Alright! Let's be quick; there's lots to write in this final chapter! I appreciate all the favorites and follows. Thank you very much for reading, so on with the show! If you feel like you've been hit with a two by four of fluff after this, then I did my job.

The Free Fighter and the Evil Within

Chapter Thirteen

Time seemed to be moving in slow motion for Makoto as Haruka approached him. There were so many things that he wanted to say, but at the sight of Haruka right here, right in front of him after what seemed like ages, he found himself unable to focus on anything but him. He lost himself in Haruka's eyes, which were filled with so many emotions that Makoto could scarcely keep track: relief, happiness, worry, guilt—

Makoto's brain kick started again as Haruka came within reaching distance. Oh god, I have to apologize—! "Haru, I—mmn?" Makoto suddenly found himself unable to speak as Haruka embraced him fiercely, kissing him as if he hadn't seen him in years. Makoto felt his knees weaken as his arms circled Haruka's waist for support, accepting all of the emotions that Haruka put into his kiss. He focused on just the kiss for now, pulling Haruka even closer to him, reassuring himself of his presence—

Makoto let out a small, sudden his of pain as Haruka brought up both arms to his shoulders, inadvertently brushing against his injury. Haruka abruptly pulled away and saw the bandage sticking out from his collar before wordlessly pulling the fabric back to assess the damage. Blue eyes shimmered with worry and concern as Haruka met his gaze again, and Makoto found himself unable to stay quiet any longer as Haruka gently caressed his cheek with his other hand.

"Haru…H-Haru, I…"

"I'm so sorry," the two ended up saying at the same time. There was another poignant moment of silence as the two stared at each other for another instant before a race to talk over one another quickly ensued.

"Haru, I am so sorry that I left; I told you that I wouldn't but I did and I hurt you—"

"No no, I'm sorry," Haruka said, cutting him off, "I said that Makoto is Makoto and Kurakvo is Kurakvo but I didn't act like it; I kept you at a distance and I drove you away—"

"No it wasn't you it was me, I got stressed out trying to keep Kurakvo at bay without burdening you and instead of talking to you about it and working together I stupidly listened to Kurakvo—"

"No it was me; I should have been paying better attention; I should have realized he was hurting you—"

"I shouldn't have let him influence me with his lies, saying that you didn't love me and that everyone would be better off without me—"

"He said what? Makoto, I'm sorry that I let the situation get that bad without realizing. Of course everyone needs you; of course I lo-oh my god," Haruka stopped, words suddenly coming to an abrupt halt as realization hit him like a freight train. "I've never said it, have I?"

Makoto flushed a pretty pink, breaking eye contact in embarrassment. "It's okay Haru, you really don't have to. I know everyone needs me…I know you…I know you—"

"No, let me say it," Haruka said with conviction, pushing his anger at himself for forgetting something so important aside and focusing on Makoto. "This is important and I want you to hear it. Makoto," Haruka began, framing Makoto's now-bright-red face with both hands. "I know you know this already, but…I love you," he said, blushing slightly himself but ignoring it as he sought to drive his point home. "I love you so much that it hurts. Spending his time without you, wondering when I'd see you again, if I'd see you again…" Haruka's hands tightened their grip just a fraction, and Makoto felt a wave of emotion overcome him, bringing his hands up to cover Haruka's. "I felt like I might die just thinking of the possibility of you not at my side anymore."

"Haru…" Makoto started, tears starting to form at the corners of his eyes at Haruka's sincerity.

"Let me finish," Haruka said gently, and Makoto nodded. He needed to say this aloud, make it real, for both Makoto's sake and his own. "I love you, Makoto, and I'm the worst for not realizing that I never said it. You are my other half and the home I took for granted. Please stay with me forever Makoto; I want to spend the rest of my life with you at my side, and I want to spend every day proving to you how much I cherish you. Let me show you how much you mean to me. Come home with me. Please," Haruka whispered at the end, and Makoto's hands slid to Haruka's waist, pulling him tightly against him as several tears quietly ran down his cheeks.

