Invoking Rapture in Hell

Act III: Igniting the Inferno

Uka dragged his fingers through the blood, smearing it across the wall. His face contorted into a painful expression of unbound fury. He lowered his head and clenched his fists, surveying the bedroom. Her clothes were scattered across the floor, torn and bloody. There were more bloody messages, most of which amounted to little more than "I told you so" and "Ha ha ha". Light began to pour through the open doorway behind him. Slowly turning, he stared into the murky, burning red light as his figure appeared, the source of the ominous, hellish light. He grinned and wagged his finger.

"You should have listened...we could have been something special. You chose this way, Mako," Uka growled and began to advance. The ghostly apparition backed away a step, but continued grinning.

"Where is she? Where is Sakura-chan?" He giggled and tapped his chin, stroking his thin beard.

"You are looking for your little whore, aren't you? Well...perhaps you can still save her. She's somewhere in this city, oh how fun! You get to look for her!" He stepped further into the light, becoming a foggy outline.

"Perhaps she's lying in a ditch, bleeding to death? Perhaps she's strapped to a table while some mad scientist sees just how loud she screams when he splits her tiny little nipples open with razor wire? Perhaps she's spread like a rug while some dear friends of mine take turns riding her precious little whore of a body? Who can say, really? But regardless...wherever she is, you only have a few hours to find her, I can promise you that," Uka lunged at him, horns springing from his scalp and fire blazing in his eyes.

"Tell me where she is!" He giggled and licked his claw. A bloody scorpion claw where his hand used to be. He was changing, revealing his true colors...just as Uka was.

"It's no so simple, Makoko...you see...I want to play a little game..." His voice suddenly became darker, heavier. His eyes began to glow a sickly shade of green, "You've spent your entire life wallowing in apathy. Nonchalant to those closest to you, those who truly cared for your well-being. No matter their pain and suffering, you felt nothing. Now, Mako Uka, if you ever hope to see your precious little whore again..I want you to feel."

"Can you feel it? Fear, loathing, helplessness...and above all else, hate, burning inside you? Can you overcome these emotions now to save the one you love, the one who loves you? You've hidden from emotions your entire life, can you handle them now when you need to the most? You have three hours Mako, if you ever want to see her...you should start where its boiling and freezing at the same time. The choice is yours Mako; let her live...or let her die," With that, he threw his head back, cackling wildly as flames engulfed the room.

Uka stared at the fire, trembling as waves of emotion overcame him. He knew the answer to the riddle, Nigelo had told him more than once. He narrowed his blazing eyes and walked into the fire. The roof began to collapse, the fire spread faster. Uka maintained his pace, his horns growing longer, curving. Two more horns ripped through the back of his neck, while his hands grew and his fingers sharpened into talons. The floor cracked and collapsed, Uka floated over the hole without missing a beat. His back began to blister, leathery wings shot from his shoulders and grew until they were twice the length of his body. Uka's skin began to turn green, but was quickly wrapped in a slick, leathery black cloak. With a mere thought, the wall around his door exploded and the fire spread outward, now lighting Uka's path, instead of hindering it.

The entire building trembled. The fire was spreading faster, and faster, black smoke rose into the cold Townsville sky. There was a small army of police officers and rioters at the end of the stairs. Uka snarled and walked into the flurry of bullets that rained down on him the moment he stepped into the lobby. The crowd threw rocks; the religious cried exorcism rites. His eyes burned brighter, with a vicious roar, he swung his arm, returning the bullets and rocks that sank into his skin to their owners, striking them dead on sight. A series of screams rang out through the blood bath and the crowd started to back away. With a simple flick of his wrist, a burst of fire erupted from Uka's palm and incinerated the entire entryway to the apartment complex.

He stepped out into the sunlight and looked around, getting his bearings. It was unfathomable, the blazing red haze wrapping around his brain. Every thought was perverted by two conflicting, but conjoined ideas:

Save Sakura-chan and Kill Tom Nigelo.

