Chapter 12 - An Artist's Masterpiece

Author's Notes:
- Final chapter! Wooo!!! xD And man, did it take me forever to write, or what? I'm sure Brian was ready to kill me at some point or another lol.
- HOWEVER. This is not truly the end! For we are already working on a sequel :) It'll be super cool. I'm pumped!
- Anyway, enjoy the final chapter :D





“…Now what?” Kat wondered outloud, looking to Crimson and Dolosus for suggestions. They looked at each other. Crimson shrugged. They all turned at the sound of the main door of the Organization building slamming shut behind Mohajon and Maion’s group with a mighty, echoing boom. The Organization members relaxed with their departure. People began to talk and laugh and congradulate each other on a job well done. They had protected their master, and had brought victory to glorify their names. Wounds were tended to, casualties counted and cared for, and the few dead were removed from the area.
“I think…” Crimson said quiety, breaking the silence between the three, “we should go check up on Altojo. He went to see Demonic quite some time ago, and he didn’t leave her room with Mohajon and…” She trailed off. Are dead people still counted?
Kat nodded in agreement, but Dolosus seemed unsure.
“Demonic won't be happy with us barging in if she still has business with Altojo. She wanted to speak with him alone, so it’s none of our-“ he stopped. She had wanted to speak with him alone. Dolosus’ heart pounded against his ribs and his mouth went dry. The girls noticed his sudden change in demeanor and panic seized them as well.
“Let’s go.” Crimson said, and the three walked briskly towards the throne room, with Kat breaking into a jog here and there. Despite this quickened pace, however, the walk seemed to last forever. The hallway stretched in front of them, an expansive wasteland, scarred from the previous battle. As they proceeded, pulses quickened, hearts raced, and by the time they reached the towering doors to the throne room, not one of the three could conceal their anxiety.
The doors opened with the same amount of force applied as usual, yet it seemed to Dolosus to take extra effort. His body ached dully from physical and unacustomed emotional exertion, and he desired nothing more than to retire to his room and rest. For the time being, however, there were matters to be attented to. Rest would have to wait.
When the trio entered the crumbled remains of the throne room, Kat pushed ahead anxiously, while Crimson lingered behind for a moment to give the desamated hallway one last glance. Between the two, Dolosus scanned the throne room with narrowed eyes. The tile was cracked and shattered in several places, and blood splattered the floor, walls and ceiling. Demonic could be seen leaning against the wall opposite them. She stood next to her throne, rather than sitting in it as per usual.
She’s still tense, Dolosus thought, noting her odd, restless composure, she expects something more.
Demonic looked up and offered a quick glance to each of the three. She said nothing. No orders, no questions, no declaration of victory. Kat had stopped to stare curiously at the master.
‘What are you thinking?’ her eyes silently inquired, ‘What are you feeling, if anything, now that you’ve won?’
Dolosus and Crimson now stood on either side of Kat. They stood at attention as Demonic fussed with her hands, examining them like some fascinating specimin.
“Where is Altojo?” Crimson spoke boldly, though Dolosus noticed her hand hovering about her weapon. The warrior’s security blanket.
Demonic let her hands fall to her sides, and turned her eyes to a dark mass in a shadowed corner several feet away, laying motionlessly on smashed tile. All three stared blankly, not quite comprehending for some time.
“No!!” the scream tore from Kat’s throat and she made to run to Altojo’s side. Dolosus seized her around the waist and held her back with one arm despite her struggles. She scratched his arm and kicked his shins, but he would not loosen his grip on her.
“Let go of me, Dolosus! That’s Altojo! That’s my best friend! Let GO!!”
“Kat, stop! Stay close to me, Kat!” Dolosus tightened his hold and tried to talk sense into the frantic girl. Slowly, her attempts to escape weakened, then ceased all together, though her breath came in labored gasps and her expression was wild and desperate.