"Haruka…" Makoto whispered in return, and Haruka's hands wound around his neck, now mindful of his injury. "I knew; I swear that I knew. But to hear you say it like that, I…I—" Haruka pulled back a little, carefully wiping at the wetness on Makoto's cheeks.

"Don't cry," Haruka pleaded quietly, and Makoto smiled, nodding as he let out a small burst of laughter before pulling Haruka close again.

"Don't you ever think that I don't love you just as much," Makoto murmured passionately into Haruka's ear. "Because I love you too Haruka; I can't remember a time when I haven't." He pulled back far enough to meet his gaze again, his eyes sparkling with love and affection as he continued, "Spending this time up here, unsure of when we'd meet again, has only made it clearer to me how much I need you. Without you, Haru, I don't…I don't feel right, I don't feel complete. I want to be with you always, and I want to wake up every morning in your arms." Makoto paused to tenderly caress Haruka's bottom lip with his thumb before he finished, chest tightening as he forced himself to speak, "…Which is why I can't come home with you yet."

Haruka's soft smile immediately dropped into a frown. "What? Why not?" His hands tightened around Makoto's shoulders and back, as if he was afraid Makoto was suddenly going to disappear.

"I'm not ready yet; it's not safe," Makoto tried to explain, "Despite Kurakvo's influence, I still made the decision to come up here and stay without telling you, and I'm sorry for that…but the fact is that I'm dangerous, and it's not safe for me in town…yet," Makoto continued, shifting his finger on Haruka's bottom lip to cover both in a shushing gesture when Haruka moved to cut him off. "I know you disagree, and I know that we can be careful, but even if I followed you around 24-7 there's still the chance that Kurakvo could escape. I can't take that chance yet," Makoto said, speaking louder as Haruka tried to cut him off again, "but I will come back! I didn't intend to at first," he confessed, looking down for a moment in shame before returning his gaze, "but while I've been up here I learned that it's not right, it's not fair to give up that easily and sacrifice myself like that, to hurt you like that. So I promise that I'll come home; I swear that I'll come home to you forever the instant I finish my training."

Whatever Haruka was trying to say suddenly died on his lips. "Training?" he questioned.

"I figured out a way that I can suppress Kurakvo," Makoto explained excitedly, "maybe even permanently if I get good enough at it. But I'm not good enough yet to come home with you right now…it's too dangerous. So I will come home to you Haru, I promise, but I'm just not ready yet—"

"It's alright," Haruka reassured, and Makoto's hand rejoined the other at Haruka's waist as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, I'm glad you understand—"

"It's alright for you to come home now," Haruka continued in a decisive tone, "You don't need any more training." And with that Haruka pulled away from him, reaching into the pocket of his shorts and pulling out a strange carving. He pulled a long silver chain out of his other pocket and threaded it through a hole in the top of the carving before placing it in Makoto's hand. "You can come home right now," Haruka repeated, chest slightly puffing up with pride at the thought of how he had succeeded in the seemingly-impossible task of protecting Makoto.

Makoto looked at the carving in his hand, utterly confused. "What do you mean, Haru? What is this?"

"I made it," Haruka explained, a satisfied tone to his voice, "While you've been gone I've been searching for a solution to our problem, for something, anything that could protect you, and I found out about this. It's a protection charm made from a special tree. It's supposed to protect the wearer from all evil. If you put this on, I'm sure Kurakvo will be expelled, and then I can destroy him," Haruka finished, unable to keep a little excitement from entering his voice. "You'll be free."

Makoto's eyes widened as he stared down at the carving in amazement. "Really? Do you really think it will?"

"There's only one way to find out," Haruka replied, allowing himself a small smile.

Makoto continued to look down at the little carving. Would it really work? Could he really be free? Sure, his training would come to fruition at some point and he'd be able to go home eventually, but with this—

Oh this is complete bullshit and you know it, a certain voice rang out in his head.

"You're wrong," Makoto said sharply in reply, and Haruka's brows furrowed at Makoto's sudden outburst.

"Is there something wrong with it, Makoto? I was sure that—" Makoto's sudden sourness disappeared immediately as he rushed to reassure Haruka.

"No no, it's fine! It's perfect," Makoto hastened in reply, "I was…answering Kurakvo," he admitted, "He…doesn't think too highly of it."