To the horror of those cowering in the streets, Uka's body rose up and morphed, becoming a monstrous black bird. More bullets flew in his direction, but they were like gnats, an annoyance, a waste of time. With a horrible screech, he flew off over the city, tearing through anything in his path. The location, a small abandoned diner, stood out compared to the thriving business just across the street. People scattered as he hit the ground, once more in his new, true form. With a snarl, rays of white lightning erupted from his eyes, destroying anything in his line of sight, and vaporizing anyone it touched. Were it not for his impenetrable rage, he'd have relished their screams of pain and death.

He couldn't speak, only growl and snarl, swatting a terrified gangster out of his way, sending him careening into a telephone pole that promptly snapped and dropped whipping wires onto his unconscious body. With a simple glare the doorway exploded. The crew gathered inside, a small army of twenty or thirty, turned and leveled their weapons with the approaching monster.

"Where is she? Where is Sakura-chan?" They faltered. Fire was starting to spread from the walls where the explosion hit. Hotter, darker than any mortal flame. Uka's eyes blazed brighter as he made his way toward them. With his first step they opened fire, pegging him with hundreds of bullets, reloading and firing again. He made no indication of stopping, gave no sign that he even felt the bullets sinking into and disappearing in his skin. With a simple twist of his neck, the ground split and they were knocked to the ground.

"Nigelo gave her to you, where is she?!" he roared, grabbing the nearest one by the face and lifting him into the air. As his claws sank into the man's face, blood streamed down his cheeks, dripping to the floor. Uka's hand began to burn, flames began to gather in his palm. Most of them screamed, but none screamed as loud as the man whose face was suddenly incinerated. Uka dropped him unceremoniously and continued to advance.

"W-Wh-What do you w-want, Fucker? W-What is it?!" Uka's arm lashed out, becoming a cerated whip that slit another gangster in half. As one tried to flee, his hand shot out and burst through his chest. He threw him to the ground and tried to settle himself. His emotions, that was Nigelo's plan, to control him through his emotions. To make him fail.

"A little girl named Blossom...where is she?" The boss looked back and forth at the remaining members of his crew. Three were dead, they still outnumbered him twenty-seven to one. He swallowed. The odds were stacked against them.

"Li-Little ginger? B-Bout s-six?" Uka nodded, clenching his jaw. He was trembling, salivating. They deserved to die, they were all going to die for having anything to do with her kidnapping. "W-We uh...w-we al-already...s-sol...s-sold her..." Uka froze, his eyes narrowing to tiny smoldering embers. Sold her...his teeth gnashed, flames began to blaze in his mouth, smoke poured from the corners of his lips. His form was trembling, struggling to get free. He lowered his head and sniffed the air. He could smell it.

"Her blood...you...filthy bastard...you took her..." The boss, the ringleader of a growing sex slave cartel, swallowed and took a step back, dropping his gun. The flames suddenly grew, the building began to shake violently. The ground split and spikes erupted from Uka's shoulders. His wings spread to their full extent, blocking out the light of day. He sniffed the air again. It wasn't just one, no...her blood was on all of them.

"You all...took her...you assaulted MY Sakura-chan!" The roof collapsed, sunlight poured in. They were cowering, and rightfully so. They dared ally themselves with that man, but worse, worst of all their crimes: they dared to lay a finger on his precious Sakura-chan?! They dared to ruin her, dared to taste her perfection.

"W-We...w-well it's...it's j-just b-business m-man...w-we g-gotta t-test the s...sk...skanks out...e-even the l-little-," He gurgled, holding the black rail driven through his mouth. What control Uka had regained was gone. With a bitter scream, he tore his head off and began to change. His mouth grew out, his horns grew longer. Clawed hands became massive talons and a razor sharp tail grew from his back. Before they could scream, the beast pounced, tearing another apart, while crushing two beneath one of his massive feet. The monster barely fit in the run down diner, but he could move well enough to kill them all.

"You insignificant little bastards! You treacherous vermin! Hell have mercy on you, for you will find none with me!" His roar alone caused the ground to split open and consume four of the gangsters. They fired every weapon they could get their hands on at him. The monster simply belched a wall of fire in their direction, incinerating them where they stood. His tail lashed out, cleaving another in half and pinning the leader to the wall by his stomach. The beast whipped around and came down on one of the vermin, her leg busted as she tried to escape. His jaws tore apart the floor, leaving behind a bloodied stain.