“What have you done?” Crimson demanded of Demonic, her eyes narrowed to a fierce, blood thirsty glare. Demonic had tensed further. Her brush was held at the ready in her right hand, and she looked at the three as a predator on the hunt.
“Dolosus,” she said, ignoring Crimson entirely, “kill these two. Kill them and we will have truly won.”
That confirmed it to all three. Altojo was dead. Demonic had murdered him, and Dolosus’ orders were to kill Kat and Crimson. Finish the job. Serve his master well. He could feel her exerting her will over him, and his instinct and everything he had ever been screamed at him to obey. Slowly, he released Kat from his hold and gripped his scythe tightly.
He was silent, as if in a transe. The two girls watched him, Crimson poised and ready for battle, Kat standing in a state of shock and desperation. Silent tears descended her girlish face, and though she held her leaf still, it hung in her hand at her side, leaving her open to any sudden danger. Crimson saw the shift as Dolosus’ muscles tensed, and she tightened her own stance. Finally, all at once, the blade soared.
“No! Dolosus!!” Kat shrieked in agony and sunk to the floor, her legs now too weak to support her. Immediately, ink sprung from the tile around her to chain her down in painted shackles. She was helpless.
Crimson, meanwhile, had barely managed to dodge the scythe with a quick dive to her left. She recovered and got to her feet, katana at the ready. Soon, however, she realized that her dodge had set up up with her back to Demonic and Dolosus in front of her, already preparing his next assault.
Damnit! Her mind screamed at her, though she still managed to effectively perry Dolosus’ next blow. Swing after swing she evaded or blocked, yet she was quickly losing her ground. He was backing her up to Demonic. Determined to stand her ground, she refused to back any further, bringing the fighers into close quarters. The tip of the blade came descending in a graceful arch over Crimson’s head, and she locked her blade against the staff, the point of the scythe hovering a mere inch over her head. Locked in this temporary stalemate, the two glared at each other with the fierce intensity which only a warrior could know. Then, so quietly that Crimson could barely hear him, Dolosus snarled,
“Play along!” Crimson gaped at him in momentary confusion, then gave a look of grim understanding. Dolosus growled more loudly this time,
“I’ve been waiting for far too long for this moment! Today, I have my victory!”
“You’ll have to take it from me!” Crimson retorted, taking a swing of her sword which was easily blocked by the scythe’s staff. A few more blows of scythe and sword, and Crimson had been backed to Demonic, a few small feet from her.
He’s trying to get to Demonic, Crimson thought anxiously, I’m going to have to make a quick dodge…
And it came soon enough. A horizontal slash carrying massive power came soaring towards Crimson. At least, that’s how it would appear.
“Duck!” Dolosus shouted. Crimson sunk to the floor in an instant, and the blade curved further outward at Demonic, soaring close to Crimson’s head so that red and blonde hair ruffled in the resulting breeze. Slowed by shock and sustained injuries, Demonic suffered a thin cut across her chest as she jumped back.
“Traitor!” she growled at her creation.
“No,” Dolosus replied cooly, weapon at the ready, “I’ve finally found where my true alliance lies!”
He brought down the scythe in a slightly curved arch in front of him, which was easily dodged. Demonic scoffed, but then slowly began to see what he was doing. The blade circled back and he spun it to his other side like a windmill or a twirling baton. Swinging the weapon in this manner, Dolosus advanced towards his master. She carefully stepped aside the blade each time it came gliding down to meet her, but its momentum added to its speed. Dodging swings became more and more difficult, and Demonic knew that she would have to counter rather than simply jump around him like a frightened mouse. Brow furrowed in concentration, she studied the timing of Dolosus’ swings until she finally brought up her brush to halt his scythe all at once, the wood of the brush locked against the staff, just below the blade. Then, her movements quick and precise, she turned the brush vertically and pushed his scythe to the side, putting Dolosus off balance. In an inastant, she spun the brush in one hand and slammed it against Dolosus’ head. Stars exploded in his vision and he stumbled to the floor. Demonic saw her chance and began to paint, her brush work quicker and more exact than ever as Dolosus recovered and got to his feet.