Tell him to take his stupid little carving and shove it right up his—

"I thought that you couldn't talk to me whenever Haru was around," Makoto suddenly said very loudly, blocking Kurakvo from finishing his sentence.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If that thing does what he says it does, do you think that I would just sit quietly by to wait and see? Think again.

"It will work," Makoto said fiercely before focusing back on Haruka, who had been watching his face with a look that was a combination of fascination and horror. "Sorry," Makoto said with a blush, "he usually can't talk to me when you're around, but I guess this is enough of a threat to him that he's pulling out all the stops…which I guess, with you here, doesn't extend much beyond being vocal and an annoyance."

"He can struggle all he wants," Haruka replied determinedly, "but as soon as you put that on it's game over."

Like hell it is! I'm far too powerful to be defeated by such a—

"He can't hear you, you know!" Makoto said again, and he made a face at Haruka. "I'm glad this has never happened before," he explained, "I feel like a strange middleman."

Haruka put a reassuring hand on his good shoulder. "How about we make it so that you never have to deal with him again?"

Makoto smiled. "I'd like that."

Well I think—

"He didn't ask what you think," Makoto said almost automatically before meeting Haruka's eyes, his expression full of resolve. "Let's do this."

The pair spent some time figuring out their plan, completely ignoring Kurakvo's protests. They couldn't just throw the necklace on Makoto on a whim, especially when the Master of Darkness knew what was coming. They needed a plan. After discussing it for a while they quickly realized that their plan couldn't get much more detailed than 'Makoto Puts On The Necklace And Haruka Defeats The Master Of Darkness,' but still. They had a plan.

So a few moments later, the Free Fighter stood a few yards away from Makoto, who held the necklace with slightly trembling hands. Makoto steeled himself and nodded to Haruka, and the Free Fighter lowered himself into a fighting stance while starting to charge his most powerful attack. The two were taking no chances, so as soon as Haruka was ready to fire, Makoto would put on the necklace, and once Kurakvo was out in the open, Haruka would destroy him immediately.

"Get ready, Makoto," Haruka called out, concentrating as blue light gathered in the center of his palm. Makoto held up the necklace, watching as the light grew brighter and brighter—

"Now!"

Makoto took a deep breath and put the chain over his head; he felt an indescribable power rush through him before—

Darkness.

Haruka cursed as darkness and smoky blackness flooded the area around them, obscuring his view of Makoto as well as everything else.

"As I was saying," a deep, sinister voice said, resounding through the clearing and cutting through the darkness; Haruka recognized that voice, and yet it still sounded eerily similar to Makoto's as it continued, "I'm far too powerful to be defeated by such a trinket."

Haruka cursed again when Makoto let out a shriek from somewhere ahead of him. He had no shot; he couldn't see, and it was too dangerous. He had no idea where Kurakvo even was (or if he was even located in one place for that matter), and he wouldn't risk hitting Makoto. Not again. Haruka fired the beam uselessly straight up into the air before trying to take stock of the situation. "Makoto! Say something!"

"I'm afraid Makoto's a little busy at the moment," Kurakvo continued, and the air suddenly cleared only between him and Makoto, the smoke rolling back as if pushed by some unseen force. Haruka started to take a step forward—

"Ah, Ah, Aah," Kurakvo chastised, stopping him, "Not one move or you'll be leaving this mountain alone…or not at all," he added as an afterthought. Haruka focused on Makoto, horrified to see a grey, barely-solidified hand materializing from the smoke, holding a long, threatening knife made of darkness to Makoto's throat. Makoto stood frozen in place, his surprised and terrified green eyes locked on Haruka.

"You can't have him," Haruka all but growled, itching to do something. Anything.

Haruka could practically see a pair of sunglasses and a shit-eating grin in the smoke near Makoto's head…then again, maybe he actually was seeing them. "I know I can't," the Master of Darkness allowed, "You have clearly seen to that. But that doesn't mean I'd let you have him," he continued, and Haruka's eyes widened at his meaning before he started forward again—

"I wouldn't do that," Kurakvo said loudly, and Haruka froze again, glaring at the spot in the smoke where he thought he saw the glasses. "How about we just talk for a second, sound good?" Kurakvo offered as if he had all the time in the world.

