Persona BLEACHED 2: Part 42

Chapter 42: The Apex of the World
April 6, 2029
"Before he was sent away, Kyohei had documented everything he'd gone through during that last semester at the Academy. His friends falling one by one. The strange man in the red hood." Kibō thought.
"And at length, he talked about the Kubo siblings. The woman who's now my professor was a thorn in Kyohei's side, exposing his corruption and setting off the events that would land him in prison. He cursed her every chance he got."
"But he reserved his harshest resentment for her older brother. The only one who ever rivaled him in both intelligence and utter ruthlessness. 'Everything she is, he isn't' he would repeat. He was solitary where she was sociable. Bitter and vindictive where she was compassionate and forgiving. She can light up any room she walks into. He would enter, and the darkness would set in. 'Whenever he spoke, it was as if a rusted nail was being scraped against my stomach'."
"One thought in particular stood out the most. 'In life, he was vile. In death he showed horrors greater still. With his defeat, this country may have been spared a future tyrant. For a 16-year old to display that level of ruthlessness and cunning is as indicative of future evil as anything. Tohru Kubo is and was, a madman. A snake.'"
"A devil dressed as a man."
---
The students were frozen. Not from the bitter cold of the ninth circle. The presence of the young man standing before them was enough to render them immobile.
"What's with this pressure?! Is it really all coming from this one guy? Kitty thought.
"If you aren't going to say anything..." Tohru began. "Could you at least give me a sign that you're currently functioning human bodies? I'd hate to think that me simply standing about doing nothing was enough to kill you. I'd expect more from my beloved sister's charges."
"'Sister'? Just who the hell are you?" Sahir demanded.
"Who am I--I literally just gave you the easiest hint in the world! Have they lowered the enrollment requirements at the Academy since I've been gone?" 
"Tohru Kubo...so that's who you are." Kibō surmised.
"Would you look at that, a live one. Hmm? Hang on."
Tohru suddenly appeared behind Kibō, and held his katana to his throat. "Hrrrm. That's what I thought. You have the stink of Ishimaru on you. How desperate the Academy must be to let you in through the door. Or is being a crushing disappointment considered to be an extraordinary talent now?"
"Hey! You can't talk to him like tha--" Barbara began.
Tohru glared her way. "Mind your tongue around the king, uppity little wench."
The pressure increased, forcing Barbara to her knees. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's mouthy, do-gooder little girls. So be a good pet and hush, won't you."
"Alright, I've had enough of this high-and-mighty piece of--" Max angrily began. Tohru appeared behind him.
"I would've imagined that my sister would've taught you all to be respectful of your clear superiors. But she's made a hobby out of being a disappointment."
"You've got that backwards, creep." Miko interrupted.
"Hm, you must be one of her friends. Always choosing the worst times to open your mouth. You are Sakaki, correct? How did it feel to have every last ounce of musculature you had wither into nothingness?"
"How'd it feel to get flattened by Koko and blasted into molecules? Say whatever you want. I'm not the one freezing my tookus off in the bottom of Hell. I made my time with Rinnie count. You wasted yours."
"Yet another sheep fawning over the 'flawless' apple. I'll never comprehend what she could have that I lack."
"Besides a beating heart?" Kitty quipped.
"You'd do well not to sass the king, woman."
"Name one piece of land you control."
"Sharp tongue." He appeared in front of her, pointing his sword at her neck. "One more word like that, and I'll cut it out."
"Y'know, Fruits Basket, it might actually be physically impossible for you to radiate any more tiny dick energy than you are right now. So get your mid-2000s weeb fantasy weapon out of my face, or I'm snapping it in two. Your choice."
Tohru sneered. "Oh, the mouth on this one. You're dying first."
Before he could do anything, Tohru was grabbed from behind, and turned around. Kibō headbutted him, and threw him away from the others.
Tohru shook it off, and grumbled. "Manners really have become a foreign concept, haven't they?" He tossed his glasses aside, having been broken by the hit.
"Kyohei was wrong about a lot, but he was right about you. You're nothing like the Professor." Kibō declared.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Tohru retorted.
"Seriously, this sneering hyena is related to Teach? Him?" Sahir questioned.
"I don't envy her in the slightest." Kenji added.
"More than you could say about him. That's the whole reason he went psycho back then. He couldn't handle Rinnie being better than him in every way that matters." Miko stated.
"Goad me all you want. My ego is dead." Tohru replied.
"Oh, honey, even if I wasn't a master of sensing BS, that is so clearly BS." Kitty retorted.
"Heh...hehehehehehehehe..."
"Oh boy. We mortally wound your feefees?" Kitty asked.
"I was just feeling nostalgic. Ringo and her hateful friends gave me the same sort of mouth service years ago. Of course, back then they had an army at their backs. You all are just nine ill-prepared first-years and a dead woman." Dark energy began swirling around Tohru. "All the same...I will enjoy silencing you for all eternity."