When he rose, Dolosus was faced with a nightmarish beast, the likes of which he had only ever seen in some of Demonic’s older paintings. Shimmering red eyes glared from a pitch black feline face, followed by a long, snake-like tail of ink from the head down. The creature was several feet long, the head larger than that of a lion, and it hovered in the air above Dolosus, fanged mouth agape and salivating with predatory hunger.
Slowly, Dolosus backed away, subtly putting distance between himself and this hellish new creation. In an instant, the beast closed this distance, whipping its head forward and snapping at him. Dolosus stumbled somewhat at first, alarmed by the speed of such a large creature. He quickly regained his composure, however, and evaded several more attempts to devour him. From its position at his side, Dolosus swung the scythe upwards, slicing through the middle of the beast’s black form. Proud of the kill, Dolosus grinned smugly at first, but then noticeed something very wrong. The two halves of the supposedly vanquished beast hovered in the air for a moment, then, one tendril of ink at a time, they reached towards each other and began to rejoin.
“Oh, no…” Dolosus groaned.
“Oh, yes.” Demonic said with a chuckle, “my darling pet had never truly solidified. I left him formed of liquid ink. That’s not to say he’s not as deadly as a solid form. If he consumes you… well, imagine being smothered and suffocated by ink.”
By now the beast had completely reformed and had resumed its agile attacks. Dolosus narrowly avoided each one, and when he saw an opening at last, he instinctively went on the offensive. The scythe glided through the air, and in mere moments, Dolosus had created four clean cuts right through the beast’s body. This only served to temporarily stall the creature as it repaired itself and Dolosus looked on it with anger and even fear.
Distance! He suddenly realized, I need distance! And he ran. To the observers it would appear he was fleeing for his life, but he stopped very suddenly and swung his scythe in front of him, then spun around to face his adversary as it charged at him. Finally, with the beast barely an inch from him, its great jaws gaping open at their widest, Dolosus stepped to the side. Unable to stop itself, the damned creature flew into a wormhole behind Dolosus which he had been standing directly in front of. With another arch of the blade, Dolosus sealed the hole shut, and the beast was lost.
Demonic hardly seemed to react to this. The artist’s creative mind began racing. Images, creatures and objects flew across her imagination. In moments, Dolosus’ death had been forseen in a hundred different ways. Meanwhile, her former servant clutched his weapon, panting in exhaustion, grasping desperately for a way to get to her. He’d have to be clever, try to outsmart her. How could he hope to destroy the very person who had created him?
As the two fighters considered their next moves, Crimson stood beside Kat, guarding her, as they had both given up on freeing her from her restraints. After much expended time and effort attempting to break or slide out of the chains that bound her to the floor, it was evident that Kat could not be freed until Demonic was brought down.
“Crimson…” Kat whispered to her friend in desperation, “can’t you do something to help him? Anything?”
“I’d considered it,” she responded, her voice even and calm, though her eyes burned and her fists were tightly clenched, “but you know Dolosus. He’s proud and stubborn. Do you really think he’d accept my help?”
Kat thought back to his battle with Ikonu. It was the same. This was his fight. No, this was his even more so than that previous battle. This was his freedom. Kat nodded.
“I understand… but, Crimson…”
“I know,” she said, and drew her katana, the blade glistening in the dull light of the throne room, “if he truly needs my help, he’ll have it, whether he wants it or not.”
But Demonic had noticed Crimson brandishing her weapon out of the corner of her eye.
Dolosus’ fan club is getting fiesty… time to take action.