"Fine," Haruka reluctantly agreed, grinding his teeth together.

"Now you see, I know that I'm in a bad situation here, and I'm not ready to die just yet," Kurakvo explained as if the two were talking over coffee, "so I'm thinking we make a deal. If you let me go, I let him go. It's that simple. And if you don't…" Kurakvo said leadingly, pressing his dagger tighter against Makoto's throat.

"I get it; I get it!" Haruka agreed hastily, trying to stop Kurakvo from killing Makoto just for the fun of it. "Just don't hurt him."

"Haru…" Makoto said in a tone that Haruka could not place, drawing his attention, but Haruka was too frazzled to even hazard a guess at what Makoto was thinking; there were too many emotions racing across his expression.

"It's okay Makoto," Haruka said calmly, gaze sliding back to Kurakvo, "You're going to be alright."

"Only if your beloved Haru-chan does exactly as I say," Kurakvo added, and this time Haruka was sure of it: he could see a shit-eating grin reflected in the dark shadows. "Now. Transform."

"Haru…" Haruka sighed and reluctantly reached for his necklace, ignoring Makoto's frightened response as he turned back into Nanase Haruka. But it would be alright; once Kurakvo released Makoto, he could change back quickly enough—

"Take off the necklace and throw it over here."

"Haru!" At this, Haruka hesitated. Apparently he hesitated too long for Kurakvo's liking, who pressed the knife to Makoto's throat again. At the sight of blood trickling down Makoto's neck Haruka stopped thinking and pulled off the necklace for the first time in years, holding it away from him in his outstretched hand.

"Haru don't! Haru—"

"Throw it here, Haruka," Kurakvo called over Makoto, "Throw it over here right now, or Makoto dies."

"No, Haru—"

He didn't have a choice.

"Haru!"

He reached back, poised to throw the necklace away from him—

"Haruka, get down!"

Huh? Haruka watched in amazement as a great black ring of darkness burst forth from Makoto, expanding rapidly in a wide circle. The grin in the shadows disappeared, and Haruka ran out of thinking time as the blackness rushed toward him. He hit the ground just in time, feeling a whoosh as it passed overhead, clearing the area of foliage, debris, and all of the other darkness except for one small cloud near Makoto. Or at least near where Makoto had been. Haruka looked up to see Makoto standing above him protectively, both hands brandishing two throwing daggers made of darkness.

"You won't hurt him," Makoto said threateningly, and Haruka scrambled to his feet, opting to think later as he threw his necklace back on, once again transforming into the Free Fighter.

Laughter echoed from the small cloud across the clearing. "Nice try; very cute. But if you think you can beat me with my own powers—"

Kurakvo stopped talking abruptly as three daggers came hurtling towards him, and he quickly shifted the position of his formless self. So the brat has gotten better than I thought...Without a host this could get difficult.

"Let's get him Haru," Makoto said. His eyes were emerald steel, filled with determination and something else Haruka couldn't quite place.

Yep, definitely will think about this later, Haruka thought as Makoto didn't wait for a response, rushing forward as daggers to replace the ones he'd already thrown appeared in his hand. He threw those next, and Haruka finally raced after him, lashing out with his watery whip to see if it would affect the smoky darkness that Kurakvo had become—

Suddenly the smoke expanded again, enshrouding the two of them in darkness once more. This time Haruka was careful to keep Makoto close beside him and within his reach.

"Loath as I am to admit it, it would be difficult to defeat the both of you in this form, even for me," Kurakvo's voice rang out. Instead of sounding as if it was coming from one area like before, the voice seemed to be everywhere at once, echoing through Haruka's very being. "This isn't the end. I'll be back for you...Haru-chan."

Haruka gave a full-bodied shudder of revulsion as the smoke abruptly disappeared without a trace. "Shit," he cursed, scanning the area, but the Master of Darkness was nowhere to be found. Kurakvo was gone. "Makoto, do you see—Makoto?" Haruka turned to face Makoto at his side, surprised to see that he had knelt down on one knee, a hand covering his eyes.

