An unhappy reunion

A/N: I apologize in advance if this chapter sounds forced. This was a hard one to convert.

[7:16] I’m jolted awake when Tohru lands. I realize that Chocola’s asleep. It’s dark. “What time is it?”

“About 7:30. Chocola fell asleep about five minutes after you. I figured you all deserved to sleep, so I flew around for a few hours.”

My wrist feels chafed, so I look down and realize that Noah must’ve loaned me his watch. I look again and realize it’s white, not black, but that’s the only difference.* So a custom watch then.

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*I have since lost this watch. Then I got a gray and orange that I broke by taking it apart. Then I got another black one. Before the aforementioned watch, there was another one, also black.

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You like it? I made Alex a gray one, and she’s gonna wake up soon.

I sit up. Chocola wakes up and falls off. “Oops!”

I stop her before she hits, not knowing how much landing would hurt. I drop her the remaining foot, drained. “Ow!”

Sorry…I don’t have much left in me.

I flicker. I scoop up Alex and nimbly drop to the ground. “Choco, come here.”

She walks over and I offer Alex. Shocked, she accepts her. “I’m gonna walk Tohru.”

I walk over to her. “But why-”

Tohru resumes her human-ish form and promptly starts to fall over. I catch her. “Take Alex to Azuki. I’ll take Tohru to Kanna and see if I have the strength to get back. Regardless, I’ll try, even if Kanna needs to carry me.”

I walk to the ‘demon lair.’ Following Noah’s memories, I go upstairs to Kanna’s apartment and kick the door. I hear the bed creak. A random memory of us sitting in her room, talking, surfaces. Maybe in time they’ll all return.

The door opens. She’s using a fan-made form, looking about my age in dragon years, and almost as busty as Tohru. She rubs her eyes. So she was sleeping…oops. She's just as cyute as I remember...

I blush. “Oh my god, I am so sorry!”

Something in my voice must jog her memory, because she closes her eyes and squints in concentration, pinching the bridge of her nose. “L-L-Lexa?!”

I nod. “If you’re talking about the fallen, then yes.”

She covers her mouth with her hands and backs up, letting me in. The door is wide open. She looks me over, then focuses on something behind me. I turn around. Four guys are standing there. “This’ll be easy boys! And we got two bonus girls!”

“I will beat the shit out of you if you touch any one of us.”

“With a girl in your arms, little girl?”

“A) Who are you calling little? B) Yes!”

I lay Tohru on the bed and walk toward the door. “Just get dressed. My reunion with the Minadukis will have to wait.”

“Is it wise to fight in your condition? I know what you are, Lexa.”

Kanna screams again. A pipe slams into my stomach. I fall to my knees, seeing double. I hold my stomach, feeling like I’m gonna puke. I look up and a foot slams into my throat. I fly backward, sliding on the carpet. I’m struggling to breathe. “LEXA! NO!”

[7:38][Alex] My eyes snap open and I sit up. I’m surrounded by the Minadukis, Ochaco, Tsu, and Koba. “Where’s Tohru?”

“She passed out and Lexa took her to Kanna.”

“They’re all in trouble, and Lexa’s injured.”

Shigure speaks up. “The Lexa?! Not just a random Alexa you found?”

“Yes. One Alexa Rosalie Smith!”

I sit up, swing my legs around and stand up, swaying. “You need to rest.”

“I’m going, even if I have to fly there carrying this entire building. I need to be there or Lexa is going to die! This spell completely severs my connection with her! If she dies in this form, she won’t resurrect. She won’t go back to being a lost spirit. If I get close enough, I can keep her together until I get there. This spell is volatile. I need time to research how to separate properly.”

They all exchange looks. “Please?”

Ochaco uses her quirk, then scoops me up. “Let’s go return a favor I owe to Lexa.”

“You’ve technically only been alive for about twelve hours…how do you-oh…Because she-”

I draw my finger across my neck. I don’t want them thinking about it. Or knowing.

Ok.

“If Lexa likes you, then we like you more than we already did.”

We exit the room as the Save Lexa Committee.

