricks up your sleeves.”

Rui raised her hands and scooted next to me. She smiled. Does she have another plan? Already? “Um, Akuchi doesn’t have arms right now,” I pointed out. Ume pouted and raised her hands.

“Akuchi? Who?” Mitsuhiko looked at us with a narrowed expression. His cold eyes scanned the kitchen, then he laughed. “Oh, the foolish tanuki?”

Suddenly a cry echoed through the air. Mitsuhiko’s jaw dropped. Through the hole in the ceiling, Akuchi’s missing rocket came flying, the flames emanating from her rear going full blast. We all had heard the explosion. I could only wonder how Akuchi was still intact.

Mitsuhiko threw his hands up to block the attack. Natalia-sama used the opportunity and shifted form. She dropped down through the hole behind her. That cold-eyed man miscalculated for the first time when he punched Akuchi in a fit of anger. Akuchi crumpled as the force of his blow folded the metal of his form. The moment they connected, Akuchi went practically supernova with a screaming laugh. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Everyone was sent flying from the explosion. I grabbed Rui-chan and held her tightly as we slammed into Mitsuhiko’s stainless steel oven. Glass shattered to rain all around us. Rui rested in my lap and she turned her face up towards me with a warm but tired smile. “I-it’s done..." She sighed softly. “Well, almost. You’re a noh-face... and if you stay that way, you’ll never be human ever again. We don’t know if it will work, but..." She grinned brightly and held up Mitsuhiko’s scroll to me. It was shining. “I’m sure of this... He stole your face... Her face... He must have used this artifact to seal it. Take it back.”

I nodded, noh-smiling. There weren’t any other faces in the offing. I took the scroll and focused on it. When I’d focused on my friends to call them back into the world, somehow I’d managed to call them with just the act of visualizing their appearances, their smiles. From experience, I knew that all I had to do was to think of the face I would never forget.

Reiko-chan’s beautiful face.

The scroll blazed like the sun. Pain racked my limbs, all throughout my body. Every inch hurt and burned, but I was used to this pain by now. Rui-chan gasped and wrapped her arms around me. I collapsed on the floor, thrashing around. Ume was standing unsteadily and dusted off her skirt. I saw them, but I couldn’t speak. I was aflame, so to speak. My eyes turned down to where Akuchi had fallen. And she didn’t move. Natalia-sama didn’t resurface. Dust fell from the ceiling where it had collapsed into the kitchen. Rui held me tightly as I thrashed. Tears leaked from my eyes. Akuchi... are you alright? Did you survive, Natalia-sama?

When the dust cleared, Mitsuhiko stood still, unfazed. His eyes were slightly glazed and his suit in shambles. They focused slowly on us. They were filled with hatred. There was no chance for peace anymore. Ume gasped as she also noticed his improbable survival. She placed herself between us with a determined expression. She hissed, despite how cute she always was. She stalked towards Mitsuhiko like a predator. I watched helplessly. We shouldn’t have replaced my face so soon! Assuming it was done and over has finally killed us! Never put your back to your enemy! The man walked to meet Ume, tearing the scraps of his suit from his arms. His muscles stood out with fine detail. You could see his biceps and triceps with veins winding between them like rivers on the surface of the earth.

“You took even her face back. I thought I’d treasure it forever in her memory.” Mitsuhiko stood before Ume, dwarfing her. “You couldn’t even leave that to me.”

“It isn’t yours!” I yelled and strained to stand with my teeth gritting. My body was barely responding to any of the desperate commands my brain was sending. It was only by willpower that I was able to tremblingly make a stand. I glared at him furiously.

“And it’s not yours either.” Mitsuhito took a step towards me. I shook, knowing there wasn’t anything I could do in my current state. “No matter how you came by her face, do not forget that I loved her. You desecrate it by simply wearing it.” He focused now a hatred-filled gaze on me. “I’d have let you go, but you did this unpardonable and unforgivable act yet again. That mercy now means absolutely nothing. I’ll swear that I will take everything from you.”

Ume hissed and leapt up onto Mitsuhiko. He moved sluggishly to block her despite how energetic he’d seemed. Ume sank her fangs into his neck. She bit so deeply blood started welling in a fountain from his jugular. His eyes narrowed and he let out a loud scream. The dark energy which had wreathed around him renewed itself as he tore Ume from his neck. A large gob of his flesh flew from her fangs as blood welled from the wound. He glared murderously at Ume, who had broken the mask indifference he wore daily. He lifted her as high as he could to throw her brutally into the remnants of the marble and jagged wood of his kitchen island which was cluttered with pots and even jagged glass.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Ume screamed as she impacted with a loud clattering and several thuds.

*CRASH* *RATTLE* *SLAM*

Ume was limp and motionless. I started to cry, feeling utterly powerless to prevent this from happening to Rui-chan. My knees shook and I fell to my knees in the broken glass by the wrecked oven.

His freezing icy eyes were flaming as clapped a hand over the wound in his neck. Energy surged around his hand. His blood welled around his hand down his side and as he walked a trail of blood spots followed him. The droplets gleamed redly in the lighting of his kitchen.

Rui reached into her purse and removed a lighter. She held it beneath Mitsuhiko’s scroll which she was still holding. He wobbled. Then, she ran her thumb over the igniter.

*SNICK*

No flame appeared. Mitsuhiko hesitated, hearing the click. He licked his lips and his eyes narrowed. He suddenly threw himself across the remaining distance to wrest the scroll away from Rui or to kill her where she stood.

I gasped, desperately sending signals from my brain to my body to my disobedient body. I flopped forcefully. My whole body burned, particularly my chest did. I felt an intense pressure as though my heart was bursting. I watched as he wrestled Rui down.

My feet moved hesitantly. MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE DAMN IT!

“MOVEEEE!!!” I screamed aloud as I threw myself into the man.

Mitsuhiko yelled. He thrashed and threw himself to the side. The remnants of his suit were on fire. He screamed, tearing the last parts of his suit off. I looked down to Rui. She smiled brightly at me, giving me a victory sign. The scroll too was on fire. She’d managed to ignite it!

I laughed softly. It really is done, now... I removed my helmet, and heaved a deep sigh.

Mitsuhiko shuddered up onto his hands. I stared at him disbelieving. “I can’t believe you’re still standing... Your scroll is turning to ashes.”

“Hah, now you taunt me again with her voice.” Mitsuhiko struggled to his feet. “And those eyes.”

“You can’t steal them anymore, never again.” I shook my head.

“No, I’ve lost,” He sighed, leaning heavily against the nearest wall. “Will you kill me?”

I gaped at the question. “H-hell no! I refuse!”

“You’ll just have me arrested. But, what evidence do you have that would successfully find me guilty in any human court?” Mitsumaru chuckled derisively.

“We’ll find a way!” I yelled as I stomped over to him and glared down at him with one that usually made people scurry away from me. I placed my hands on my hips firmly. “You’ll pay for the crimes you’ve committed. For the people you’ve murdered. For Reiko-chan! If you won’t surrender, I’ll pummel you until you do!” I yelled, putting a foot down on him.

He hesitated and then laughed aloud, coughing up blood. “I don’t doubt that. Before, you spoke with her voice, but now I sense there’s something of her behind those words and eyes of hers. Tell me... does some vestige of her mind survive inside you?”

I stared down at him blankly, unable to answer his question. No, I was simply unwilling. “I just have a feeling.” He laughed raggedly as he lost consciousness.