[Tokusatsu Themes, Redemption]

The Natura Couleur had been defeated. Not by an enemy that was stronger than them. But a would-be-ally that just wanted them to be free from the Lights that had chained down their true selves. Lumiere's influence had been wiped from their bodies, and the result of their new selves having to come to terms with their old ones... It wasn't pretty.

The only one who seemed to be taking it relatively well was Natura Rouge, or rather Araya Akane. She had properly detransformed for the first time since she let the Flame of Justice overwhelm her. And here she was. Sitting all alone in the living room of the Natura Base. All of her allies, her friends, were currently busy trying to deal with their own problems in each their own way. Which was why Bleu had departed and gone to her Manor, Vert had shut herself inside her room, Blanc having done much the same but with a constant stream of pure despair pouring out from beyond her door, and Noir... Noir was on the roof, just enjoying the wind brushing against her skin.

"So this is what I did..?" Akane muttered as she slowly looked at the cup of hot coffee in her hands. The black liquid swirling around slightly as she tilted the cup back and forth. She had been the one to pull three of those four into this. Ultimately, responsibility fell on her shoulders. If she hadn't intervened, they would've been perfectly normal. They would've gone on with their lives and made the best of it. Even if their lives weren't great. Even if...

She slowly put the cup down on the table as she just let her thoughts pour through her head. She knew that she had done wrong. Influencing people with Lumiere's Light to make them her allies... It was terrible. It was utterly unforgivable. She erased their sense of selves to make them better allies. But... At the same time, she had tried to help out. Bleu, and especially Blanc and Noir... Each of them had suffered in their own way before she stepped in. The process of filling them with light did save them in a way. It was just the results of the well-intentioned act that didn't end well.

How could she make it up to them after she wrestled control away from them? It was a thought that got stuck inside her mind. And as she sipped from her coffee, she just couldn't move past it. If she wanted to continue being a hero, then...

...Perhaps...

---

Blanc... Kohana sniffled as she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a mess. Who wouldn't after crying for several hours straight for several days in a row? It had only been about five days since they got knocked aside and freed from Lumiere's influence, but every single living hour since that moment had been hell on the young girl.

Who wouldn't feel this way after the gravity of her actions finally hit her? She had been so blind before. She had been an abusive mess that just wanted to keep the one girl... She just wanted to keep her close. She wanted to keep her as hers and hers alone. But it was that toxic need that made her so terrible. It was why she had broken off every relationship that Kiko had. It was why she had been trying to make her utterly dependent.

And for what? For her to nearly get swallowed by a Doll that wanted to finally free her from her torture? The only reason that Kohana tried to save her was because she wanted to keep her. Because she didn't want to let go of the one girl that had been there for her. Because she didn't want to be the worst of the worst. But nothing that she could do would stop her from being the worst.

"You're... You're the worst, Shirai Kohana..!" Kohana shouted at herself as she tried to punch the mirror. Cracking it instantly once her fist made contact, only for her healing power to repair it just like every other time. She wasn't allowed to look at her cracked reflection. Her subconscious refused to let her run away from this.

She wasn't going to get away. She had to accept that this was the result of her depraved need for somebody to support her. She had to accept that all of this was caused by her. If she had just been normal, if she had just accepted that she wasn’t the center of attention. Then maybe she would've actually had the friends she needed. But instead she demanded too much from them. Instead she abused and manipulated them. And for what? The warmth that she didn't deserve? She was despicable for going to that length despite knowing what she did was nothing but wrong...

With the weight of her actions pushing down on her, Kohana slowly collapsed onto her knees like she had done so many times before during these last five days. And she cried her heart out, knowing that there was no way to repent. But even so, she kept crying. Because she needed to let all of her emotions out somehow. And desperately trying to push past her guilt and her crushing loneliness was the only way she could cope...

She just hoped... She just hoped with all her heart that Kiko was still alright...