[7:42][Lexa] They rush in. Two more were beside the door. So that’s who hit me…

My vision has cleared, and I can breathe, but I’m still nauseous. I stand up, swaying. I flicker a few times. “Ooh…glitchy girl!”

I’m breathing hard. “Stay…away…from…my…friends. Go now, and you won’t be harmed.”

“No one’s coming to help you. You’re struggling to exist, which means your host is far away, and these rooms are soundproofed, so you can’t call for help.”

A memory comes back. These guys, telling me the forbidden magic that made me what I am. Granted, I wouldn’t have ever met Xander, and Alex wouldn't be here, but…

“You assholes…are gonna pay…for what you’ve done, past and present. It’s foggy, but you six are why I am what I am. I died a second time because of you. I slept for years, fading away, while you were living the life, feeling good because you’re so powerful. Newsflash: There’s a new guy here more powerful than you six combined, almost as powerful as me. There’s a girl who’s as powerful as me and him put together, and then some. Were she not injured, she’d kick yo-”

He runs up and chops the back of my neck with both hands. I stumble. Another comes up and slams a bottle of vodka on the crown of my skull. It smashes, splashing vodka all over my hair and clothes. It’s really cold, and I stiffen. I’m seeing fifteen people. I fall to my knees and faceplant, arms out in front of me. All I can see are legs. “You should’ve stayed dead. Now we’re gonna beat you up, and finish the job.”

My eyes start to close. “Every time you fall asleep before we’re done with you, we’ll beat you. At five, we’ll beat them too, and at 10, we’ll start alternating the one we stab.”

I open them. “It’s not that I’m falling asleep, it’s that my eyelids are refusing to cooperate on account of the trauma I just suffered.”

“You’re first, just in case. I wanna hear you scream as you're being beaten. I wanna hear you beg for mercy as I torture you."

He grabs my arm. I'm still seeing double, but at least it's not triple. He yanks me up and jabs something into my neck. Hypodermic…

As the liquid races through my veins, my muscles lock up. When it's done, only my head can move. "What…did you do to me? I can't move."

“Oops, wrong one.”

He pulls it out and jabs another one in the exact same spot. I scream in pain. This time, my muscles unlock and refuse to obey. Just as with the paralysis, my head is spared. He lets go and I fall back down. Kanna rushes at him. One of them throws a dart. It hits her in the leg and she collapses. Two of them approach and stand Kanna up. They tie her up, shibari-style. One pushes her and she falls forward. The other starts kicking her. The first sticks an oral syringe in her ass, and squirts whatever's in it inside her. The effect is almost immediate. She groans, eyes drooping. She starts drooling, then collapses. "What did you do to her?"

“Straight vodka.”

I gulp. Another guy walks over and the one that stabbed me holds me like Kanna. He pulls down my panties enough to reveal my asshole and sticks a syringe up my ass. “W-wait, I’ve never been dr-”

He squirts it. Immediately, the world starts spinning, and I feel drowsy. It’s hard to think. He pulls it out and pulls my panties back up. “What I said still stands.”

I have one chance.

I yell as loud as I can physically and mentally. “TOHRU, WAKE UP!”

She sits bolt upright and takes in the scene. They start beating me. “Ow! N-n-no! P-please stop! I-I'm s-sorry! I-I never meant to be the most powerful...it just happened!”

I feel bruises forming. I'm gonna be a freaking human rainbow when they're done with me...

The fifth guy decides to be bold and grabs Tohru’s boobs. “Kyaaa!”

She slaps him. Everyone stops. “Shouldn’t have done that.”

He slaps me. I don’t react. I’m as drunk as Kanna. Tohru runs over and punches the guy behind me in the stomach. He lets go and I faceplant, a puddle of drool quickly forming. The guy in front punches her in the stomach, then pulls me up by the collar of my shirt. I’m sobering a lot faster than I should be, and I start struggling. “I think we’ll teach the feisty dragon what happens when she disobeys.”

Tohru looks at me in terror. “No! I’ll take the punishment!”