Tohru smacked the hilt of the katana, and an energy wave emanated out. All movement ceased around the area. The students were rendered motionless.
"Heh. A lesson your predecessors learned far too late, also. He who controls the flow of time controls the world. You all will be dead in a split second, and will never realize why. I actually rather prefer this silence. No chirping or obnoxious jabbering coming out of these uncivilized succubi. All that's left is to cut them up to my heart's content."
He stood in front of Kitty. "A shame that such a beautiful specimen should be so flippant. How best to dispose of you? Perhaps I will give you the Mirai treatment and carve out that mewling throat..."
Tohru's focus was broken by a sudden surge of pain in his lower extremities.
"ARRRRRRRGH!" He screeched as he held the spot that had just been hit.
"You're really so full of yourself that you'd just leave your family jewels unguarded, huh? You should be grateful. It's probably the only time a girl would willingly touch you." Kitty quipped.
"Damn you...how are you moving?! No one has ever managed to counteract my time stoppage except..." Tohru grumbled. "Just who the hell are you?"
"The name's Kit So-yin, four-eyes. Kitty if you're nasty. Former thief, part-time streamer, full-time awesome. My hobbies include playing games, watching anime, babysitting, getting massages from cute boys and, as of today, upstaging snooty narcissists. As for how I'm beating your ZA WARUDO trick, all it took was a simple Haste spell to speed myself up."
"You couldn't have known it was coming, or reacted quickly enough...are you some kind of prophet?"
"Not me. This indigo piece of royalty, on the other hand..." She pointed at Carrie. "She gave me the heads-up right before you used your magic. Maybe if you weren't monologuing about how Super Special Awesome you are, you would've noticed. Prof would've noticed instantly and roasted us before Care Bear ever finished whispering. Well actually, she wouldn't. Because Prof isn't a psycho, moustache-twirling sentient zit like you."
"Are you brats really nothing more than a gathering of insults?"
"Oh come ON, enough with the ego tripping! 'Brats'? You're barely older than us, dude. Doesn't matter when you were born. You're 16 forever. What did being a gigantic tool get you, anyway? You're stuck down here for eternity, and because of what? 'Oh no, my little sister is better at stuff than me so now I'm gonna take over the world to massage my glass ego!' All this time sitting down here, have you ever thought to yourself, 'maybe it's MY fault I'm where I'm at now'?"
"You could never understand. To be replaced by her so quickly, then watch as everything I worked for was surpassed with minimal effort was maddening. Even then, I wanted her to join me in reshaping the world. I am not bereft of care for my sister. She was never willing to listen to me."
"'Join' you? I think you mean 'obey' you. I think you're the one that was never willing to listen. What kind of person talks about their sibling like that? My sister isn't perfect, far from it. But even with all the things she's screwed up in, I know after everything that she still loves me. That's how families work. And having been around Prof and seeing how her family is, I can tell you that you screwed up big-time. I don't know what could've happened that made you like this, or if you were just born rotten. Just take a look at where you are. You call yourself a king? This is quite a kingdom you've got for yourself here, skippy."
Tohru's hand, clenched around his sword, began to shake.
"Aww, what's wrong? It's just eating you up, isn't it? A girl standing here, not afraid of you in the slightest, telling you what a loser you are. I don't think even a gallon of gorilla glue could fix that shattered ego of yours. And I bet it doesn't help knowing how good it's been for Prof ever since you kicked it. You want to own the inside of her head, but the fact is, she's got other people to grieve. People that actually cared about her. And she's got people around her to care about. You're not king of anything. Nothing you say or do matters, because you threw it all away. You're a joke." Kitty dictated.
Dark energy began surging around Tohru. "A joke, am I? Listen to me, you barking cow. Nobody has the gall to tell me that I'm a joke."
"I don't see why not."
The darkness swallowed up Tohru, and he emerged in a dark suit of samurai armor, eyes glowing red. "DIE."
Tohru raised his blade up, and swung it down at Kitty. However, mid-swing, it stopped. "Hng? What...what is this?"
"Another lesson in flapping your gums for too long. Maybe you would've noticed me casting Haste on everyone else."
Natalia was behind Kitty, eyes glowing at motioning her hands towards Tohru. "Kitty, you might want to hurry this up. It's taking a ton just to hold him like this."
"Y'all heard the cinnamon roll." 
The other students, Personas active and weapons drawn, surrounded Tohru. Carrie cracked her knuckles.
"Rip his guts out."
The sounds of sword hitting armor, water and flames hitting steel and fist hitting chainmail echoed throughout the ninth circle. After a merciless beating, the students finally relented. His armor shattered, his sword fractured and his helmet obliterated, Tohru lay defeated on the ground.
"DAMN, that felt good. Nice to be the one doing the punishing, for once." Max said.