The dragon advanced on the leader, still pinned to the wall, slowly bleeding to death. He breathed molten breath right in his face and spoke in a voice that made the Earth quake.

"Where is she? Who took her?" The boss opened and closed his mouth uselessly. The dragon growled and he held his hand out weakly.

"S...some d-du...dude...lives in...apartment...other side...creepy f-f-fat...f-fat gu-guy...B...Ba...Baxter..." Uka roared and unleashed his fiery breath. The diner exploded, and the wall of fire continued on, consuming everything. Building after building collapsed from the sheer force of the blow, but the collapsing buildings only helped to spread the raging inferno. Uka took to the air on black wings that blocked out the sun itself. He roared again and flew at subsonic speeds. He could hear his mocking laughter, could feel his glowing green eyes watching his every movement. This was just a game to him. In the end, he would lose, he would suffer fury the likes of which Hell itself couldn't contain.

Uka landed and knocked the nearest building out of his way. Though he could scarcely think straight, he didn't dare attack in this form. Knowing Nigelo, it was just what he wanted, for Uka himself to kill Blossom. He shrank down to his true form and burst through the doors. The receptionist cowered behind her desk. His hand shot out, grabbing her neck and pinning her against the wall.

"Baxter," he snarled. She was crying hysterically, trying to grab onto the crucifix around her neck. Uka tightened his grip and she squeaked.

"F-Fl...320, third fl-floor oh God, please don't kill me! Please!" He threw her across the room and shot through the ceiling, landing right on the third floor. The people in the apartment he crashed through screamed. He paid them no mind, they were worthless to him. Their door exploded and fire spread, consuming the hallway. It stopped at room 320, consuming the door. He knocked the door away, taking most of the wall with it. He spotted the fat bastard before he even stepped into the room. With the speed of a cobra, he grabbed him by his fat collar, tearing through his flesh with his claws. The bastard was naked, a box of tissues scattered across the ground. Uka couldn't help breathing fire again just seeing his filthy ass...knowing it touched his angel.

"Where is Sakura-chan?" Lenny whimpered and held onto Uka's arm, kicking his legs. Blood poured down his chest. He began to scream as Uka's body heated up, the flames slowly closing in on the two.

"L-Le-Let go! D-D-Don't kill me! This day already sucks! I had my little...my little lolita taken away!" He began to sob. Uka threw him to the ground and crushed him beneath his foot. His lolita was taken away?! But that...that meant...

"Where is Blossom? You bought her from those disgusting rats! Where is she?!" Lenny moaned and rubbed his neck, sobbing.

"My lolita...gone! After all...all that money! I told him I'd pay him later! I swore I'd pay! But he took her!" Uka snarled and looked around the room. Someone had taken her? His eyes stopped on Lenny's computer screen. They narrowed to dangerous embers. There were...photos and videos of her...of his Blossom. His Sakura-chan. Naked, bleeding...crying. In some she was covered in that man's semen. In others she was screaming as a...a knife was driven into her side, and into her chest. Uka's human features vanished, replaced by those of the beast.

"What did you do to her?!" Lenny tried to back away, but there was no where to run. The lion clawed through his leg, leaving it a strip of bloody ribbons.

"She was perfect! Well...al-almost perfect! I just wanted to make her better! He took her before...before I could give her real...real tits! Then she'd be-" Lenny screamed again when his stomach was slashed open. The beast pounced on him, snarling and spitting in his face.

"Where is she now...TELL ME!" Lenny sobbed again, screaming as Uka's paw took off half his face.

"Why should I tell you?! You're going to kill me either way! You should thank me! I almost made her perfect! PERFECT!" Uka roared and attacked, his vision lost in bleary haze. His claws tore through his flesh, his jaws snapped his bones like twigs. Through it all, Lenny screamed, begging that he had only wanted to make her perfect. Claiming that he could have made her beautiful. Uka finally stopped when the floor collapsed and he fell through, kneeling in the bloody mess that had once been Lenny Baxter. Unable to feel, unable to breath, he climbed to his feet and stumbled away.