“No. Your friend needs to learn her lesson. She should’ve stayed dead the second time.”

I try to concentrate on choking him. He feels it. “No magic.”

He slams the pipe into my side. I lose count of how many people I see, all of them spinning around. I’m struggling to breathe. I feel the world fade to black and go limp. I’m instantly awoken by a stripe of terrible pain on my back. I feel it again, this time accompanied by a whip crack. I scream. I will my clothes to become maid cosplay, and, surprisingly, it works. “M-m-master…it hurts…has Lexa really been such a n-naughty maid?”

Damn my submissiveness…I don’t even like these assholes!

"I see you're finally learning."

Two of them go into the hall to keep watch. The two who drugged Kanna spread her arms and legs, then, almost as an afterthought, gently place her pillow under her head. She immediately starts hugging it. They sit on either side of her shoulders, facing the center of her body, and pet her. Uhnnn…I want cuddles …

I manage to climb to my feet and immediately fall back down. I hate to do this, but…I can’t take it anymore.

“Master…I’ll let you do whatever you want to me if you help me move. I want to cuddle Kanna.”

The one who beat me picks me up, none too gently. I gasp in pain from my broken ribs, tears streaking down my face. He walks me over, then drops me on top of Kanna. Multiple things happen. She wakes up and cries out in pain. I feel my ribs break more, and when I start to scream, my breath catches in my throat from the pain of trying to scream. Wracked with pain, I start to attempt to roll off of Kanna, bracing for impact, but she wraps her arms around me, just under my bosom. This is nice...

Then she starts sucking on my neck. "Nngh...K-Kanna..."

All is well and good until one of them slams the pipe into my stomach. "Kyaaaa!"

Kanna withdrew her arms just in time. All I can see are colorful, amorphous blobs. I start sobbing as they slam it into me over and over. My thighs, my shins, my arms, and everywhere below my chest, including shattering my already broken ribs. I can barely breathe, between my sobs, the pain of sobbing, my cries of pain, the cries of pain over my cries of pain, and the pain of breathing. I thought I knew what pain was after being stabbed 92 times...I was wrong. That was like a warm cuddle from your mother compared to this. I stop sobbing and go limp, focusing on survival and healing my most serious injuries: my ribs. One of them kicks me in the side and I roll off of Kanna. They tie Kanna up and toss her on the bed next to Tohru.

Then, it starts. From all sides. Kicks, stomps, punches, the whip, the pipe. I black out from the pain.

[8:06][Alex] Noah wakes up. Let’s go save our sister.

We become one. I reach out to Lexa. I’m coming!

I cry out from the blowback. Touching her mind is like being slammed into a wall by a semi-truck. She’s basically comatose. My god...Lexa?!

K-k-kill...these sons of bitches...p-please. I’ve had two needles jabbed into my neck, been whipped twice, had a bottle of vodka smashed on my head, slapped in the face, kicked in the throat, and punched in the stomach. They're everywhere...punching...kicking...stomping...whipping...beating...My ribs are basically dust. P-please...kill...them…

She slips into a coma. “Put me down. I have asses to kick.”

Chocola smiles, then laughs. “There she is!”

Ochaco releases me and sets me on my feet. We’re at the entrance. I walk in.

Alex, be careful!

Why are you so worried?

They’re the ones who made me this way. They told me that spell. They made me a fallen angel. They’re almost as powerful as me, and there’s six of them. Please...

She fades into her coma. Noah, release me.

Strength courses through me. I walk up the stairs slowly. There’s two guys in the hall. I allow Kaede and Lucy’s nature to augment my power. They throw a dart at me. About five feet away, it diverts and stabs into the wall. They throw shuriken, kunai, darts, and senbon. The walls turn into pincushions as I walk toward them. I feel the power fade. A kunai slices across my arm. I gasp, tears in my eyes, and grab my arm. Another buries itself in my shoulder. I snap. “Did you…just…stab me?”

I pull the knife out of my arm, spinning it around my finger. I start crackling with black and white lightning. They pale. Quick as a cobra, I throw the knife. It buries itself in the forehead of the first guy. “Please don’t kill me!”