"Wherever my brother might be, he's probably smiling and has no idea why." Kibō added.
"Anyone feel like picking up the pieces of this guy's ego?" Barbara asked.
"Ah, just leave it. He's got an eternity to learn from this. C'mon, we've got bigger fish to fry." Kitty said. The students turned to leave.
Tohru struggled to his knees, holding himself up with his cracked katana. "Don't you dare...walk away from me..."
"Learn to take a hint, dude. You really want another beating?" Sahir asked.
"The narcissist never knows when he's beaten." Sakuya surmised.
"Even when it's become a recurring event." Kenji joked.
"Not often that I can pummel someone and they insist on another lesson." Carrie added.
"Idiots...damned idiots...don't you dare look down on me..." Tohru uttered.
"You're the only damned idiot around here. You've already lost. Why keep this up when it's gonna end the same way?" Kitty asked.
"I don't lose...I am the king...I will never lose to the likes of you...not to her disciples. A bunch of entitled brats from who-knows-where! DIE!" Tohru raised his blade again, and again, was stopped. But not by telepathy, but by a thread embedded into his arm. "What...?" More threads attached themselves to his limbs, forcing him still.
"No, Tohru. You had your chance. This outburst is over."
The students turned to the source of the threads: Rose had arrived, standing next to Jin.
"Doc Rose!" Kitty exclaimed.
"You...! You witch! Sister's most precious puppet. Still masquerading as a human, I see." Tohru uttered.
"Sticks and stones, Tohru. I had hoped that Rin's parting words had gotten through to you, even briefly. And yet, it seems death has made you even more vile." Rose replied.
"Don't pretend that my sister meant anything she said. Those words came after she obliterated most of my body. Unlike you all, I do not bow to every word that comes out of her mouth. What does she have that I don't?!"
"That you think to ask, answers your question. I still have no idea where this endless hostility comes from. Rin loved you. She wanted to walk the same path as you. Your death affects her even now. You are her biggest regret. Yet even with that in mind, she persists. She has chosen to live. Just as your mother and brother have. I'm going to tell you what you should've been told while you were still alive: not everything is about you."
"I won't be told the processes of life from some artificial--"
"My name is Rosemary Minerva Wolfe, and I was born to Canadian behavioral therapist Dr. Mikaela Wolfe, in the world before this one. Circumstances being what they are does not change that I am, and always have been, a human being. Even if that weren't the case, that does not change or delegitimize my feelings or experiences. I feel joy, anger and sadness just like anyone else. I feel the most beautiful love whenever I look at Rin. And when I look at you? All I feel...is pity."
The strings moved Tohru to put his sword to his throat. "Wait...please, wait..."
"No more words, Tohru. You are no longer Rin's kindred. All you are is a bitter ghost. One that has haunted our home for far too long. It's time for you to rest in peace. Goodbye."
Tohru cut his own throat, and collapsed. Wordlessly, he slowly crumbled away into shadow particles.
"He could've done so much for the world. Him and Rin could've been as remarkable a partnership as any. But every imaginable sin gestated inside of him, warping his mind. Wrath, pride, envy. A tragedy that this is what became of him." Jin mused.
"Well you won't catch me mourning too much." Miko replied.
"...? Wait a minute, you're..." Rose began.
"Took you long enough to notice, Rosie." Miko tightly embraced Rose. "I came here to get you and Rinnie. I wanted to thank you for taking care of me like you did."
"It really is you...I can't believe it. Rin is going to be..." Rose began.
"...that's right. We still need to get her back." Kitty said.
"All that's left is the Mistress of Evil herself. Who knows what she's got prepared for us down there." Barbara added.
"Nothing good, that's for damn sure." Max replied.
"Her lair is going to be through those pillars. Steel yourselves. The end is in sight. Failure is not an option." Jin said.
"As ominous and foreboding as ever. We're almost to ya, Prof. All we've gotta do is beat the maybe-possibly devil. No biggie." Kitty muttered.
---
"Papaaaaaa!"
"What's wrong, apple blossom?" asked the man in glasses.
"Kaito, look at her! She's got sand all around her eyes. Did you trip and fall, sweetheart?" Hana asked.
"*sniff* Tohru...kicked it in my face...cuz he wanted the ball..." Rin said through tears.
"Aw, no. Not again. What is the matter with that boy? Where is he now?" Kaito asked.
"He ran away...*sniff*...that way..."
"Kaito, I told you this was becoming a problem. This isn't just boys being boys." Hana insisted.
"I'm starting to get that now." Kaito sighed. "Hyōtan!"
"So as you girls may or may not know, I'm kind of a rap genius..." Tan said to the clearly disinterested girls.
"Hyōtan!"
"Hold on, ladies. What, Pops?"
"Go find your brother. He threw sand in Ringo's face."
"Oh, for...he's getting a special butt-kicking today."