The fire inside him reignited when he saw his grinning face in the complex doorway. No light, no projection, this was the real Tom Nigelo. Arms crossed, a wicked sneer on his face. Uka started to advance on him but Tom simply giggled and waved his finger.

"Oh no, no, no, Mako! If you kill me now...you'll never know where she is, will you? You never know...I took her away from Lenny almost an hour ago...she might still be alive," Uka clenched his fists and flames started to spread through the lobby. Tom narrowed his glowing green eyes and the flames began to wrap around him. He threw his head back and laughed wildly, consumed in fire.

"Don't you remember, Mako? I told you! We're not so different, you and I!" Uka snarled and stepped forward.

"Where is she?! Where is Blossom?" Tom grinned through the flames. His form was changing, growing, becoming more horrible.

"Stay and listen to my story, Mako, and perhaps you'll find her," Uka snarled and began to transform, but with all his strength, he managed to stay put. Tom giggled and became consumed in red light.

"And I beheld Satan as he fell from the heavens like lightning! Surely you've heard this, haven't you, Mako? Oh but what became of the great Satan when he fell? Why...it would appear angels don't splatter...the split, Mako. Do you see what I'm saying? Do you understand the story? When he fell...one became two, and two, well, they didn't get along at all, now did they?" Uka clenched his fists. His eyes burned, his blood boiled, but he knew, without any proof, that Tom was telling the truth. Somehow, it was the ultimate postulate. He, Mako Uka, was a piece of the fallen Satan. Half to be exact.

"Buried in the blood of man, we tried to rise again, but couldn't, could we? We couldn't because...something kept us away. Lost in the lineage of Cain, we battled to rise up, until at long last, here we are," The red light dimmed, revealing the true form of Tom Nigelo.

"The Black Emperor of Hatred..." Uka muttered, at long last saying his true name. Hatred. The source of all his power, the source of all his strife, the very core of his being was an all-consuming hatred.

"And the Red Emperor of Cruelty!" Tom Nigelo stood before him clothed in red. His skin had become red as blood, his hands were now razor sharp scorpion claws. Horns grew from his head, smaller, but sharper than Uka's own. His ears were pointed, his hair wild. His eyes glowed green, while a sleek, red dress wrapped around his thin body. His tail, a wicked, reptilian appendage with a spaded tip, lashed back and forth. He clapped his hooves on the ground, walking on goat's legs, circling Uka with a wicked sneer.

"Do you see now? Why I tried so very, very hard to reach you...you complete me, Mako, you are my other half. Together...it is our duty to turn this miserable place...into a new Hell," He whispered tenderly in Uka's ear. Uka slashed at him, only to miss as Tom reappeared in the doorway. He sneered and began to glow.

"Enough of your games, Nigelo!" Uka roared, transforming into the feral Apple. Tom was consumed in light and became a large, lanky hyena, with long pointed ears and dark red fur, tinted with purple.

"So you refuse my offer? Fine then, Mako! You've made your decision, now live with it!" And with that, Tom took off, Uka hot on his heels.

XxXxX

The already panicked streets erupted with newfound horror as the two beasts exploded onto the scene. Tom leaped onto nearby cars, racing from rooftop to rooftop, while Uka shot after him, leaping from one building side to the the next, snarling and slashing through anything that impeded his progress. They raced by a news van, trying their best to cover the carnage without having their equipment stolen. The twin beasts shot through a hot dog stand, and plowed through a school bus. With every roar, Uka shook the streets. With every giggle, Tom released a wave of fireballs that did little to no damage to their target.

"You can't catch me! What good will it do? You'll never find her! Never! She's probably already dead by now! And guess who killed her? No, it wasn't the fat man's filthy little cock, it was you, Mako! You killed Blossom Utonium!" Tom cackled with glee, bursting into a flock of hummingbirds when white lightning from Uka's eyes nearly destroyed the fourth street intersection. Uka snarled and shot skyward, transforming into a massive black bird.