---

Noir... Kiko looked up at the stars as the moon shone down on her. And the winds slowly brushed against her body as she stood on the very edge of the Natura base, the edge beckoning her to tip. But even in her current state, she wouldn't do something like that. She... She was better than that.

She was much better than she had originally thought. That was one thing that she had learned by becoming Natura Noir. Sakurai Kiko was not hated. People did not look at her with disgust, nor did they talk about what a monster she was under their breath and everything like that. She was human just like everyone else. And the culprit behind her gaslighting, the culprit behind how she had been abused... She had gotten away with it. Kohana fought alongside her as her "lover". A thought that made Kiko absolutely sick to her stomach.

Maybe the Dissolution Doll was right. Maybe she was trying to protect her. From the lies. From the deception. Maybe she should've given in and become a part of that goop. But if she had, she wouldn't be standing here. She wouldn't be standing with open eyes. Open eyes that realized that not only was she better than what she had always expected, but she also knew exactly how to deal with the one that had done all of this to her.

She could end it all and leave another massive scar on Kohana's heart. But that wouldn't last. And it would only serve to eventually drive that girl to obsess harder over her next target. Instead Kiko just stood on the edge. Letting the wind brush past her. Letting it slowly but surely try to push her off. But she stood and maintained her stance. She did not let anything stop her. Because she had to see Kohana again. Once she finally stopped pitying herself...

"My my. What's a Hero like you doing on the edge like this? I would've thought you'd be throwing yourself into the thick of things, but you've just decided to brood like you're some sort of edgy Hero? You really need to step it up. It isn't your style."

Kiko turned around and took a step away from the edge, narrowing and sharpening her gaze as somebody emerged from the Darkness of the sky around her. Somebody who couldn't help but laugh at her predicament, and slowly expose everything in the process... "Tenebris... If Lumiere was telling the truth at any point, you're probably enjoying our pain..."

Tenebris laughed, putting her hands behind her head as she appeared as harmless as possible. "A bit. Just a teeny bit. But I'm not getting anything out of it. Because Couleur was more thorough than you'd expect." Her expression turned into a sour frown as her hair suddenly tore itself from her body, briefly rendering her naked as she formed a small mirror frame with the prehensile mess. "She didn't just remove the Light. From Vert, who I had planted a little seed inside, as well as the rest of you who naturally had a bit of Darkness that I could harness... All of that was pulled out as well when she delivered her finishing blows. So none of you are good targets. None of you can mature into good agents of Darkness. Because I can't deceive you."

"...Why would you tell me something like that?" Kiko honestly didn't understand. Sure, it was good to hear that the enemy that they had once been forced to fight against wasn't going to try and trick them again. Much less try to corrupt any of them. Whether she corrupted Rouge, Bleu, Vert... Even Blanc, any of them would've provoked an intense need to avenge them inside the girl's heart. A need that she wasn't quite sure if Lumiere was responsible for.

Tenebris' smile returned as she slowly put her hands on her cheeks, her hair dragging itself back onto her body as it spiraled around and formed that erotic sense of wrapping that kept her from being too exposed.  "Because you won't be able to act on it. You’re still paralyzed by your feelings for your friend, and how much she has twisted your life." She taunted the would-be-hero, before snapping her fingers once as a solid slab of Darkness started to emerge in front of her. One that was the same size as Kiko...

"Besides. I don't need to use somebody like you when I can just use an older version of you instead!"

Just as the manifestation of the city's Darkness cried out and made her intentions clear, the darkness solidified into the form of somebody that looked almost identical to Kiko. However, her hair, her stance, her way of carrying herself... All of it looked out of shape. Because this was a Kiko that never got pushed into the role as a Natura. A Kiko who still had to live in fear of everyone and everything...

"How?!" Kiko shouted as she tried to dash right past her older self, spurred into action by seeing her. If there was one person who she didn't want abusing her, it was this woman. It was this manifestation of Darkness that wanted nothing but to sink the whole world to the same level as her!