"No, he won't be. Just bring him here. In one piece."
"Fine, fine. Sorry about this, ladies..."
"Alright, sweetheart, let's get you cleaned up." Kaito said.
"Papa, why does...*sniff*...why does Tohru hate me?" Rin asked.
"Your brother doesn't hate you, apple blossom. He just has a temper. It's nothing to do with you."
"I'm not so sure about that." Hana said under her breath. 
"If it'll make you feel better, I'll ask him why he gets so mad all the time. Let's just go get you some water for your face."
"After that we can get you some ice cream to make you feel better. OK?" Hana asked.
"*sniff* OK..."
"What must you be thinking about right now, Rinnie?"
---
Rin lay asleep inside the large, liquid-filled tube.
"This ain't the time for nappin', Red. Your runts and your mates are comin' to nab ya. Came all the way down here just to get ya back. Must make ya feel warmer than a salty on a hot summer day." Kerberos said.
"Don't wanna be rude and sleep through it all, do ya? Nah. Let's go give 'em a proper welcome. It'll be the shindig to end all shindigs. And you'll be the guest of honor. Let's get cracking..."
---
"This is as deep as it gets. The very center of Hell, where its master lies in wait." Jin explained.
The group were in the center of a large, frozen lake. Surrounding them were colossal, stone statues of what appeared to be giants. Their arms and legs were bound to the mountainside by chains.
"The Titans. Bound to the very bottom for their hubris. And there, in the center. That is Cronus." Rose added.
"The same Cronus that tempted and empowered Tohru all those years ago. Little did we realize that he was another Shadow in Kerberos' employ. A creature whose only purpose was to disrupt and destroy. Nearly did the deed, too." Jin said.
"I'm feeling really nauseous...the air here is even worse than the rest of this place..." Natalia muttered.
"Agreed. This is a space that exudes wickedness. What better place for the devil herself to reside?" Kenji said.
"Kehehehehehehehehehe..."
Kerberos appeared before the group, clapping her hands. "Good on ya, mates! I was worried for a hot sec that Toh was gonna waste ya before ya ever got to me, but ya gave his clocks a proper cleanin', eh?"
"You! Enough with the games. Release Rin, now!" Rose demanded.
"Calm yer gazongas, Rosie. I'm as amped to get to the main course as you all, but I've got some business to take care of before that. I've got a proposition for y'all."
"Whatever garbage you're peddling, we ain't buying." Sahir asserted.
"I wasn't talkin' to you, socko boy. I'm askin' the boss lady here."
"Don't even bother." Kitty replied.
"At least hear me out first. Tell me something. What did ya kiddos want when ya started up your little artist's club? Ya wanted to take out the trash in a broken system, yeah? Here's the big problem with that: how do ya fix a broken system when the ones who built the system are unfixable? I'm talkin' about the human race as a whole, the whole shebang."
"So what are you pushing now, that humans can't be fixed?" Kibō asked.
"I know they can't be fixed, kiddo. I've seen a universe die, all cuz one man wanted to undo an entire species' lifetime of mistakes. And what do we end up with? The same shit again, with people doing what people have done since forever. Y'all have seen it yourselves. Murderers, thieves, abusers, the lowest of the low. You saw how crowded it is down here. The human capacity for destroying themselves is as old as humanity itself. You could scream into someone's face what to do, and they'll do the opposite out of spite. Hateful, stubborn, with no love for anything but themselves. I only give' em torment cuz they deserve it. Ol' Doc Miyatsuko had a chance to fix 'em from the start, and he just left 'em to their own BS. You let them do whatever, and of course they'll destroy themselves. Which brings me to my little proposal."
"You've seen how awful they can be, Kitten. You know better than anyone how selfish and awful people are. Help me tear them apart. Burn it all to the ground. Then life can start over, but with you and your mates pulling the strings. You can be their gods. Fix what needs to be fixed. Make a real change. Think about it long and hard, Kitten."
Kitty fell silent. "So what you're saying is...you'll have everything start over...and we can make it so none of the problems mankind deals with ever happens? We can do that...ourselves..."
"Right on the money, sweets. It'll take a bit of slaughter, but compared to what that old wanker did to the last universe, it'll be a drop in the--"
"I refuse."
"Eh?"
"It's true that people can be awful. Their problems are a hell of a lot deeper than anyone realizes. Maybe starting over would be a good plan...if you weren't the one offering it. I know people can be horrible, but I also know they can be fixed. Mass murder is never the answer to anything. In two short words: get bent."
Kerberos began to snicker. "Eh, can't win 'em all. I was 99.9% positive you weren't gonna bite on that. But a low chance is better than none, right?"
"Enough with your nonsense, villain. Give us back the Professor, and end this charade." Sakuya demanded.