The brush moved, but this time, rather than launching into a series of complex strokes, she simply dashed the brush across the air three times, sending blots of ink splattering onto the walls and ceiling of the throne room. Dolosus immediately tightened his stance, glancing nervously around him. The ink was essentially an extension of Demonic herself. Dolosus knew that he was now surrounded. As he whipped his head back and forth, determined not to be caught off guard, he noticed something odd about the ink blots. One at a time, they would begin to ripple and bubble, as if from some disturbance just beneath the surface. This would occur for just a few short moments, then would cease, and the action would be resumed by another blot.
"What could it be, Dolo-kun?" Demonic teased, her lips curled into a sneer, "Some menace waiting below the surface, biding its time for the perfect opportunity to attack. Who does that remind me of, hm? Who waited for the perfect time to sneak up and attack like a slippery little coward?"
"Don't try to play the victim, Demonic. It's pathetic."
At this, she laughed, a roaring, mocking laugh which echoed about the cavernous room. She laughed and laughed, and soon, another seemed to join in her mirth. A euphoric screech sounded from every side of the room. Dolosus flinched at the sound and soon caught sight of the actual source. A pair of tiny white eyes, matched with two small fangs, emerged in a swelling bulb of ink from one of the blots. It seemed that this new being was wailing in rapture from its eyes, as they widened, staring intently at Dolosus.
"What the--?" but just as Dolosus thought to guard against the bizarre creature, it shot out from the wall at him, transforming quite suddenly. A gaping mouth of sharpened fangs came at him on an otherwise diminutive being, shocking Dolosus so that he barely escaped the thing with a minor cut on his arm where one of the monstrous fangs had swept past him. He grunted in pain and irritation.
"That's like you, Demonic. Send your pets and creations to do your dirty work for you."
She grinned and shrugged,
"It's always worked so far."
Another shriek sounded, as if in reply to the comment. A cruel laugh at a witty joke. Then, the ink blots began to take turns rippling and bubbling once more, and soon enough, the creature emerged once again and shot out at Dolosus. He was ready this time, however, and positioned the blade of his scythe directly in the creature's path. This attempt went remarkably well, it seemed. It was essentially a blob of ink with teeth. Thus, like the previous beast, it could easily reform itself. This, Dolosus had expected. More interesting was the fact that it had not avoided the scythe. The creature traveled through the ink blots freely, but once outside of them, it ran fast, straight paths.
"A rather limited creation." he observed.
"It will suffice." said Demonic.
Not allowing conversation to distract him, Dolosus watched intently for where the screeching ink blob would attack from next. He caught the movement at the last moment and barely managed to side step the creature. He watched it dive back into its ink world and he began to mull over his options. Meanwhile, he had to remain alert and aware of its assaults. Each time, he would barely escape, and he soon realized that each time, it came faster and closer.
If I could catch up to it... He thought desperately, If I could move as it does...
And soon enough, inspiration struck. He raised his scythe to form a portal, but lost sight of the creature. In an instant, it came for him, and razor sharp teeth dug into his right leg.
"Ah-! Aagh!!" Dolosus cried out, his body weakened for a moment. He slowly looked down in horror at the thing latched onto his leg, his own blood soaking through his jeans and trickling down into his boots. For a time, he couldn't think or move. All there was was pain. Yet he managed to cut away the blood thirsty creature. It retreated to reform and enter the ink blots once more. It had lost momentum, but Dolosus still had little time.
With a grunt of effort, a portal was created in the floor, and Dolosus more or less let himself fall into it, just as the creature soared by in another attack. He soon emerged from another hole he created on the ceiling. He then retreated into it and emerged from a third hole in a wall, and repeated the process until there were as many portals as ink blots.
Stealing a glance at Demonic, Dolosus saw her perplexed and greatly disturbed. Perhaps, even worried.
So she didn't know I could maintain several wormholes either. That makes two of us, He thought, pleased with his discovery.
The ink creature, meanwhile, did not seem quite sure what to do. Having lost its target, it traveled between blots rapidly, without ever emerging. Dolosus could just barely follow its movements by watching for the disturbances in the inky black puddles on the walls and ceiling. He frequently traveled between portals as well to ensure that it could never pin point his location, and eventually, he found the chance he had been awaiting.