Her attempt to rush at the Villain was stopped in its tracks by the Dark Kiko stepping in front of her, taking the blow head on and not even flinching as she was punched. She just smiled a little. Because this was what she had come to learn and accept. She was put on this earth to be hated. She was meant to be despised. Even by somebody that looked just like her...

Kiko grit her teeth as she jumped backward. "You're foul, Tenebris! Lumiere might've been a liar, but you're honest. Honest about how messed up you are!" She cried out. She didn't know how to get past somebody whose own view of themselves had fallen that far. Somebody that... Just looking at her was making her heart cry out in pain. She just wanted her to go away. Stop reminding her of who she had been..!

"I'm glad you think so, Noir! Ahahahaha... But if you think I'm done with just one of you, then I'm afraid you're just wrong. There's much more where she's coming from." Tenebris chimed, all while giving her sweet Dark Kiko a gentle rub along the shoulder. Having control over her like this was divine... It was wonderful. She wanted to keep that control no matter what. And to do so...

With a snap from her fingers, another two slabs of darkness came out. But one of them was shaking. One of them was sobbing. One of them was screaming. "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" The screams were familiar. Filled with regret. Filled with nothing but despair. And Kiko could instantly recognize her.

The slab shattered as Kohana was let free, while the other slab, which had been strangely silent by comparison, solidified into the same shape as her. And instead of crying, this one smirked and laughed just like the Darkness that had given birth to her. The gaslighting abuser had returned, leaning up against her precious ‘love’  as their bodies started to resonate, their golden eyes gleaming when they were this close to one another...

Kohana was scared out of her mind. One moment she had been crying her heart out. Next, she was sitting on the roof of the base. With Tenebris, the Darkness that Lumiere had forced her to hate, standing beside a wicked mirror of her older self and Kiko's as well. And on the other side of said mirrored selves was Kiko, who didn't look towards her. She was just focused on those other selves. "K-Kiko..." She muttered. Not loud enough for anybody to har. Because she didn't believe she should be heard...

"There we are. Two lovers back in each others' arms. The lone monster and the gaslighter who was even lonelier than the monster! Ahahahaha..." Tenebris giggled as she looked between the would-be heroines. Each of them struggled to deal with what they were seeing. "Now, I should get rid of both of you. You're on the verge of getting in my way. But I have a much better idea. One where I won't have to lift a single finger."

Another snap echoed as Tenebris started to disappear, sinking into the Darkness... Before both Dark Kiko and Dark Kohana turned towards their respective newer selves, their golden eyes grew deeper with every passing moment. They had been given a simple command, one that would make their existence secured...

They were to eliminate those that looked like them. Only then would they be true and real. Because those fakes were on the verge of replacing them. And that just wasn't right.

"You probably hate me too, don’t you..? Of course you do, I’d hate myself…" Dark Kiko muttered as she crept closer and closer to her other self. Smiling with despair as she cracked a knuckle. "But I'm strong... And if Kohana wants me to get rid of somebody... Then I'll get rid of them!" She shouted, swinging straight towards her true self.

Dark Kohana laughed as she stepped closer to the original Kohana, every step forcing the white-haired girl to crawl backward. "That's it! Run! Kiko’s mine! I won’t share her with somebody like you! You’re even worse than I am, because you gave up on keeping her as yours and yours alone! That’s where we differ! I protect my sweet Kiko, I keep an eye out for her! You gave up and looked the other way, and you slinked back into your lonely hole!" Her strength was always her mouth. So seeing the girl flee was perfect for her... It showed how effective she was at breaking her spirit.

The ground underneath Kohana started to shake as Kiko was forced to take an attack from her other self, the sheer power in the darker clone matching that of the girl when she was transformed. And its effect on the environment only served to make the young girl who had been such an abusive presence feel more threatened by the clone in front of her. The one who represented all of who she truly was.

"I..." Kohana muttered as she trembled, the tears that had been pouring down her face while she stared into her mirror, starting to run down once more. Her emotions were overflowing. What could she do in this situation? Everything that the other version of her was saying was completely and utterly true... So what could she do?!