"You're not swaying anyone. We've seen the world you've made here, one where evil souls wallow in horror and eternal agony. If that's all you're capable of making, then how can you be trusted with any sort of life?" Carrie questioned.
"Ke....kehehehehehe! Oh, y'all want good ol' Rinnie back, do ya? All ya had to do was ask!" Kerberos clapped her hands.
In a burst of crimson energy, Rin appeared in front of Kerberos.
"Rin!" Rose exclaimed.
"Hold on!" Jin stopped her. "Something's wrong."
Rin's gaze was noticeably dark. She stayed silent.
"Hey, Prof! It's us! We came here to get you." Kitty said.
No response.
"Rin...what's wrong? Please, say something. You know you can tell me anything." Rose said.
"Rinnie...that's really you, isn't it? It's your old pal Miko. You remember me, right? I came here to get you." Miko said.
No response.
Rose got closer. "Rin. Say something. Tell me what's wrong..."
Rin's gaze sharpened. She brought out a lance and pointed it at the group. "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME."
The group were stunned and confused.
"You came to 'get' me? I'm not going back to a life of endless misery! That's all I ever get from you. For the first time in my life, I get it. I always thought it was something I did that brought all this hellish despair into my life. But it's always been other people, spreading their misery and running me into the ground. I'm not giving anything to people whose sole purpose is to bring me down."
"Rin...what are you talking about? This isn't like you." Rose said.
"Witch! What did you do to her?" Jin demanded.
"Me? I ain't done nuthin. Rinnie made up her own mind on this one. All I did was air her worst memories on repeat, so she could come over to my way of thinking. Other people tore her life to shreds. Once you've seen the same things over and over, you start to see patterns. And what her patterns told her was that other people haven't done her any favors. So I don't really need y'all to help me tear the planet to shreds, when I've got meself a walking, despair-filled atom bomb right here!"
"That's a lie! Rin would never willingly go along with your madness!" Rose yelled.
"Picking at her guilt and grief and twisting it to your own ends...there aren't words to properly describe what a piece of inhuman waste you are." Jin added.
"Kehehehe! So what if I nudged her along a bit? I did the impossible. I've made the apple crack. Her noggin's filled with nothing now except anger and despair at everything the world's thrown at her. Starting with you lot."
Kerberos snapped her fingers, and Rin's eyes turned yellow. Flames began sprouting around the lake. Rin took on her armor.
"There's the source of everything that's gone wrong for ya, Rinnie. KILL THEM ALL!" Kerberos began cackling.
Rin lunged at the stunned group, an explosion left in her wake.
"Tenshō Onimusha!" Jin transformed into his demon form, getting in front and receiving a hard tackle from Rin.
"Oh, hell. Oh hell." Kenji uttered.
"Listen to me, Rin! You're being controlled...she's making you attack us..." Jin struggled to hold Rin back.
"She's not making me do anything. Thanks to her, for the first time ever, I'm in control of my life. She showed me the truth about you all. Getting me wrapped up and thinking your misery is mine. Do you know how guilty I felt, watching you mope around with that scar on your neck, thinking it was my fault you were like that? Never once thinking to tell you to suck it up and move on? Not like you've got a wife and kid and a good job or anything like that, nah, you're just depressed." Rin chided.
"If I didn't know better, I'd be offended by that, but I know who's pulling the strings. I know that isn't you talking."
"Whether it's me talking or not doesn't matter. Only thing that matters is that you won't be." Rin summoned her lance, and prepared to bring it down. She was halted before she could do so.
"Nnngh...too strong...can't hold her...for too long..." Natalia struggled.
"What are we supposed to do? We'll be scorched if we try to get close..." Kenji questioned.
"My fireballs won't do anything. Maxie's lightning might just make it worse." Sahir conceded.
"I can't get Nimue close to her...it just evaporates." Barbara added.
"Are we seriously screwed here?" Kitty asked.
"Can't...too...much..." Natalia's hold began to slip.
Before it could break, threads emerged from the ground and ensnared Rin. She turned to the group.
"Et tu, Rose?"
"Please don't make me do this, I'm begging you. You know this isn't who you are. You're sounding like..." Rose began.
"Say it! SAY HIS NAME! Tell me I'm no better than him! DO IT!" Rin bellowed.
"Oh, boy. Much as I'd love to stick around for a ripper of a blue, I've got some bizzo of me own to take care of. Namely sendin' your mates in the other world over our way. Have fun gettin' scorched, Team Drongo~. Kerberos' jewel began glowing as she started to disappear.
"Oh no you don't!" Kitty sprinted and leapt at Kerberos, hitting the jewel with her charged-up hand.
"Hey, the hell are ya doin'?! That shit ain't a toy, you don't know where it'll--"
Kerberos vanished. And so did Kitty.
"Kitty-san! What just happened?" Sakuya questioned.
"Oh, God. Now she's gone off...with her." Barbara uttered.