He found himself, for a moment, at a portal near the ink blot underneath which the creature resided. In his alotted split second, Dolosus reacted, plunging his scythe into the bubbling pool of ink. He felt it meet the creature, and he tore through it entirely. It let out one last wail, this one of terrible agony, and was effectively silenced.
Dolosus withdrew his scythe quickly, relieved that the creature had been vulnerable in its traveling state. He brought himself back to the floor through his wormholes, then promptly released his psychological hold on them, closing each simultaneously.
A second creation destroyed by Dolosus' hand. Demonic was losing patience with the whole affair, and watched her ink blots drip down from the walls and ceiling with burning, wrathful eyes. Such a waste of precious ink! Fueled by rage, she wasted no time. As the ink seemingly melted down to the floor, she took direct control of it. She sent it at Dolosus, seizing his limbs as he struggled to escape. He thrashed about and sliced through it, but it was like drowning in living water. It pushed him against the wall opposite Demonic. Then, with all the force of any especially strong fighter, it pinned his arms to the wall and immediately solidified into shackles, not unlike those which held Kat. His ankles were likewise bound, and Dolosus was left defenseless, scythe in hand, yet unable to be used. Splayed out like a specimen waiting to be dissected, he watched Demonic as she approached.
"Don't," Dolosus said to Crimson, as he caught her moving forward to assist him, "I'm not dead yet. Don't you dare try to take this from me," he went on, and as he spoke, his breath became sharp and his words fierce, "I will kill my former master. I will protect you two and avenge Altojo, and most of all, I and only I will take my freedom!" he was screaming, panting with the exertion. Crimson stopped, halted entirely by his resolution, though she frowned deeply, sweat beading her forehead.
"You fool..."
Demonic vaguely noted the convenience of not having to chain Crimson up as well, and soon came to stand directly in front of Dolosus. She flipped the brush around in her hand and jabbed the wooden end up beneath his chin, nearly choking him.
"Will you surrender?" she asked plainly. She was done with sarcasm and mockery. Anger and the thirst for blood had taken over.
He spat at her feet. The answer was clear.
"Very well, slave. You will die by the ink which created you." a punch landed on his stomach before he had time to register the blow. He gasped and coughed up blood and saliva. Soon, he saw her hand move again and prepared for another blow, but it never came. Instead, Demonic grabbed a fist full of his torn, bloodied shirt and ripped it away. Shredded pieces clung to his arms and open wounds, but his bare, blood soaked torso was left exposed. This done, Demonic raised her brush to his chest and began to paint on his very flesh. Soon, she had created a small black dagger of ink on his body. It dried in a matter of moments, and the artist raised her free hand and placed it gently, even tenderly on the mark. Dolosus felt her hand, cold and clammy against his chest, and for a moment, nothing else. Soon enough, however, he felt the mark's effects.
A blood curdling scream tore from his throat, his body twitched and spasmed with pain he'd never felt before. Tears of agony ran down his face from blood shot eyes. He struggled against his restraints, crying out in pain all the while, but it was in vain. After was felt like an eternity, Demonic lowered her hand, satisfied for the time being.
Kat had begun to sob terribly, her body weak with despair. She looked on through tear-filled eyes as Dolosus' body slumped over, held up only by the shackles on his wrists and ankles. Tiny trails of blood trickles down from Dolosus' torso, and Kat realized that the mark had actually dug into his body at Demonic's will. Kat grew pale. Demonic could dig right through him if she chose.
Demonic rose her hand once more. Kat had to do something. She had to help him. Her leaf was left useless in her hand due to her own bindings, so she focused her power and began to summon her wind. It was a more difficult task without the aid of her leaf, but, groaning with the effort, Kat summoned a gust of wind which circled around her, gaining force by the moment.