Kiko grit her teeth as she slid backward after being hit by her darker self, panting as she felt the pain reverberate through her body. It hurt. It hurt like hell. So this was what she was like. Nothing but a bundle of strength guided by the one that abused her. It wasn't like she was that much different now. She just followed orders from people she called her friends and listened to who they told her were their enemies. But were they really her friends? She hadn't really ever talked to Vert, Bleu or Rouge before. And it's not like the green or blue girls really wanted to socialize either. Leaving her stuck with Kohana and Rouge... Her abuser, and the girl that pushed them into this situation.

Was there really a point to it all?

That was the question that ran through her mind as she took a punch straight to the face, knocking her towards the edge of the roof all while Dark Kiko giggled like she had gone completely and utterly mad. Her dark reflection wasn't even pitying her. She was just happy that she could follow orders...

"I did it, Kohana..." Dark Kiko giggled, only to tremble a little as the tears ran down her face. "A-Ah, wait, no, I-I can’t be happy even now. I-I’ll just attract more trouble. I-I’ve got to remain a nobody. I have to never stand out, never be happy over anything because it’ll make me a target…" She muttered, as she kept stepping closer and closer to the girl she thought was a fake. "So neither should you. You can't be me if you're happy..."

Tenebris laughed as she looked back and forth between her two dark copies of the two heroines. It was entertainment at its finest. Breaking them with the Darkness that they tried to cast aside. Breaking them with their own identities. Sure, Lumiere had tried to bury them when she turned them into Natura, but all of that was undone thanks to a certain colorful thorn in her side. They might not make for good pawns in the grand scheme of things, but if she could just get rid of them when they were like this, ehehehe...

"What's the matter? Come on! Stand up! Aren’t you going to make her yours?! AREN’T YOU GOING TO TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME?!" Dark Kohana shouted before kicking her true self across the face, sending the girl towards the other end of the rooftop. She was furious just looking at her. "YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME, DON'T YOU!? YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU’VE LET GO AND TRY TO LET HER LIVE HER OWN LIFE, YOU’RE BETTER THAN ME?!” Her twisted logic was more than intact as a dark copy of the girl's earlier self. A girl that would drag everyone down with her, all so she would never be lonely. Even if it meant that everyone ended up as miserable as her.

Kohana let out a pained cry, a bit of blood slowly dripping down the side of her head. It hurt. Everything hurts. But wasn't that fine? If everything was starting to hurt, then she could... She could just go away. And Kiko wouldn't hurt anymore. Kiko would be fine without her. She could grow and realize she didn't need to worry about her. She could grow and curse her and forget about her and just let her die, even in her memories. That was the kind of fate somebody like her deserved.

The white-haired girl slowly pushed herself up as she looked at her other self. And she just smiled. Not because she knew that she was going to be okay. Quite the opposite. She understood that she was going to get killed... But that was better. Because even if she was scared that she was going to die... It would be for the best. Kiko would be alright. Kiko would get the chance she deserved. Kiko would-

Her eyes widened as the sound of bones breaking echoed across the rooftop, and the pained groan of the girl she wanted to save reached her ears. She could see it. She could see Dark Kiko stomping on Kiko. She could see her taking out her anger. She could see it all...

"You're a monster." Dark Kiko muttered with a low droning tone. "You're the worst. You’re a menace. You always stood out and made people afraid of you. Why did you ever think people would accept you? Why did you ever think that everything would be alright? You’re a contradiction. You’ll never be happy, because everyone will just keep making an enemy of you. You couldn’t even just listen to orders and avoid attention. That makes you worse than me." Her voice was growing deeper and deeper as she kept on stomping on the girl's limbs. Every time she stomped, another snap echoed out. She wasn't holding back. She was putting every bit of strength into her stomps. Every bit of strength that had been enhanced by her existence as a dark copy.