"As if we didn't have enough problems!" Sahir griped.
Rin's power began flaring, as Rose struggled to hold her. Jin had gotten up, and was grabbing Rin from behind.
"This really is Hell. Kitty, wherever you are...you better keep safe." Kibō said.
---
Kitty woke up on the ground. She was in the hallway of an advanced-looking building. Everything was gray-toned, save for her eyes, which were a distinctive pink. "Where am I now? I'm really not in the mood for any more mind games..."
She overheard someone approaching. A young brown-haired woman wearing a nurse's uniform came down the hall. Beside her was a younger boy.
"C'mon, sis, just lemme come with you! I'm tired of being locked up in the room all day."
"Sorry, Robbie, but the docs have already told me off about bringin' you with me to work. I can't be worryin' about you while I'm dealin' with patients."
"You're always worryin' more about them than me! You only ever show up when I'm goin' to bed! It's like you don't care about me at all!"
"Robbie, you know that ain't true! You're all I've got left, boyo. Look, I've gotta help out Doc Miyatsuko today. If his little experiment goes bonko, someone's gotta be there to patch everyone up. If it wraps up without a hitch, I'll be back in an hour or two. We can have a round or three of Tekken after that. Sound like a deal?"
"Alright. But you'd better be back quick."
She hugged him, and he started back down the hall. Kitty went completely unnoticed.
"That lady...Kerberos? Who's the kid?"
"Robbie." Kerberos, eyes glowing red, appeared next to Kitty.
Kitty readied for an attack. "Settle down, kitten. I ain't down for a scrap at the moment. I just wanted to make a point."
"Oh what, you're gonna show me your tragic backstory to make me see things your way? You're wasting your time."
"Before you shut yourself down, why not listen to what I got to say?" Kerberos looked over to the departing boy. "That was the last time I ever saw Robbie. After all these years, a truckload of scenarios have gone through my noggin. What if I stayed in with him that day? If I brought him along, would he have ended up like us? Alone in the universe with no end in sight? Would I've wanted him to still be here, knowing how it all turned out?"
Kerberos motioned for Kitty to follow. "C'mon. Let's not lose the ditz. There's more to see."
Kitty followed Kerberos down the hall, passing by numerous lab areas and offices. "You already know this, but the world we came from was just about donezo. Wars and diseases took out most of the population. Every bright mind left gathered in this one spot to try to fix it. Just like people. Don't know that a problem needs fixin' til it's starin' em in the face. Especially when the problem's their own fault."
They reached one office space with the door labeled "Dr. Reiji Miyatsuko". Outside, Sheila Chambers spoke with a dark-haired woman and a small, light-haired girl.
"So that's you with the Kaya lady. And the little girl is..." Kitty began.
"Aye. That's our Rosie. Heh, even as a tyke she never wore anything that wasn't blue. Some things never change."
Kaya entered the room, while Sheila stayed outside with Rose. "Must be tough to imagine for ya. Someone like me lookin' after her? I wasn't always so borked. I had a real soft spot for little runts. Lookin' after Rosie was always the highlight of my day. Bright as the lights on Bourke Street, even then."
Kitty observed. For a moment, she wasn't staring at Sheila with Rose. For a moment, it was herself with Shizuka.
"Look familiar, kitten?" Kerberos asked.
"Why are you showing me this? Even if you used to be like me, it doesn't change that you're a murderous psycho demon now."
"I want you to get that I wouldn't be where I'm at now if it weren't for the quack in that office. All the people in this joint had their lives taken by that brainless dolt. Literally..." Kerberos noted two figures speaking nearby, Tony Blackshear and Sara Sigurdsdóttir. "...or figuratively."
"I spent billions of years just foolin' about, goin' with whatever the quack said. One day I decide to take a gander at world inside the human brain. Maybe find out why the Doc's so obsessed with it. I wasn't expecting to see what I did. The levels of evil and hatred that sat beneath the surface. I kept sayin' to myself, 'People are awful'. I repeated it so often to myself, that things started clickin'. My brain woke up, and it all came floodin' back. The old world. All the folks that died. Robbie. I couldn't handle it. I wanted to punish the Doc for all of it. He burned it all away and built somethin' to replace it? Then I'll burn the new shit down. He hasn't suffered properly like we all have. He can play God while the rest of us muck about in a life without end, not knowing what we'd lost to get here. My bro is long gone. Doc took his and everyone else's chance away. I'll make sure he gets his."
"Kitten, I'm thinkin' Sir Big Nose picked you for this role cuz you out of everyone in your squad can understand where I'm comin' from. Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine that it was your big sis that got the raw deal. That it was lil' Shizuka that got cursed with this never-ending Hell of a life. Imagine that all of the crap just hit you at once. You tellin' me you wouldn't lose it after that?"
Kitty remained silent.
"My offer's still on the table. Help me make him pay. Help me fix this broken world. It can start over the right way. You can do the right thing."