"Can't…" Haruka pulled the scarf down from his face and knelt in front of Makoto in alarm, placing both hands on his shoulders. Makoto's hand dropped to his side, and Haruka gasped at the malevolence, at the evil he could see in their green depths. "This...power…"

"Makoto, look at me." Makoto looked at him, but it was as if he was looking right through him, and he was unable to focus completely on Haruka. "Makoto, what's happening? Tell me what's wrong."

"This...power," Makoto gasped out, and his hands clenched into fists, one of which was steadily leaking darkness. "I...I feel…" he broke off, breathing heavily.

Haruka's mind was racing. Makoto had used Kurakvo's powers against him, even after Kurakvo was no longer inside of him. So did that mean that there was still some left…? He looked down at the charm around Makoto's neck; it was giving off a pale blue glow. The charm is working, Haruka surmised, so he failed to understand what was happening. Why hadn't the charm gotten rid of it all? Had Kurakvo been inside Makoto for too long? Makoto was supposed to be free, it wasn't supposed to be like this—

"Makoto," Haruka tried again, shifting both hands to Makoto's face and forcing him to focus on him, to look only at him. "Makoto, it's over. You're free. The danger is gone, just...come back to me," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Come back to me."

"H-Haru," Makoto said hesitantly as Haruka pulled away, and he could see a faint light of recognition in the depths of his eyes.

"That's right, focus on me," Haruka said, unknowingly guiding Makoto through the training he had been putting himself through for the past couple days, "Think about me. I love you; stay with me."

"Haru...ka…" Makoto's hands clenched tighter for another moment before they relaxed entirely, and the sinister glint disappeared from his eyes as he blinked rapidly. "Haru-chan," Makoto whispered finally, hands gripping Haruka's wrists as he caught his breath.

Haruka took both of Makoto's hands in his as he gave Makoto a moment to breathe. Whatever had just happened was over now; Makoto was back to normal. "Makoto...what happened?" Haruka asked after Makoto had calmed down a bit.

"I...I'm not entirely sure," Makoto started, still slightly out of it.

"Did you...use Kurakvo's powers on purpose?" Haruka couldn't help but ask. If there was still any part of Kurakvo inside him…

"Yeah, at first," Makoto replied before rushing to explain further after seeing the look of horror and surprise Haruka was giving him. "I didn't mention it before because I thought that they'd disappear with Kurakvo, but I accidentally found out I could use Kurakvo's powers. At first it was only by accident, but I figured that they might come in handy so I practiced more and before I knew it I could use most of them by myself. But Kurakvo would always interfere so I couldn't get very good…"

"You practiced? Makoto, that's really dangerous—"

"I know, but at the time I thought that I'd have them for the rest of my life, so I figured I might as well have control right?" Haruka reluctantly nodded. He had a point.

"When you told me about the charm I thought that that would be it, that the powers would leave with him, but surprisingly I still felt like I could use them, at least a little bit...that's why I was trying to get your attention," Makoto explained with a little grin. "But when I used them, I must have overdid it because I suddenly felt overwhelmed by the raw power...without Kurakvo there with me, just having the darkness as mine alone to control...I guess I lost myself a bit," he added sheepishly.

"But do you feel any part of Kurakvo with you? Anything at all?" Haruka asked urgently.

"No, I really don't. I feel kind of...cleaner, if that makes any sense. I feel just like a normal person; except for these, I mean," he replied as he broke Haruka's grip on one of his hands, summoning a dagger of darkness. "But these feel different than how I felt before."

Haruka suddenly threw the dagger away, taking Makoto's hand back into his. "Makoto, don't. Please don't use the darkness," he pleaded. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Makoto said comfortingly as his hands broke free again before pulling Haruka forward by the arms, shifting backwards to settle with him in his lap. "I said that I was training to suppress Kurakvo, right? Controlling this will be even easier, and won't talk back to me. Don't worry," he continued, placing a tender kiss to the top of Haruka's head, "I'll be fine. It just caught me off guard, that's all. I just have to focus on you and our love and it goes away...that simple, I swear."