The artist froze, her hand suspended in front of her, and she watched Kat with a scowl. Dolosus turned to see her and choked out,
"D...Don't...Kat..." before the gust was released. In a split second, Demonic raised a wall of ink between herself and Kat from the tile beneath them. The wind howled at the wall and around it, but Demonic's will strengthened it, and Kat's attack was proved ineffectual. When the wind had ceased, she lowered the wall.
"Pathetic attempts from a pathetic little girl," she said, and pressed her hand to Dolosus' chest a little more firmly than before, "Watch as your love suffers."
Dolosus screamed. His body arched away from the wall, his mouth and eyes gaping open. The corner of Demonic's mouth twitched, and she grinned with sadistic delight. She pressed her hand on him more firmly, and by this point, even screams failed him. He was silent, body still arched forward and shaking violently. When it seemed he was frozen as such, his mouth stretched wide in a silent cry, Demonic relented. Slowly, his jaws shut, and his body slackened, though his eyes remained in a wide, agonized stare.
We've lost... Kat thought with despair, she's going to kill us all. It's over.
At this moment, Demonic reached a hand, not to the bloody mark on his chest, but for his scythe. She grasped the weapon and pulled it from Dolosus' hand with little effort.
"I'll relieve you of this. You never could hold on to it for very long." she said. Yet, not a second after the words had left her lips, she halted. She stood utterly still for a long moment, her mouth slightly ajar, and her eyes slowly widened to a horrified stare. Her body began to tremble, and her fists clenched about the brush and scythe. She fell to her knees, unfocused green eyes directed ahead at Dolosus, but not truly seeing him anymore.
"The scythe..." he said weakly, "it's the scythe's power. But... why? It shouldn't..."
"Get off." Demonic whispered. Sweat beaded her forehead as she knelt, body now shaking violently. "Get off of me. You'll never touch me again!"
The three others watched in stunned horror as her agitation increased. She would twitch and move at random, as if not sure what to do with herself. The face of cold indifference was now pale and twisted into a grimace of pain and fear, and she screamed,
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you and all the rest! I'll kill you and take what's mine!!" she began thrash about, hitting the floor and flailing and finally, she threw the scythe from her in blind desperation. With a great clatter, it scraped and spun across the floor until it hit the wall. Still, she knelt on the floor, her arms wrapped tightly about herself as she trembled.
Meanwhile, the chains binding Kat and Dolosus dissolved away into ink. Demonic had lost her focus, rendering it useless. Dolosus fell from the wall and collapsed into a heap on the floor with a grunt of pain. Shakily, he pushed himself up, hardly able to support his own weight.
"Dolosus!" he turned as Crimson tossed her katana to him. She knew she could not take this fight from him, but her conscience and her loyalty to Kat would not let her watch idly as Dolosus fought. He caught it by the hilt and gave the girls a weak smile and a nod. He turned to Demonic. She seemed to be slowly regaining her senses, though she was worn and barely clinging to sanity. Her hand fumbled for her brush and finally found it. Dolosus reacted quickly.
The katana soared towards her, and lacking all other options, she brought the brush up in front of her. It was a sloppy attack at best, yet with enough force behind it to cut through the wood like a knife through butter. Demonic was left with all but the bristles of her brush. She was defenseless.
He... He was on me... Dolosus is up now... he touched me... but... but I killed him... I killed him, all those years ago... and now Dolosus will kill me... I've used too much ink... my blood...
Eyes glazed over, Demonic gazed up at her masterpiece. She held the brush weakly, so that the next clumsy swing of the sword sent it flying from her hand. She shuffled away from him on the floor, but her drained body could not carry her fast enough. Dolosus stumbled and fell forwards atop her, now on all fours. With one knee on the floor on either side of her waist, he rested his entire upper body on a hand on Demonic's shoulder, pinning her to the floor. Shaking violently, Dolosus raised his arm and pointed the katana down at her, the point resting on her neck. He stared down at her silently, panting, his wound dripping blood down onto her chest.