“Did you touch my sister?”

“Who?”

“Lexa.”

“No…She’s too scary. If she gets her memories back…”

He shivers. “Then get out of my way.”

My eyes flash crimson and he stumbles backward. I stop in the doorway. They freeze and I take in the scene. Tohru and Kanna are on the bed, tied up shibari-style. Lexa is on the floor. There are four of them. One guy's foot is on Lexa's leg, another has a pipe raised, yet another is frozen in the act of raising a whip, and the fourth is poised to kick.“My quarrel is with those who touched Lexa. However, as I owe debt to Noah, you four are as good as dead.”

One laughs. “I’m not scar-”

Lexa opens her eyes as three razor-sharp kunai of light bury themselves in their foreheads. They crumple to the ground. Two more slice through Kanna and Tohru's bindings. Quietly, Kanna starts wriggling free.  “Pitiful.”

The demon in front of me has terror in his eyes. “Wh-wh-who are you?”

Lexa tries to stand up. “Meet Alexandra Rose Smith-Williams, better known as-"

She falls. "Kyaaaaa!"

After a second, she continues. "A-Alex, the m-most p-p-powerful f-faerie to ever live, my sister, and, above all, host.”

He pales, then laughs. Kanna groans and sits up. “Wait…what type of faerie did you say you were?”

Confidently, he says, “Demon.”

“Wrong answer. You are a demon, but you do not belong in Akihabara.”

“Impressive.”

“I know every demon faerie very well, even those who stay in the human world. You aren’t one, and your aura…it’s different.”

I shoot a kunai at him. In the blink of an eye, a suit of armor made of solid fire appears on his skin, shattering it.

“Now it’s my turn…who are you?”

“One of Lucifer's elite guards.”

I realize that Noah’s locket, usually invisible, has appeared…outside of my shirt. That’s not good. If I’m right, that’s our link to Sauron.

“So that’s where it is. We elites have known the spell to reveal the source of an Eye’s power for a long time.”

“I’ll have you know I nearly choked your boss to death earlier. I was really pissed off when it happened. Don’t piss me off. Leave, and give him my regards.”

“No…unless you give me that necklace.”

A sword, also made of solid flame, appears in his hand. I laugh. An identical suit, made of light, appears on me. Swirling designs of darkness run along my legs and arms. Each individual plate is outlined in black. I examine his sword. “Heh…”

“What’s so funny, freak?”

I glare, my eyes turning crimson. “Good job, now you’ve pissed her off.”

“No angel can summon darkness. No demon can summon light. Ergo, she's either a freak or not of this world”

“I am the result of the melding of two people. My 'father' is a demon faerie. Lexa’s an angel, and also my mother. I consider my father to be my brother and I was laughing because of that sword.”

“Why is it funny? It will be your demise, monstrosity.”

“It’s a bastard sword, and you’re a bastard. Fitting, isn't it? Also, I prefer katanas, but since you’re in armor…”

I call upon Noah’s power and memories. I imagine a fitting weapon: The Master Sword, the sword that seals the darkness, perfect for slaying demons. My katanas appear in my hands. They tug away. I let go and they float up and combine, reshaping into a perfect replica. I grab the sword in both hands. “Sanctificus demoni.”

Blue light runs up the sword. Even that changed!

"Tell me where Lucifer keeps his captives, and I'll let you walk free!"

“Don’t try me. I’ve had centuries to practice swordplay.”

“This sword can be used either way, one- or two-handed. This sword is lighter than it looks, but it’s stronger than steel. I’ve slaughtered dozens of demons. I need only to scratch you.”

He's glaring at me. His hands tighten on his sword. "Also, ouch...I prefer the term, 'Chosen one'"

He charges, slicing downward. I turn the sword sideways and block. I push his sword tip to the floor by rotating the sword. At least he’s not setting the room on fire with his armor.