"...Prof...she tells us all to be compassionate. To understand where someone's coming from. I can say that...I'm sorry for everything that happened. That your brother and everyone else had their lives taken. But, we live in this world now. There's nothing that can change what's been taken. Death isn't fixed with more death. Lin...Shizuka...my friends...I'd be destroyed if they died. Losing them like you lost your world would probably drive me nuts. And that's why...I'm not gonna take your offer. I'm gonna do the right thing."
"And the right thing is...stopping you here, and ending all of this."
Kerberos looked frustrated. "I figured as much. You've made your choice, kitten. Ain't my fault if it's a dumbass one." She snapped her fingers, and the scenery changed.
The two were now in space, standing where there was no ground, miles above the Earth. 
Kerberos tossed away her hood and cape, and drew her scythe. "Long as I've got your Prof as my battery, you won't be hurtin' me too much."
"Doesn't much matter. No matter how tough you are, there's no one that can't lose. I know my friends'll come through and snap Prof out of it. All I've gotta do is hold you off until then."
"Heh. Losing hasn't even crossed your mind, has it? This is gonna be a shock to the system, then."
"I won't be the one getting a shock, Jack-O. One-on-one against the ultimate evil. My RPG itch is being scratched like crazy."
Kerberos beckoned Kitty forward. "C'mon, then. Let's get serious, 'hero'."
---
"Rin, I need you to calm down. You can't keep this up. You'll turn everything to ashes if you stay in that form--yourself included." Rose pleaded.
"What difference would it even make? Most of the people here want to die, anyway. Everyone goes around, moping about how horrible their lives are. And I'm the one that has to listen to it all. I've been through enough horrible things on my own, but then everyone has to heap their pain onto me. What's being around people gotten me except more anguish?" Rin bit back.
"Dammit all, Rin, you know that's not you talking. I'm sorry if it gets overwhelming for you, but friendship is about taking on each other's burdens. People come to you because they know you're the kind of person who can listen and sympathize with them. None of us would be where we are now without you." Jin replied.
"Please, Proffesor, listen to what they're saying. You're not this sort of angry person. You've shown us nothing but kindness and understanding since the school year began. Even knowing who my brother is, you haven't treated me any differently from anyone else." Kibō said.
"You comforted me when I was feeling guilty about Max. Kenji when he was feeling conflicted. You brought us into your home so we could have somewhere to air out our problems." Barbara added.
"Even me, someone who wasn't your student and actively spied on your students on behalf of your enemies. What you did in telling my professor about the abuse I was receiving meant more than you could ever realize. No adult had ever stood up for me like that before." Sakuya added.
Rin remained silent.
"Jin, I need you to let her go." Rose said.
"Are you out of your mind?! She'll--" Jin objected.
"She won't hurt me. No matter how dark her mind is, I know she would never hurt me."
"Famous last word material...you'd better be right." Jin let go of Rin, reverting to his human form due to strain.
Rin stood still, her armor receding. She fell to her knees. Rose got down in front of her. She put her hand on Rin's face. "It's okay to feel upset. It's okay to be frustrated with the pain and suffering all around you. I've always said that your greatest strength and your biggest weakness is that you care too much. It took you less than a day to decide you wanted to keep Shizuka around. Even with all of the added responsibilities, you've never lost your smile. Pain is something for more than one person to bear, and I decided long ago that I would bear yours for eternity. And if my words aren't enough for you..."
Miko approached. Rin's face froze in shock. "You...you can't be..."
"I can be, Rinnie. Oh, did I miss that face."
"Why are you here...you don't belong here..."
"I came down here to get you. Figured I should save you at least once, after everything else you did for me."
"Miko, I'm...I'm so sorry. Those last few months are burned into my mind. I blame myself completely for it. If I hadn't found you in the forest that day...you never would've..."
"None of that, beautiful. If I had died in the forest, I would've died without ever feeling like I was loved. I got to be myself for a while thanks to you. No matter what kind of bug I brought into the house...no matter how sick I got at the end...you never got upset with me. You took me to the mountains so I could transition in peace. You took in my little sister without a second thought. You finished our armor! And you look so cool wearing it! You did all of it for me...if that isn't love, I don't know what is."
Rin was already in tears. "All this time...I've blamed myself for everything that's happened. That I'm a magnet for horrible things, and people shouldn't be around me. I don't know how to...how to make these thoughts go away. Do I have a right to be happy when there's so much pain around me?"
"Rinnie..." Miko knelt down next to her. "You need to forgive yourself."
"It's time, my love. Your guilt can't define you forever. It's time to allow yourself to live without regret. Want me to show you how?" Rose's eyes changed to their natural golden hue. "Your turn."
Rin paused. Wordlessly, she closed her eyes. The scars on her arms, long hidden by her power, manifested themselves. Crimson particles began to emerge from around her, dissipating into thin air.