Kiko was biting into her lip with every hit she suffered. The blood was slowly dripping from that sensitive muscle. But she didn't scream. She couldn't scream. Not when Kohana was here. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction of hearing her depend on her. She would never give her any kind of satisfaction ever again. Even if it meant that she had to bottle up all this pain and endure it all. Even as her body was screaming at her...

"No... No... No no no no no..." Kohana muttered as she saw and heard it all. Even as her other self was getting angrier and angrier just looking at her. This wasn't right. Kiko was supposed to be happy by having her disappear. Kiko wasn't supposed to get hurt like this. It wasn't right. It wasn't right!

Dark Kohana grit her teeth. "STOP LOOKING AT HER! SHE’S MIIIIIINE!" She shouted from the depths of her dark and twisted soul as she launched another kick, this time aiming for the girl's stomach as she tried her damndest to just get rid of her then and there.

Kohana was making everything worse again. By trying to accept her inevitable death that would lead to her friend hopefully getting a better life, she was instead abandoning her when she probably needed her the most. She was selfishly throwing her life away for the vague hint of a happy ending. And now she would pay the price. By being launched off the side of-

The kick didn't make its mark. In fact, a solitary flame caught Dark Kohana's foot in mid air, preventing it from reaching its target. All while forcing another frustrated scream out of the abusive girl, who jumped back to avoid catching on fire. Who... Who would come to her rescue, after everything she had done?

Tenebris clicked her tongue and shook her head before looking towards the door leading down to the rest of the Natura Base. "Can't believe you'd actually show up. I thought you had been broken like the rest, Rouge."

No matter how hurt they were, both Kiko and Kohana were able to turn towards the redheaded girl who had just arrived. The redheaded girl who wore a smile despite what had happened. The redheaded girl who would stand against those that would dare try to fight her friends... The redheaded girl who would give them the chance they both needed.

"What can I say?" Rouge grinned as she slammed her fist against her palm. "This Flame of Justice inside me... Even without Lumiere's influence, it still burns bright. And it won't let you get away with this. It would never let you get away with this!" She shouted, dashing straight towards the villainess.

Kiko watched, her body still aching. It was unreal. Even after what they had gone through... She'd still come to save them? It was touching. So touching that the girl could shed a single tear. A tear not born from the pain her body was enduring. But the relief inside her heart.

"R-Rouge..!" Kohana cried out, her body aching as she tried to move. The blow to her head had left her disoriented, and it was hard to control herself. But beyond that, that darker version of herself was still in the way. Still moving towards her with deep intent to kill. And if Rouge was busy fighting Tenebris, then... Everything would just repeat, wouldn't it?

"Monsters like you and I don’t get to celebrate..." Dark Kiko muttered, grabbing ahold of Kiko's shoulder as she started to lift her up. Slowly pulling her over the edge, as the winds below were trying to drag her down. "Monsters should just fall. Fall and never come back..." Those words weighed heavily down on her other self. They weighed down on her as well. Once she let go of Kiko... She'd probably go off as well. All of this had started to boil over. She didn't wish to stick around, because Kohana would probably just yell at her. So it'd be best if she disappeared.

Dodging out of the way of a slash from Tenebris' weaponized body, Rouge ignited her body for a moment as she steeled herself for the next blow. All so she could call out. "KOHANA!" She shouted, even as she felt a bladed arm sink into her flaming body. It hurt, but the cauterizing state of her flames kept it from hurting too much. She just needed that one moment, to cry out for her ally.

Kohana heard her ally... Her friend. Even after everything that was revealed, she still put her trust in her. And although she was fearful, with worries about everything filling her heart... She had to stand. She had to take charge of her own life. She had to put in effort to earn her redemption... And the first and only way she could do that was..!

"NO! STAY DOWN!" Dark Kohana shouted, but it was too late. She could see her other self healing her wounds... And by the time she launched yet another kick, the girl had already run past her. That tanned bitch that was supposed to crave her partner less than her... She was finally making her move. Which simultaneously brought her the tiniest bit of pride and the most aggravated sense of frustration...

