By Any Means

Ella and her bodyguard, Annie Oakley, explored the old farm house.

Tomoe closely watched them. It was only a matter of time until they found Toko, so she would wait for the perfect opportunity to sneak attack them and make an escape.

As they entered the kitchen, Tomoe saw it.

There was a bag of flour balanced precariously on top of a cupboard. When the two had their backs turned, Tomoe reached up with her naginata and knocked it to the ground, covering the kitchen in an explosion of flour.

Ella and Annie both erupted into coughing fits, but with the newfound cover, Tomoe dashed away. “Toko!” she called out. “Let’s go!”

Toko left her hiding spot from underneath the stairs and ran up to Tomoe before the two escaped outside. But as they passed the shed, they both dived into cover as gunshots rang out.

Tomoe’s lower neck had been hit and was now bleeding, but she was still on high alert.

Annie was an expert sharpshooter, and she had them pinned down.

The situation seemed hopeless. Tomoe and Toko could do nothing but cower behind cover as Annie had her gun trained on them, ready to snipe as soon as they exposed even an inch of themselves.

But Tomoe wasn’t ready to give up. She looked around for something, anything that could give her an edge, an out. Peaking inside the shed, she saw it. An old oil lamp.

“Maybe this’ll work…” She grabbed it and lit it. Thankfully, there was still oil inside.

Taking a deep breath, she chucked it.

It flew through the air. On instinct, Annie shot it. The glass shattered, spilling oil all over the dry, overgrown grass, and as the wick hit the ground, it all burst into flames.

As Annie was lightly singed, she had stepped back, crying out in pain from the burn.

Squinting, she tried to see where Tomoe and Toko were, but the thick smoke obscured her vision. However, it wasn’t long until her question was answered.

Bursting forth through the smoke and flames, Tomoe charged with her naginata, aiming directly for Annie.

Tomoe thought about fleeing, but what if they ran into Jack? What if Annie and Ella gave chase? No, this had to be finished here and now.

Annie fired her revolver rapidly, dumping several shots into Tomoe’s chest, but she didn’t stop, and with a powerful stab, Annie was skewered on the end of Tomoe’s naginata.

Wheezing, Annie spat up blood. She pulled up her gun and tried firing one last shot…

Click.

Out of ammo…

Her revolver clattered to the ground as she slumped over, the life leaving her body…

With a moan, Tomoe pulled her naginata from Annie. She clutched her stomach and looked down. Blood was gushing from the various bullet holes, but those could wait. Tomoe scanned her surroundings, until she saw her.

Ella was cowering in fear a distance away. Tomoe limped towards her like a wraith, her naginata drawn and dripping with blood.

Ella opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Tomoe stopped and stared down at the White Maiden. Without a word to her, she called out, “Toko! Come over here!”

Toko soon came, averting her eyes from Annie.

“Here.” Tomoe handed Toko her naginata. “You need to finish this.”

“M-me!?”

“Only a Knight or Maiden can kill another Knight or Maiden. So do it.”

Toko reluctantly took the weapon. She couldn’t bear to look at Ella, but she knew she had to do this. Her heart beating out of her chest, she closed her eyes and brought up the naginata, ready to plunge it down into her when…

“Please don’t!”

Toko immediately stopped. She looked down and saw Ella crying.

“P-please don’t kill me…!” Ella pleaded, bawling her eyes out. “I don’t want to die…!”

Toko found herself completely frozen. Killing somebody normally was unthinkable to her, but especially not when that person was begging for mercy, and as those teary eyes burned into her, Toko on instinct dropped the naginata.

“What are you doing!?” Tomoe growled, furious.

“Thank you…!” Ella jumped up and hugged Toko.

Taken aback, Toko just let Ella hug her.

It was actually the first hug she had received in a long time…

However, as Toko found herself lost in the moment, a wide, cruel grin spread across Ella’s face.

After a few seconds, Toko felt a cold sensation spread throughout her body, and not longer after, her strength began leaving her body.

Ella pushed Toko off her before she started laughing.

Toko collapsed as her legs buckled. She could barely even breath now, and it felt like her body was being torn apart from the inside out.

Tomoe immediately rushed to her side despite her own injuries. “Toko!? What’s wrong!?” Gritting her teeth, she snapped her head towards Ella. “What did you do!?”

“Hahaha!” Ella cackled. “My Ability, it’s called Toxic! And I just put some poison right into her veins!”

“You bitch!” Tomoe spat. But she couldn’t do a thing against a Maiden. All she could do was cradle Toko in her arms.

“It’s fatal and there’s no cure, so best of luck. Now, I have to get going. Until next time.” Ella waved as she ran off.

Tomoe tried her best to console Toko, but yet again there was nothing she could do. “Come on, Toko! Please hold on!” Tears started flowing from her eyes. Even as she was on death’s doorstep herself, pints of blood pouring out of her, her only thoughts were of her lady. “Please…”

“Toko! Tomoe!”

Tomoe’s eyes widened. It was them. “Keitaro! Musashi!”

“What happened!?” Keitaro yelled as he ran towards them.

“Toko was poisoned by Ella!”

“What!?” Keitaro fell to his knees, grabbing onto his sister.

“K-Keitaro…” Toko could barely manage a whisper.

“You said she was poisoned? By an Ability then?”

“Yes, that’s right…”

Keitaro looked at Toko. She was looking terrible. Her face was pallor and she could barely open her eyes. If it was an Ability then there was probably no cure, but even if there was it wouldn’t matter because it would’ve been impossible to get her medical attention in time.

“Please, Keitaro! Can;t you do something!? Anything!?”

Keitaro clenched his fists. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t just let Toko die here, but what could he do!? “Damn it!” From the depths of his soul, he let out a roaring, painful scream. But once that was over, all that was left was tears. “Even now, even after everything, I still can’t save you!”

“There’s actually still a way…”

Keitaro froze as he heard that voice. Whipping his head around, he saw them. Nulla.

“Nulla! You know how we can save her!?”

“Yes…but you aren’t going to like it…” They took slow steps forward. “Remember what Jack told you about how you can surrender a Core? As long as it remains intact, you ‘live.’ Toko’s body is finished, but if she separates her Core from it, then she can live on through that.”

“What!? Are you serious!?”

“Yeah… I said you wouldn’t like it, but it’s the only way…”

Keitaro stared down at Toko. Her breathing was starting to slow. He hated even considering something like this, but if it was the only way…

“All right…” Keitaro leaned in close to Toko and said softly, “Toko, I don’t want you to do this, but it’s the only way to save you, so…can you please surrender your Core to me?”

Straining, she barely opened her eyes. “K-Keitaro…” she whispered. “O-okay…”

Closing her eyes for the last time, Toko’s Core began to glow an ominous black, as it removed itself from her body, floating into the air.

Keitaro tentatively held out his hand as the Core gently landed in his hand.

He stared into it. It was a deep black color, but it swirled brilliantly within, almost like a galaxy. It felt so strange to him. It felt like her. Like Toko.

As Toko’s body went limp, Keitaro clutched her Core, bringing it to his chest. As he began to cry, he only said, “I’m sorry…”