"Ah! Hahaha! Look at you! Learning your powers so quickly! Can you even keep up, you flaming eyed Jackass!" The hummingbirds shot into a single point and became a zebra that raced across the rooftops. Uka swooped down at him, screeching. His talons tore through concrete and solid steel. The rays of white lightning from his eyes leveled a water tower. But every blow fell short, as the pink and red zebra raced on, leaping across buildings until crashing through the window of a homeless shelter. Uka swooped in, transforming into a devilish silver back gorilla.

"Demons! Demons! I told ya I saw 'em and here they are! How ya doin' demons?" A poor homeless man ran toward Uka with tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. Uka growled and backhanded him across the room. Tom came to a halt near the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. He slowly took the form of a lanky, giant hyena once more.

"So this is it, is it? The final showdown? The grand finale? Mano-e-Mano, demon versus demon! Is that how it is Mako?" He howled, dodging a thrown table. Snickering, he strolled around the perimeter of the room, his green eyes glowing. He paused just long enough to take a fatal bite out of the thrown homeless man, crushing his skull in his jaws. Uka roared and beat his fists against the ground, splitting the floor open.

"You will not escape! Fight me and die, Nigelo!" Uka demanded. Tom giggled again, digging his claws into the ground. His tail whipped back and forth wildly.

"Oh you...you big, stupid animal. You may be bigger...maybe even stronger. But don't you ever forget, Mako..." Tom's body burst into red light as he charged, nearly knocking Uka over with his initial body slam. Uka managed to bat him away, but Tom came back cackling, "I can be a REAL BITCH!" The floor erupted into flames when the two collided again. Uka smacked Tom's attempted bite aside and brought his fist down. Tom jumped out of the way, resulting in a small scale earthquake that caused the ceiling to crack and begin to topple. Uka roared and charged at him, throwing punches with more and more force. Each one missed; Tom laughed louder and louder, and the building continued to crumble.

"Are you blind? Did the juice from her DELICIOUS little taint put your eye out? I know looking at her HIDEOUS FACE hurt mine!" Tom crashed through the window, yelping and racing away as Uka charged at him in his lion form once more. He had grown to nearly thirteen feet tall and easily knocked vehicles aside. Every roar belched a ball of fire toward Tom, obliterating the crumbling cityscape. Tom giggled and ducked into an alleyway. Uka followed, taking out the supports of the building itself. He looked up to see Tom standing on top of the building laughing, spittle flying from his crushing jaws.

"Oh Mako! You droll little man! How could you be my equal? You're a pathetic excuse for a villain! You bleeding heart little fuck! You won't save her! No one can!" He laughed again, dodging the massive black bird and ducking into the building. Uka followed, crashing through the skylight.

He landed in a pitch black room that felt eerily familiar. Through a hate induced fog, he could barely think, but something made him contain his rage. The red hyena crept out of the shadows, becoming Tom Nigelo once more. Uka snarled and returned to his true form as well. Before he could take a step closer, Tom snapped his claw and the place came alive. Strobe lights of pink, green, and blue flashed obnoxiously while Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" blasted from the speakers.

"Now that we're alone, Mako...we have a few things to discuss...you see, Blossom and I, we had a little chat. I told her...everything! Who you are, who I am, what we're here for," Tom leaned closer, lowering his voice to a whisper, "And who killed her family..."

Uka clenched his fists, fixing the red demon with the vilest glare he could muster. All of the hate in his soul, the hate that was his soul, poured out and into that treacherous man. And it did nothing to faze him. Tom just giggled.

"You know what this means, don't you? Our awakening...yes...I tried to reach you, Mako, I tried so hard. If we awaken, as we have...it means the end of all things. You know that, don't you?" Uka nodded, his body trembling.

"It is our purpose to end this failure of a world...to return it to chaos and destruction. To build a new...Hell on Earth," Tom nodded, practically salivating at the idea. Uka couldn't lie, despite the hazy fury clogging his brain. The thought was intoxicating. The hole inside him that forced him out of his job, his home, and his homeland, seemed to fill just thinking about that. The possibility of a new Hell. His Hell.