Kiko looked at her darker self. And she just accepted it. She let go of herself. She let her body finally rest as she let out one pained scream, and the dark reflection of her other self took that fateful step.

They both went falling off the edge. Quickly falling towards the ground. The velocity brought on by gravity would pull them down faster and faster. And by the end of it all, they would end up little more than smears on the ground. As they both deserved to be. Nothing more. Nothing less. That was how useless they were...

"KIKO!"

Or so they both thought. In the nick of time, before they both went falling down towards the ground... Both of them were caught by the one girl they never expected to be saved by. The white-haired girl that had brought them so much grief. The white-haired girl that had done so much to hurt them. The white-haired girl that honestly deserved to fall alongside them...

Shirai Kohana. And despite how heavy they both were, she was putting everything she had into the task of keeping them from falling. Even as her face turned from tanned to red to blue and through the spectrum of colors as she tried so desperately to keep them holding on.

"Kohana..." Kiko muttered. She didn't try to look at her. She didn't deserve it. But at the same time, she could tell. Based on the way she was desperately trying to keep them both from falling, based on the genuine warmth from her grip... This wasn't her usual gaslighting. This wasn't trying to stop them from going away because she'd be alone. This was...

Dark Kiko started to tear up as she looked at the girl she had thought was a mere copy of the abuser. But no. She was the real deal. And she could feel the warmth too. "Why..? Why, Kohana..?" Was all that she could muster. She couldn't understand. There was no way that somebody like her, who had experienced nothing but abuse at the hands of the girl... She couldn't understand where this warmth came from.

"Come on..! Come on..!" Kohana muttered to herself as she could see her arms trying to tear themselves apart by dislocating her joints. But by using her power sparingly and not exerting herself, even as she lost more and more air... She could maintain this. And slowly, carefully, she started to lift them up. Against all odds, she lifted two girls that were way bigger than her. All using her power... And that newly lit Light inside her heart.

With one final tug and shout from Kohana, the two muscled girls were tossed onto the roof, both of them landing with their backs against the ground. And with all of them trying desperately to catch their breath, whether it was Kiko due to her body still being in immense pain, Kohana feeling the burn from exhausting her body this much, or Dark Kiko having cried her heart out while she was being pulled back up.

Before either of the two girls had a chance to pull more answers out of Kohana, she just hugged them. And she let her tears pour down. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've ever done. I know you won't forgive me. I know I don't deserve to be forgiven. But I want to make it up to you. I want to start over. I want to prove that my obsession wasn’t just because of your body or anything like that. You really did make me feel like I wasn’t alone. And I want to prove it. I want you to trust me this one time, Kiko!" She was letting it all out. Admitting her faults. Finally, to the one she knew wouldn't ever accept it.

Kiko's response was to just sigh. There was nothing else she could do after that display. "You're not forgiven." was her immediate response before slowly but surely standing up, the light shining from Kohana's heart healing her body in a matter of moments. "Not yet. But you didn't save me because you wanted to isolate me again. I'll take that as a start." She concluded, a smile growing on her face.

The somber but understanding smile that came from her former abuser radiated light, as the damaged heroine looked to her dark copy. And she then offered her a hand. "Kiko." Kiko said, not seeing her as a dark version of herself. She just saw herself. "You're not a monster. You never were. Open up your ears and listen to the words that people are really saying. Don’t be like me and shut yourself away, okay?" She had to admit that she had some flaws, all to see her other self move on.

The other Kiko's response was just loud sobbing as she wrapped her arms around her true self. Slowly but surely fading away. Not because she had been defeated. Far from it. She was completely in tune with the one she had been born from. And that meant that she wasn't the kind of Darkness that could be exploited by Tenebris.

Kiko watched as the Darkness that had been her older self slowly merged with her. She could feel that overwhelming sadness filling her. But this time she'd accept it all. She would accept that it was who she was. And from there... Well, the future was going to shine bright.