"Her arms..." Barbara uttered.
"The reminder of my worst mistake. I'd kept them hidden all this time out of shame. But now..." Rin reopened her eyes. "I have...no need for regret."
Rose and Miko both happily embraced her. Jin, lying on the ground, weakly raised his fist up. "Suck it, Kirby."
The area briefly shook. "Ugh, now what?!" Sahir griped.
"Now that Kerberos' hold on Rin's been snapped, she's lost her main power source. Her power is intrinsically linked to this place, and it's fluctuating madly. If there was ever a time to strike her down, it'd be now." Jin explained.
"I can pinpoint her and Kitty's exact location and send you to them." Rose said.
"What about you all? You're not staying down here, are you?" Kibō asked.
"We've already exhausted all of our strength. We'd be a liability." Rin replied. "I don't doubt that you all will come through. I'm proud that you all were my first students. I know you can end this nightmare. For the living, for the dead...and even for Kerberos herself. Work together, and there's nothing you can't accomplish. If any lesson I've given you sticks, let it be that."
Rose put in the coordinates, and a portal opened.
"Alright. Everyone ready?" Kibō asked.
"Welp, my gut's churning, my legs are shaking, and we're off to fight the closest thing to the Devil there is. Yeah, about as ready as I'll ever be." Max replied.
"Once it gets down to the bitter end, someone's gotta step up and be the hero. And do the ladies ever love a hero~." Sahir stated.
"Is that seriously all you think about?" Kenji shook his head. "In any case, I am prepared. I'd rather not lose whatever peace I've achieved. And I still have my personal project to finish."
"I've lived through far too much to see it end now. You don't even need to ask if I'm prepared." Carrie said.
"Old me would've turned around and run off like a scared puppy. But new me has things to live for. No more Scaredy Cat Nat." Natalia exclaimed.
"It wouldn't do for me to turn away from Kitty-san after she's done so much to comfort me. It is time to put an end to millenia worth of misery." Sakuya replied.
"I have things to look forward to. Dreams that need to be accomplished. So do billions of people that are counting on us to win. Let's win, and take back our lives!" Barbara exclaimed.
"You didn't think anyone was going to turn away now, did you? Or are you the one feeling doubts at the very end?" Kenji asked.
"Of course not. Thunderbolt Kyoko's son doesn't know how to submit. I just needed to know where everyone was at." Kibō replied. "Okay. Let's not keep Kitty--or our host--waiting any longer."
The students entered the portal one-by-one.
"Good luck, everyone." Rin said.
---
"...!!!" 
Kerberos stopped. She grasped her jewel, which was flashing erratically. "The fuck...no...they didn't...tell me they didn't pull it off."
"Heh." Kitty was breathing heavily, and had been cut and bleeding from multiple areas. "The sweet sounds of something not going according to plan."
"Shut it! Nuthin...nuthin could've...gk!" Kerberos fell to one knee. "No way...Rinnie was my ace! How in blazes did they..." Energy sparked from her jewel. 
"Not doing too hot, huh? Do you need a minute?"
"Take that shot-fox grin off yer gabber, kitten. Even if I've been cut off from Rinnie, I've still got plenty in the tank. Enough to gut ya to pieces."
"One of us, maybe. But you're not playing against the whole field, are you?"
The rest of the students appeared in front of Kitty.
"Guys!" she exclaimed.
"Didn't think we were gonna leave our fearless leader high and dry, did ya?" Sahir asked.
"You're done, Kerberos. The Professor's been freed, and you're outside of your world. You've lost." Kibō said.
"This doesn't have to end in a fight! Just go off to some far part of the universe and leave us alone!" Natalia exclaimed.
"Your future has become rather grim. Has giving up really not crossed your mind?" Sakuya asked.
"...keh. Kehehehehehe...y'all really haven't been payin' attention, have ya? I might've had my batteries ripped out, but I've still got some juice left. Ya really wanna save this mudball and all the rotten lil' sheep runnin' around it? Ya really think you can save 'em?" More energy crackled.
"Whether we can do it ourselves or not, we have to try. We can't give up on the good in the world, just because there's bad in it. We're just nine kids. Our lives haven't really started yet. We aren't gonna destroy 'em now. Your world is gone. We aren't gonna sit here and let you take ours!" Kitty declared.
More energy sparked. "A'ight. If that's how ya want it." Kerberos began to float up. More and more energy surged around her. The whole of her eyes turned blood crimson, large red horns sprouted on her head, and a set of six large, red, leathery wings emerged from her back.
"Life, and death...freedom and security...order and chaos...you get to pick how this goes. Are ya gonna be the heroes? Or martyrs? Come on, then, brats! Either you get sent to the great beyond, or me! Now BRING IT! SHOW ME WHY YOU DESERVE TO LIVE!"