"...If you're sure," Haruka allowed, wrapping his arms around Makoto and snuggling closer into his embrace. "I'm sorry I let Kurakvo get away," he muttered into Makoto's shoulder after a moment.

"What are you talking about? No one let him go; he escaped! That wasn't your fault, or mine." He tipped Haruka's chin with a hand so he could meet his eyes. "We did everything we could. Our paths will cross again, and then we'll take him down for good...together," he said with a smile. Haruka couldn't help but feel himself smiling back.

"I love you so much, Makoto," he blurted suddenly.

Makoto's cheeks pinked as he let out a little giggle. "I love you too, Haru-chan."

Now that the immediate danger was gone, Haruka was finally able to fully process the other, more positive result of the disappearance of Kurakvo. Makoto was free. Forever. They had done it. On an impulse Haruka abruptly pulled back and threw his arms around Makoto's shoulders, using his momentum to knock Makoto back onto the ground, kissing him soundly on the lips.

"Have I mentioned yet how happy I am to finally have you all to myself?" he said. Makoto giggled again.

"No, I can't say that you have," Makoto replied with a grin. "Have I mentioned yet how happy I am that I can have you all to myself?" He leaned up, pulling Haruka down to him with a hand as he kissed him again, demonstrating his happiness with actions rather than words. Haruka pulled back after a moment, an exhilarated flush covering his cheeks and nose.

"You're mine," he murmured, leaning down to place heated little kisses along Makoto's neck.

"Forever," Makoto agreed breathlessly, hands clutching Haruka's shoulders and holding him close. Haruka changed his direction, and his lips soon covered Makoto's again, pouring all of his love and affection into his kiss. He gently bit down on Makoto's lower lip, and Makoto let out a small groan of excitement, opening himself completely to Haruka as a hand slid upwards to tangle in Haruka's dark hair. After a few moments the two's kisses reached a level of fervor where they soon wouldn't be able to stop, and they broke apart, gasping for breath.

"What do you say we go home?" Haruka suggested, placing one final lingering kiss to Makoto's lips.

"I think that's a great idea," Makoto agreed, and he allowed Haruka to help him get up off the ground. Once they were up, however, Makoto was unable to resist tugging Haruka to him, kissing him passionately once more as his hands slipped under Haruka's coat, fingers straying down his bare back.

Haruka pulled back, albeit reluctantly. "You do want to go home first, right?" Makoto let out a laugh, taking Haruka's hand.

"I think we need to," Makoto replied. "I need to see my family, and I really need to get some sleep."

"You're right," Haruka said, stretching up to reach Makoto's lips for one more kiss, seriously the last one this time, before continuing with the slightest evidence of mischief sparkling in his blue eyes, "We'll go home, see everyone, and probably get some sleep...later."

Makoto laughed again, a carefree, happy laugh of contentment. He then squeezed Haruka's hand tightly, and Haruka pulled him close, securing him at his side before a jet of water burst forth from nowhere under their feet, propelling them into the sky and back towards the town...and their future.

-((The End))-

YES IT'S DONE WOOO! I am so sorry it took so long to type this up. I had no time to type, and now I'm on vacation with my family, and just when I thought yes vacation typing time! My computer went nuts and I will need a new motherboard. So even on my mom's weird-not-mine computer, I wanted to at least get this to you. So I hope you enjoyed the story! I'm sorry it's so open, but I really do have the preliminary ideas for a sequel in mind (both from the original tumblr ideas and my own), buuut as I have been writing this for quite a while, I need some break time. One shots are my game, and I have about 14567 MakoHaru ideas. 2 written out already actually. So one day be on alert for a sequel announcement, but until then if you like my writing please put me on alert for future MakoHaru love! Thank you so much.

Also, one note if anyone is curious about Kurakvo's voice because it's kind of difficult to convey it's differences to Makoto's over writing: I always imagined it to be a deeper version of Makoto's, but Kurakvo's way of speech and tone would be so different that Haruka wouldn't recognize it...which is why it was weird for Haru that Expelled!Kurakvo sounded vaguely like Makoto; because once he knew it he could kind of hear similarities after they'd separated. (/for the curious)

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you thought of the story.

~freaky-hanyou