"No... NO! THIS ISN'T HOW IT CAN END! YOU TWO CAN'T JUST MAKE UP! THAT'S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS!" The infernal brat that was Dark Kohana shouted as she dashed past the fight between Rouge and Tenebris, which had reignited after Kohana was spurred into action, all while she grew bigger and more monstrous as her rage climbed higher and higher. "YOU DON'T GET TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDING!"

Kohana looked at Kiko, who just gestured slightly. If the girl truly wanted to prove that she was on the road to redemption, then she'd deal with her other self too. A challenge that the white-haired girl rose to, even if it was like staring certain doom in the face.

"DIE! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!" Dark Kohana erupted into pure malicious rage as her body started to unravel itself. Erupting into tendrils tipped with the spikes of her impotent inability to cope. Every single one of them heading straight towards the weakest link. The girl she saw as an even more inferior version of herself. Who was an insult to her very existence. She would see her wiped from the world. She would see her disappear... SHE WOULD SEE HER COMPLETELY SMEARED ACROSS THE FLOOR SO SHE COULD NEVER ACT LIKE SHE WAS HER EVER AGAIN!

Kohana didn't move out of the way. She didn't even try to hide behind Kiko. She staggered a little as the first tendril hit her. She trembled as the next three. Even as her blood spilled from the last few sinking into her, she didn't back away. And once they had all sunk into her, she reached her arms forward...

And she hugged her other self. She hugged her and healed them both, forcing the girl back into a humanoid state. Forcing her back into a form where she could feel the Light inside the girl's heart. Forcing her to confront the cruel reality she was trying to run away from.

...Dark Kohana just started to violently sob as she faded away bit by bit, all of her hatred at the world pouring back into her other self. She was being healed until they were both one and the same. Letting those feelings be brought back to the forefront, and letting the weight of everything she had done come crashing down on her yet again.

Once the other version of Kohana faded, she collapsed onto her knees and panted, coughing up spit to the point where she made a little puddle on the ground. She could see herself. That broken girl she was... And she smiled. Because she knew that she would eventually work past it all. Work past what had brought her this low...

Kiko reached out to the girl that had abused and isolated her. The girl who showed that she would try to change. And she helped her back up, as they both started to smile. Because they had taken the first few steps forward.

Tenebris grit her teeth a bit, barely dodging out of the way of a slash from Rouge. "Well, they seem to be made of sterner stuff than I originally imagined. Guess I'm done here." She said, flippantly abandoning her current mission by sinking into the ground and leaving the fight unfinished. Essentially giving Rouge the win in the process.

"And don't come back." Rouge said with a smile on her face, as she turned towards the two troubled girls. And though her body was still aching after she took a few grisly hits to give them the time she needed, she walked over like it was nothing big, the light from her ally healing her right back up.

Kiko and Kohana looked at the redhead and smiled, both of them reaching out to shake their friend's hand. Wordlessly showing their thanks for what she had done. Thanks that she was more than happy to give, as they all shook hands.

"Shirai Kohana. Sakurai Kiko. I know we've gotten off on the wrong foot, but I hope you'll both stand alongside me." Rouge said, her transformation fading away as the rough-looking punk that she had always been underneath it all came back to the forefront. "Not as an ally. But as a friend. That's what I, Natura Rouge... No, that's what I, Araya Akane, ask of you both."

Kohana smiled. "As long as you give me the time I need to prove that I won't end up like I once was." She said, clearing her throat and taking a deep breath. "Natura Blanc... Shirai Kohana, the Light of Kindness, will gladly be here for you, Akane."

"Let me keep an eye on her, and we're good." Kiko said with a simple grin, before doing the same as Kohana. "Natura Noir, Sakurai Kiko, the Strength within Darkness. Happy to keep you covered, Akane!"

The three friends laughed a bit as the tension finally faded, and Akane ended up leading them both downstairs. They had to make up for lost time while they were brooding.

Now, they just had to hope that Bleu and Vert would be alright as well…