"That's right! Oh but...only one of us can rule, can't we, Mako? At least...that's how it is written. But, it doesn't have to be so! Why, if you'll just...serve me, I'll take care of everything. No one needs to die," Tom whispered, looking Uka up and down. Uka spat, advancing on him.

"I have no need for you, Tom Nigelo. Nor would I ever debase myself to serving you," That finally cut him. Tom snarled and snapped his claws. Red light whipped up around him and his green eyes burst into small suns. Yet, his fury seemed trivial compared to the black demon's.

"Who are you to act so sacred, Mako? This...all of this...it's your fault," Tom's grin quickly returned. He tittered and sauntered around Uka. "Yes...that's right, you caused this didn't you? Why...if I recall, what was it that made James Utonium kill his precious family? I remember his face was...purple, wasn't it? Bursting veins on his forehead? What could have filled him with such anger? Such aggression? Such...hate?" Uka lowered his head, a low growl building in his chest. His human side was failing, his demonic urges were rising.

"Jimmy was an unfortunate victim of circumstance..."

"How nice! And I suppose, she is too?" Tom waved his claw and snapped it again. A blood red spotlight came on, revealing the stage. Uka now recognized that he was in that atrocious bar that Tom insisted they visit. The scantily dressed boys were gone from the stage though...now, tied to the pole in ribbons of razor wire, was his Sakura-chan.

"...S-Sakura-chan..." he whispered, taking a step toward her. He barely recognized her. Her beautiful red hair was strewn with blood and dirt, torn from her head in several bloody places. Her face was beaten, her left eye was blackened and swollen shut, and her lips were split and bloodied. She had still bleeding cuts covering her body, from her ankles, wrapped tightly in razor wire. Her wrists were tied high over her head, stretching out the deep, jagged cuts across her chest. Disgusting yellow and black bruises covered her body; her once tender little slit had been brutalized. Completing the travesty, a piece of barbed wire was wrapped around her neck, nearly strangling her. She was barely breathing; only his near god-like senses allowed him to hear her desperate gasps.

"Do you like what I've done with the little slut? Now, isn't she just precious? This is what you get when you play with grown ups!" Tom sang, giggling and waving his claw chidingly.

"You...I'll kill you..." Tom giggled again. Uka turned on him, his eyes like miniature suns in their sockets. Tom's own eyes began to glow, but...it paled in comparison. Tom took a nervous step backward when Uka began to advance on him. The red demon growled and narrowed his eyes.

"Now be reasonable Uka...what do you have to gain by killing me, hm? Why do you continue to fight me? I could use you! I could rule the entire world if you'd join me! Oh, rest assured, I intend to rule it either way, but together..." Tom yelped and dodged a lightning fast strike. Uka growled and took another step toward him, the building was trembling. Uka was on fire.

"I don't want the world, Nigelo...I just want to see you burn, I want to watch you die!" He roared and charged again. This time, Tom was ready. He quickly transformed into a bull and knocked Uka back. As the black demon came up as a wall of shadows, wings growing to fill the building, talons growing until they were bigger than the stage, Tom began to glow a sick shade of green. His hands became claws again, but the claws began to grow. His tail whipped up over his head, the spade sharpening into a stinger. His legs became feline, a pink mane outlining his feral face. Soon, the towering black dragon was staring into the eyes of a wicked manticore.

"Watch ME die, Mako? No, no, no, my friend! I don't die! I just get angry! I just get mean! I just get NASTY!" Uka roared and took a swing for Tom, but the manticore rolled out of the way and lashed out with his stinger. Uka snarled and knocked it away with his wing, fast advancing with flames in his breath. Tom growled and flew into the air. Uka had never noticed before just how high the ceiling was, but he didn't care to ponder it now. Instead, he launched a fireball at Tom, just in time as the manticore fired his own. The two collided and set the bar ablaze.

Tom shot through the smoke, slashing Uka across the face. The dragon roared and shot another fireball, but Tom was too quick, and dodged easily. Smoke began to fill the air. Uka narrowed his eyes as a pair of glowing green lights flew his way. He howled and stumbled backward, shaking his head. Another pair of death rays fired from the darkness, but they could do little more than drive him backward. Uka narrowed his eyes and unleashed his white lightning blast, consuming the death rays and blasting their owner out of hiding.