And then, Demonic smiled. A blissful, eerily beautiful smile.
"I always new... that you would be the one to kill me..."
"Wha-What are you talking about?!" Dolosus growled, seeming to force the words out from his throat.
She laughed softly, but the effort made her dizzy, so she was forced to take a moment to let the spinning and nausea stop. When she looked into Dolosus' eyes once more, he saw a spark, a giddy joy which he had never seen in them before.
"Kill me, Dolosus. I made you to be perfect. You are my masterpiece. Only one addition remains. One final stroke of the brush. As your master, I command you to kill me! Kill me and be perfected!" she had worked herself into a frenzy, grinning madly, exerting every last shred of her will over him. He could feel her pushing him. Bloodlust, rage, revenge, and even her orders urged him towards this slaughter. Yet, he hesitated. His head hurt. He couldn't think.
"What are you waiting for?!"
"I-I won't! I refuse! My perfection won't lie in murder!!" on the final word, he put his entire body into one movement. He slammed his forehead against Demonic's. Her head hit the tile, and she was out.
"Besides..." Dolosus said, shakily, "I don't like following orders..." he crumpled onto his side, rolled onto his back, and let himself drift away next to his fallen creator. The two lay in an oppressive silence, among shattered, blood and ink stained tile, a tiny puddle of blood over each of their hearts.

Dolosus opened his eyes up the smallest crack. There was a light. Was he dead?
This could be it... I see light... he thought groggily through the fog of his mind, It's... flickering. That's kind of annoying... with a great effort, he pried his eyes open all the way. He was on a bed in a small hotel room, the fluorescent light flickering above him, the sound of the TV reaching his ears as if from a distance. He was hungry.
"This... is not the afterlife." he murmured.
"Ah! Kat, the invalid had awakened."
"The who?"
"Kat, turn off the damned hair dryer and get over here. Dolosus is up!"
"He-! Really?!"
In an instant, Kat was at his side, her long pink hair thrown up in a hasty pony-tail. Dolosus rolled his head to the side to look at her. He smiled weakly at the teary eyed girl.
"Kat..." he said softly, "You're beautiful."
At this, she broke down into tears, sobbing pathetically. Dolosus mustered some strength to bring his hand to rest on hers. Then, he turned his head towards Crimson on the other side of the bed.
"What happened? I... I can't remember."
"You defeated Demonic. She's alive, though." Crimson began, getting to her feet to fetch him some water and saltines, "We brought you here to rest. The Crows helped, and brought your scythe- wrapped in a sheet, to be safe. It's been three days since then. I'll get you something to eat..." here, there was a pause, punctuated by sobs and hiccups from Kat.
"And... Altojo?" Dolosus asked. Crimson stood with her back to him and said,
"Kat and I saw about the burial... We didn't let the Crows help with that part. We found the file," she said, changing the subject abruptly, "We read it and left it for Demonic to reclaim when she comes to. We figured it best to avoid another confrontation. It's time we left her and her people alone." she said this in the way one addresses a topic they've thought through too many times, out of habit. Kat had collected herself by now, and the three sat in silence. Crimson handed the water and crackers to Dolosus, who nodded his gratitude and quickly devoured it all. He couldn't remember the last time he had a bite to eat for the life of him.
"So," he sighed, settling back on the bed and closing his eyes, "that's that."
"That's that." said Crimson with a nod. But Dolosus had already fallen asleep once more, though more peacefully now.
"When should we tell him about the file?" Kat asked absently, smoothing down his hair as he slept. Crimson frowned,
"When he's better."

Days and weeks passed in a blur of indifference. The trio switched hotels every few days to avoid being tracked. Dolosus healed quickly all the while; that's how he had been designed.
