Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - Breaking Point

by Yusei

Summary - "She looked up at them, wanting to be like them, to be strong like them. Because they were strong; even when their hearts hurt. Slight Yusei x Ruka"
He does not wish for you to cry for he stands over your shoulder. But you cannot see him. Your eyes observe those you care for, they hold the strength you believe you do not possess. But their hearts ache in the same way yours does."

Disclaimer - I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's nor any of the characters.

A / N - Did you really think that this was done? Not quite, but this is the final chapter, something that came about long after I said that there would be five chapters, sort of like an epilogue. I'd like to thank everyone who's read this, more so to those who have reviewed, favourited it and the like. Hope this wraps everything up nicely. Please read and review.

Ruka's POV

We shared everything. Parents. Appearances. Lives. I couldn't go on without him.

Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes as they closed completely, shutting out the true world – the reality that I couldn't grasp Rua's hand as I wished. Through that darkness, I could see it all again. Rua lying in my arms, why had I been too late to rescue him? Why? He had been smiling at me in that same loving way he always had, like a lighthouse in a terrible storm, this curse that was the Signer War we had been dragged into. Why had he come with us? I wished for him to be there, to hold my hand when I was scared, when I felt too weak to fight on. My selfish desire to cling onto him for strength had cost him his life and he didn't care. That boy I called my idiot brother was more intelligent than I, he could still see a silver lining in his parting. Even as his body faded to grey, the cerulean hair that matched mine growing dark, colourless; those golden eyes I found myself staring into every time we met were no longer shining.

"Rua!"

"Ruka… fight on… I believe you can win. I'll be waiting for you… whether it is at the end of this dark tunnel, standing in the light… or when your life is lived completely and we stand opposite each other at the entrance to the Afterlife. I promise you, this isn't the end… we'll always be together".

Those words tore at my heart. I couldn't live a full life without him; he was a part of me. His voice sounded dry, like he was desperate for water, to live. The thirst for life he had always possessed had evaporated before my eyes. My grip on his right arm tightened, he wouldn't die; he wouldn't! This was Rua! Rua could never give up like this.

"Don't say such stupid things!" I protested, tears streaming down my face as though I would never cry again. This was my ultimate nightmare, this was what I was scared of, Rua wasn't just facing the Dark Signer that had selected me for prey; he was facing Death to avoid me facing that eternal blackness.

"Ruka…" His voice was no more than a whisper, a distant whisper that echoed against the walls of my mind. "I love you…"

His eyes didn't close as his body began to crumble, his body dissolving into nothing more than the dust that mother would sweep away, muttering irritably about. No matter how many times I cried his name, it didn't stop, I was losing him. Forever. His vanishing form drowned in the tears that distorted my vision, my throat tightening from the overwhelming despair that tore my heart from me, dragging it from this world with Rua. My beloved brother who I had teased and moaned at every day, wishing he would grow up. There was nothing more that I wanted than Rua. My Rua. The Rua I had always known and loved, even without understanding it.

Even when there was nothing left in my open arms, I continued to sob, pleading for him to stay, repeating his name hopelessly. What would mother and father think? What would they say?

"Rua… I love you…"

The clicking of stones crashing against the ground filled the silence outside of my sphere of desolation. I didn't care, I couldn't care anymore. Demak could destroy me as he had destroyed Rua. The others could win without me; all I did was hold people back, just as Rua confessed he had felt at Godwin's mansion. Without Rua… there was nothing, this world was incomplete and held no place for me. Arms came around me, a gentle pressure against my back.

I turned to face the captor, finding Yusei who looked down at me sorrowfully. Rua was like a younger brother to him, we were the siblings he never experienced in this cold, lonely world. This world that I detested, that had torn Rua and I apart after so long. I had never been able to consider a life without my brother; we were going to be together until the day we died… together. Just as we had entered this forsaken place. Yusei's eyes remained dry, but I knew that beneath those eyes, he was crying. He was praying that Rua could be revived through the Signers' victory.

But I couldn't fight, I was tired of fighting. I couldn't even help Ancient Fairy Dragon, I couldn't even help Rua. Yusei, Jack, Aki-san, they all had their reasons for fighting and could stand opposite their enemies – be they friend or foe in the past – and use the light of their Birthmarks to guide them along those paths, to stand by their dragons and fulfil that eternal promise. I couldn't even look at Power Tool Dragon, ashamed to hold the card that Rua had left behind to lead me to Ancient Fairy Dragon, past Cusillu the Monkey Jibakushin; I wasn't strong, especially without him.