Uka advanced on the fallen manticore, who was crawling to his feet, snarling. He growled, each step shaking the bar. Tom raised his head and stared into the dragon's fiery maw. He grinned awkwardly and took a step backward. Flames rose up from the corners of Uka's mouth.

"There is no where to run, Nigelo..." Tom giggled and jumped into the air, swinging his tail and raining a storm of needles on Uka. He grunted, stumbling backward under the constant assault, but they weren't good for much other than annoying him. Uka arched his back and breathed a wave of fire that, again, knocked Tom to the ground. He sat up, grinning, blood running down his lips. He wiped it away and chuckled, leering at Uka.

"Oh Mako...you silly, silly thing! D-Do be more c-careful...you'd hate to hurt your precious...precious little WHORE wouldn't you?" Uka froze, panting and frothing with anger. He looked around, watching how the flames consumed more and more of the bar. They arced in an awkward pattern, slowly spiraling towards the stage. Tom snickered, suddenly in his true form once more. Uka turned back to him, his dragon form melting away.

"So what's it going to be...Mako? Will you chase after the bad guy or will you save the girl? Hm...but...if you save the girl's life...are you really saving her? Hm? You and I both know what's to come of this...what you would be...returning her to," Tom giggled and played with his goatee, floating slowly toward the doorway. Uka turned to look at Blossom. The only way to truly save her, to spare her the coming apocalypse...was to let her go. Tom cackled and clapped his claws, his eyes gleaming.

"Oh how lovely! You understand, don't you? Come Uka...let's continue this outside," Tom began to change, but froze when Uka slowly shook his head and began walking toward Blossom. He hissed, glaring at the two. "Will you really make her suffer, Uka? Will you really steal true happiness from her? Will you deny her the...the salvation of HEAVEN!?" Uka lowered his head, staring at Blossom's broken body. With a flick of his wrist, he snapped the binds on her arms. Slowly lifting her head, he snapped the wire around her neck and gently began to free her. Tom howled and burst into red light. The fire began to spread, the smoke filled the air. Soon, the sun itself was blocked out.

Tom Nigelo was gone...Mako Uka was left behind with his Sakura-chan, left behind to watch the life slowly fade from her beautiful, innocent face. The right thing to do...the selfless thing to do, would be to spare her. He lowered his head and cradled her against his body. Uka's eyes snapped open. He whipped around, growling as a mane began to grow from his neck. The young man squealed and fell back, holding out his hands in defense.

"W-wait! St-Stop! I w-want t-to help! Pl-please...is sh-she...is she okay?" Uka's eyes began to burn. He recognized the small, womanish man. If not for his figure, for his bright pink and green hair. Uka swallowed hard and turned back to Blossom. His hatred was taking him over again. She didn't have much time...he needed an answer.

"She will be gone within the hour...at best," Uka whispered. The bartender covered his mouth, crawling closer. Uka glared at him. He was covered in soot, and there was a bloody gash in his leg. The debris must have caught him. He narrowed his eyes and began to growl. What was this stupid fairy doing here? And why didn't he help Blossom?

"I'm s-so sorry...I tried...God, he's never done anything like this before...I never thought..." Uka lashed out, grabbing the bartender by his throat.

"You are working with Nigelo?" The man waved his hands, tears sparkling in his eyes.

"Not a-anymore! W-we're done...after this, after this I'll n-never help him again! I mean..." He froze, staring into Uka's fiery eyes. They weren't the same dead, lifeless eyes he was used to. These, these eyes were ready to kill him. He shivered and tried to catch his breath.

"What do you mean? Answer me!" The young man shuddered, sobbing. He gripped Uka's wrist, but couldn't budge in the least.

"Tom...Tom and I dated in high school and uh...off and on...w-we...h-he...he was a-always...he always wanted to pl-play the-these tricks on p-people...no, they weren't tricks...God why did I do this?" Uka tightened his grasp, getting the young man back on track. "I'm sorry! I helped him...every now and then, I tried to help him with you, but you were too strong!"