Then I realize that there are burnt, smoldering footprints on the carpet. Kanna slowly stands up, an angry gleam in her eyes as she looks at the damage, and grabs the pipe that had fallen from the hand of one of the demons. The demons themselves are disintegrating. She sneaks up, raises the pipe in her left hand, then speaks. “Do you know how freaking expensive this carpet was?”

His eyes widen as he turns. "Boo!"

She slams it into his helmet. She drops it, crying out in pain, and he crumples. I kick him to the floor, yelping as the armor burns through my shoe, and stab through the armor into his chest. The hilt rapidly grows searing hot, so I quickly pull it out and stab it into his throat and forehead. I leave it embedded. The pain hits a second later and I scream. I look down. My hands are badly burned, the skin near the edges pink and blistered. They’re bleeding and cracked, riddled with sores. My fingers refuse to move, blackened and destroyed. The palms are blackened, oozing pus. In the very center of my left hand, I can see the bone.

I fall to my knees. He dissolves into a puddle of darkness, leaving a smoldering imprint of his body burned into the carpet. My sword falls, embedding itself in the floor. Kanna is cradling her burned hand. Lexa lays where she fell. I carefully lay my hands on my knees, face up. I dispel the sword and look around. There are five footprints and the impression of a body burned into the carpet, as well as a small spot where his sword touched the ground. I realize my sword is wedged into the wood under the carpet. There’s glass sprinkled in the middle of the room, vodka staining the carpet. Tohru lays on the bed, having tangled herself up trying to escape.

Chocola walks in, then examines me and Kanna’s hands. She looks at me. “This is pretty severe…it’ll take a while to heal. They may never work the same. Kanna’s isn’t anywhere near as bad. It’s mostly surface damage. Yours looks like you stuck it in a firepit and grabbed a hot coal from the center. You’ve destroyed tendons and muscle. You definitely won’t have the same dexterity you once did. If you had just stopped after the first stab, you would’ve had nowhere near as severe of a burn. Now, you’ve made yourself defenseless.”

“I ha-”

“I know you can’t focus through that pain, Alex. If you hadn’t destroyed your fingers, you could heal yourself. It would hurt, but it wouldn’t for long. You can’t even move them now. If Lexa hurries, she could heal it.”

“She’d put herself in danger. My body, as her host, works to keep her from burning up by regulating her energy. She’s able to tap into my enormous reserves, but not when she’s like this. I don’t want her to even try. She can heal Kanna, but not me. If she heals me, without my body as a regulator, she’ll burn herself up. The true death, with no chance of recovery. Also, how the hell is she supposed to heal us if she's comatose?”

She looks at Lexa and pales. "Oh."

She grabs Kanna's first-aid kit. She sits next to me. "No, do Lexa first, please..."

"You and Kanna have more serious injuries. If I don't tend to them now, there is a high chance of infection."

She gets to work. She finishes, then does Kanna. Then she cuts Tohru free, who had given up on struggling. Tohru just lays there, worn out. "Let me heal Lexa."

"You need to rest."

"I can handle it!"

"You will REST, and that's final."

I sensed there was no way I was going to win this argument. She starts tending to Lexa's injuries. She touches her ribs, and Lexa screams. “Oh my god, I am so sorry!”

I speak up. “Her ribs are at least broken...”

“N-no...they aren't...they're shattered.”

"I'll take you to recovery girl."

I step in. "Tohru, Kanna, you take Lexa. Chocola, you and I are visiting the others."

"B-but..."

Tears stream down her cheeks as she remembers what made her leave in the first place. I place my bandaged hands on Chocola's shoulders, wincing from the pain. "Choco, look at me. Your sister has been worried sick about you since before I left. The least you can do is hear her out..."

"F-f-fine..."

Then, her emotions get the best of her and she breaks down in tears. Tohru and Kanna carefully pick up Lexa and carry her out. "Come here..."

I scoot closer, then wrap my arms around her, rubbing her back. She sobs into my shoulder. I pull her into my lap and start rocking back and forth. In soothing tones, I try to calm her down. "Shh...it's okay...I'm here for you...We can sit here as long as you want..."

She reciprocates my hug and buries her face in my neck. We sit like that for a while.