--

"D... Dark Shadow?" Tokoyami heard his own voice. It was a strange feeling indeed. The location of the place and the physics that acted on them didn't make sense... but it didn't seem to confuse Tokoyami. It was similar to a dream where illogical events occur without you doubting its realism. Tokoyami's whole mind was solely focused in front of him. His reflection?

His reflection nods, yet it was Dark Shadow that was controlling it.

"I... I thought I lost you forever... I thought I would never see you again!"

Hot tears welled up in his eyes. However, he them back from falling.

"Why do you look like me? " he had been wanting to ask.

" What?... I don't get it. "

."...! That means...!"

Tokoyami felt himself shake in surprise, realisation dawned upon him as he stared at his 'reflection'.

"Then I should stop calling you Dark Shadow, brother" He tried smiling, but something did not allow him to.

Dark Shadow sharply inhaled a little, but quickly hid his attempt at doing so.

"Did you knew about this all along?"

" So why are you telling this to me now?"

That's when he started to realise changes he weren't noticing before. He no longer see from 2 eyes... his beak that always covered his lower vision was gone. It was similar to watching a television.

His vision could move independently from his body. As he retracted his sight, he saw what he was made out of... wisps of green and blue energy emerging from a glowing ball of energy.

No wonder I felt different, yet I didn't realise.

"How did you even recognise me?"

" We have been together for 17 years. It would be sacrilegious to not recognise you. "

"Fair enough... Wait, I was told that I have something left undone..." Tokoyami shifted. He was still not used to his new form, feeling disturbed by the foreign sensations.

"You can do that?"

This was news to Tokoyami. He remembered when Dark Shadow told him after his own death, Dark Shadow would be reincarnated into a new body.

"Thank God... Wait, what do you mean 'yet'?"

Oh right... He placed it in his soul too.

He thought to himself dreadfully, his mood darkening. He looked down to the floor, averting his own... Dark shadow's eyes.

" I'm sorr-"

Tokoyami returned his vision to Dark Shadow, surprised by the sudden interruption.

Tokoyami hated that he had limited time with Dark Shadow. He regretted to not have spent more time with Dark Shadow, even though he practically been with him his whole life. The connection, the bond between them was weak until the end as well.

"What is it?" He finally asked.

"What?" Tokoyami made a face that is seen in his actual form would be priceless.

"No... Nonono. I cannot take away your chance to exist. It's your only chance to take control of your body." He was shocked to even find Dark Shadow willing to sacrifice that much for him, even though he never really did the same back.

"I can't... I can't just take that away from you. I've already taken away many things from you... I will not forgive myself for grabbing your last streak of hope. I would never... "

That's when he realised he was crying; or at least, he would've been. He was broken on the inside without a reaction on the outside.

"..."

" You're my best friend. My brother. How could I abandon you for my friend? You even saved me and basically my friends too by preventing my death. "

"... "

" You were just protecting me... "

There were disturbances in the void. They were similar to the disturbance of the air above a flame. There were turbulent currents swirling around them.

" How do I even enter your body?"

" I don't. I still feel guilty... "

"... Fine. Just to let you know, I'm not agreeing because I want you to repay your 'sins', you've already been forgiven. I'm doing this if it makes you happy."

"I just want to let you know, how very happy I was to see you again. You're a great person, better than I thought you were. I... I just wished to go on more adventures with you. I wished I had... spent more time with you. I wish we could... work together for once and fight villains together. I... I... "

Without warning, Dark Shadow grabbed Tokoyami's soul. However, he embraced it first.

There was a moment, where all the turbulent currents became linear. There was a warm aura emanating from their two souls. Dark Shadow wrapped his two hands around the soul. Pressing it against his feathers. He closed his eyes and nuzzled him warmly. A crystal form could be seen escaping his closed eyelids and glittered in the light. It left a wet trail on his feathers, leaving behind little perfect spheres of tears on it.

" Will we ever meet again, brother?"

As he proceeds to place Tokoyami's soul into his body, they exchanged their last words...

" I love you brother "

When the two souls contacted each other, there was a series of compressions and rarefactions. It felt as if the whole world tilted against the disturbances of their force they've created.

Tokoyami's vision slowly drifted, the surroundings slowly turning white as he found himself a new form. Within a matter of seconds, his vision was completely white and Dark Shadow was nowhere to be found.

His vision cleared slowly but surely. It took some time to take in his surroundings but something about his location he definitely cannot miss...

The UA Academy logo greeted him with its full glory. It's building stood behind, towering like a behemoth and it seemed to be glaring at him.

Looking down, he saw himself back into his original body... or Dark Shadow's.

Gathering up his feelings and thoughts,

he walked through the gates of UA the final time...