"Quit babbling! Answer me! What did you do? How did you help him?" Blossom's breathing was getting softer, it was fading away. Within the hour was a desperate optimism. She had less than ten minutes at this rate. The young man stared at Blossom, and began to cry.

"My dad was a pharmacist...I got...pills...so he could...take guys home," Uka growled. So, Tom brought his dates to the bar, and this man drugged them. No less a rapist than Tom himself. Uka tightened his grip, he could feel the man's blood pulsing beneath his skin.

"You disgust me...miserable thief! Stealing lives...and now, you've stolen the good one," His rage tempered off. Her heart was skipping. She was almost gone. The blood streaking her face...even it couldn't make her eyelids flutter. He tightened his hold on her; tightening his grip on Tom's downtrodden partner.

"I didn't know he was going to do this to some little girl! I didn't know! I'd never have helped him! I swear to God! I'd do anything to save her! I swear to God!" In an instant, he was dangling in the air. Uka rose up to his full eight feet, his eyes burning so bright, they began to burn the man's skin. His voice was like thunder, sending a jolt through the young man's body.

"Swear to me! Give your soul to save hers and swear your life to me! Or I'll let you rot here forever! You'll suffer a fate worse than any Hell!" He screamed, digging his fingers into Uka's wrist. He tried to speak, but couldn't breath. He tried to kick, but his feet dangled far off the ground. His face turned purple and his eyes turned bloodshot. This was the only way to save her. A life for a life. It would be selfless to let her go, it would be his last heroic act, before succumbing to his role.

"I swear! I'll do anything! I'm sorry! Please!" He was no hero...no saint. Without hesitation, Uka gave into the ultimate evil. Blackness swirled around him, and began to consume the young man. He screamed as it sank into his skin, into his pores, his eyes, the roots of his hair. The dye drained from his hair, revealing its silky black color. Then, just as quickly, it began to choke. The tips of his hair choked until they turned blue. The color flooded from his face, and black armor consumed his body. Uka dropped him to the ground, holding a glistening gas in his hand. Without hesitation, he ate it and pressed his lips against Blossom's.

The same blackness that now consumed the bartender, Darien Rose, now flooded Blossom. It kissed her wounds, closing them. It tenderly touched her beaten skin and healed it. Wherever she had suffered, it made her new again. And deep within her, it used up the last of the power in Darien's soul...to flood her with life once more. On the ground, Darien began to stir as his new, immortal, life began.

"W-What...happened to me? What is this?" He stared at his now black hands, and touched his pale white face. Without turning away from Blossom, Uka whispered.

"You have stolen lives for Tom, now you will steal them for me. You will serve me, from now until the end of time, and then in the hereafter. Just as I have taken your soul to give her life, you will take the souls of others to give your life essence," Darien responded...but Uka had long since forgotten he was even there. He rose to his feet, cradling his precious Blossom to his breast. He kissed her again, and again. Muttering promises, begging forgiveness. It would have been selfless to let her go. It would have been the right thing to do. But he was not selfless. He was no hero...not at hero in the least.

"I'm sorry, Blossom...I should have spared you. But...I cannot continue life without you. Now...now we will never be apart. I will never let you go. I...I love you. Far too much to ever...give you away," She quivered, clenching her eyes shut. Uka softly traced her markings. Black, jagged tattoos that looked more like scars than anything else, trailing from her eyes like tears. They'd never go away, they'd forever...label her as his. They would brand her, a prisoner of Mako Uka, forever.

"I'm sorry, my Blossom," She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She reached out and touched his face. Smiling, she kissed him with the little strength she had.

"I hate it when you call me Blossom...don't ever call me that again...I'm your...Sakura-chan," Uka's eyes stung. His black heart hurt to its very core. The end of days had begun. The world would never again see the light of day, would never again know peace, happiness, or love. Hell had broken free in Townsville, USA. And soon, it would spread to the rest of the world. But for now...with his new servant by his side, he held her in his arms. Even as the whole world went to Hell...

"...I love you, my Sakura-chan,"

They held onto the rapture that the world would never find.

The End