Finally, Dolosus and Kat discussed the contents of the file. One would think that this would be an urgent matter to be brought up at the first opportunity. For these three fighters, however, it was of little consequence when it was mentioned. It would be, sooner or later, but now that the fight was over, there was no rush. There was nothing to rush towards.
Dolosus sat on the roof of the current hotel, watching the last reds and oranges of the sun fade from the sky and sink into the shelter of the horizon. A breeze ruffled his hair, and Kat floated up on a cushion of the swirling air to meet him.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"What are you doing up here?"
"Thinking."
"About?"
"What to do next..." Dolosus frowned slightly, "I've never had this choice before."
"Oh..." Kat was at a loss for words. Finalyl, she said, "Crimson said I should tell you about the file. About what we read."
"Right!" Dolosus said, suddenly coming to attention. He had nearly forgotten what they had been fighting for this whole time, "What did it say?"
"Well..." she began, sitting next to Dolosus, "It was mostly Demonic's past. It was written by another creation under her master."
"Her master?" Dolosus repeated in awe.
"Yeah... But he's dead now. Demonic killed him. Anyway, it said that he created Demonic to be his magnum opus. He made her to be perfect." Dolosus flinched at the word.
"Apparently he spoke about her in the same way Demonic spoke about you, only... worse. Demonic fell in love with her master. He began abusing and mistreating her. It was horrifying... so she killed him. And all of his other creations, but one. We think that's who wrote the file." Dolosus gave a heavy sigh and rested his head on his hands. Kat went on,
"There was also a lot of information on the paintbrush that she wielded. It said that the ink is made from the blood of the user. That's it's down-side, I suppose. If you overuse it, you run out of blood."
"A double-edged sword." Dolosus noted, "Demonic did seem to limit herself a lot for someone with the ability to spontaneously create." Kat nodded and continued,
"It also explained that the brush is only passed on when a master's perfect creation kills them and takes it from them. After this, their memory is altered, and they remember nothing before gaining the brush. Anyway, that's how Demonic got a hold of it."
"And how I would have gotten it..." Dolosus said quietly. He got to his feet, and so did Kat. It was dark out now. The street lights and buildings prevented them from seeing all but the brightest stars. The wind had become stiff and chilly.
"What's your favorite color?" Dolosus asked suddenly.
"What?"
"What's your favorite color?"
Kat smiled.
"Green." she said.
"Oh... And... And what about Altojo?" Dolosus said, looking up to the sky, "What was his favorite color?"
Kat's smile did not fade, but there was an unmistakable sadness in it now.
"Blue. He liked blue."
"Oh... That's my favorite color as well..." Dolosus said. Kat nodded,
"I remember. You told me after the Christmas dinner that night."
Dolosus glanced over at her. She was fighting to be strong, he could tell. In the pale glow of the street lights, he saw her cheeks flushed and her eyes glistening. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"I'll have to leave you too, soon."
"I know," she said, her voice trembling, though she fought to hide it, "I knew since you started thinking all the time with that distant look on your face. I knew you would go."
"You know why I have to," he said, looking her in the eyes, his arms still about her waist, "It's freedom. It's me. It's finding out what kind of person I am. And once I find out, I'll come back and... we can talk, and hang out, and..." he let his words trail off into silence. Kat nodded.
"I understand."
How Dolosus loathed what he was doing to her. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest, and through all his battles, he never imagined he would hurt someone so terribly. Gently, he lifted her chin up and kissed her lips. He lingered a moment, then turned, and headed off to pack his few possessions.
Kat stared off into the night sky, a lone tear traveling down her cheek. She closed her eyes, and a great wind picked up around her. Without the leaf to aid her, emotion and will itself fueled the gust. It tossed her hair and ruffled her clothes, roaring in her ears as it spun. Then, when she had let it dissipate, she looked out into that same darkened sky, though somehow, it looked different now. She looked on with the renewed knowledge that in a few patient hours, the sun would rise again.




Owari.

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