"Ruka…"

Yusei's voice sounded so whole, like he couldn't find how he felt – lost within his heart scarred from his previous losses; his mother, his father, his former life, his friend used as a pawn whom he found himself standing opposite in the battlefield of this wretched war. This war that had hurt everyone, taken someone that we all cared about so deeply. Why did we have to suffer? Why did others have to die just for meaning something to us? I turned my back on Demak, on where Rua had vanished in my eyes and buried my face into Yusei's shoulder, sobbing like a child. Sobbing in a way that Rua wanted to each time he lost a duel, when he couldn't prove his worth to his opponent – he wasn't acting like a child, he was just disappointed in himself. And it had been only now that I could see it.

My cries were muffled by Yusei's jacket; his hand touched the back of my head delicately, allowing me to press harder, tears seeping onto the jacket that concealed his arms. I reached up, grasping a small tuff of his hair, clenching my fist as I found myself unable to find a light in this fight anymore, the light that Rua promised he would be standing before at the end. Yusei seemed unfazed by the grab, instead, he stroked the back of my head like I were a pet he adored, one that he was unwilling to let go. The world around us meant nothing, the others would just watch on – Ushio-san and the distant Jack, Mikage-san and Aki-san. Our allies, those that had strolled into this war whether they possessed a Birthmark or not. Those like Rua… willing to lay their lives on the line.

"Rua… forgive me".

I didn't notice the change in Yusei's expression, his eyes that watched the crumbled ground narrowed, his expression screwing up as though he were in terrible pain. Demak watched from the place he stood, neither of us paid him any attention and grieved. Grieved for our lost beacon. The arms that locked me in the embrace, his reaching out to me, tightened – Yusei had found his sorrow in losing Rua, the horrible truth had sunken into him. Regardless of how many seconds into minutes had passed since my brother's passing, I continued to whisper his name, over and over. Praying he would answer me. Wake me from this nightmare. All he wanted to be was a hero. To be a saviour alongside Yusei, myself and the others. To be the Fifth Signer.

"Rua…"

Epilogue - Half Signer
Yusei's POV

It was difficult to imagine there could be any light in the slimy body of the Meikai no Oh, but there was. Were these the lost souls twinkling like stars? It was like space, and we had been taken somewhere else in this vast universe. But where was Stardust… Savior Star? Was I alone here? All I knew was that the Crimson Dragon had taken Saviour Star as an avatar of its power and driven itself into the gaping mouth of the foul beast threatening all life on Earth. Had they made it out and I hadn't been strong enough to follow? Had I been left behind, a monument to the sins of the Dark Signers. My eyes moved to where five of them floated. I recognised them all, but Demak, as people from the living world. It was certainly a shock to learn that Carly whom I had met briefly was at the beginning of this whole thing was a Dark Signer. Though something told me she hadn't been one when we met, something must have happened to her since then.

In front of her, Kiryu was laying on his stomach, hands either side of his twisted head like he was asleep on his old tattered mattress. Opposite, Misty was the same, and behind them, Bommer and Demak were flat on their backs. They just drifted through the unfeeling air; I neither felt hot nor cold, like there was nothing at all. My eyes moved back to the Godwin brothers standing in front of me, both were how they appeared in their human lives; Rudger in his lab coat, naturally tanned skin and spiked blonde hair that made me think of Jack, and Godwin how I had always known him with the exception of his brief time the Condor Birthmark shone from his back. They were both smiling, gently. These were the men that had been working with my mother and father, but there was no sign of them. I wished…

That wasn't important. I needed to know what had happened, but Godwin had talked about how he was sorry everything had happened. His face turned to the five sleeping dead.

"Yusei… take care of them".

What did he mean by that? Were we all going to be trapped in here? Or… or did that mean they were going to be revived? It was possible? Hope swelled inside me – perhaps that was a secondary reason to entering the Hell ruler: to save those trapped inside, including the Dark Signers. Kiryu could live again. Savior Star and I would carry them out while the Crimson Dragon destroyed its old nemesis, burying it for another 5000 years. Or, what we all would want, to destroy it for good. No-one wanted a third generation of Signers to suffer terribly, even if they won in the end.

The Godwin brothers were talking when I looked back to them, a sudden light opening up – a path to their eternal rest. Weren't they coming with us? Were they going to accept death as atonement for what they had done? Rudger ushered his brother, smiling, together they turned and walked towards the light. I didn't like what they had done, but no-one should die because of this war.

"Wait!"

But the light grew too bright and my eyes had to shut. They walked regardless, side by side, like a couple of twins. The brightness continued to grow, so much that it began to pierce through the veil of protection that my eyelids offered. And then suddenly, it was gone.

I opened my eyes, lowering my arm; it was just me and the Dark Signers. I turned to them, how was I supposed to get them all out before the Meikai no Oh died? There was just me – no D-Wheel, no Stardust, and no Crimson Dragon. A screech came from overhead and I looked up, Stardust was floating above me, having been waiting for the Godwin brothers to move on. It made me wonder if Rudger had been holding onto the Fifth Dragon all along and taken it with him, leaving Power Tool to serve as a replacement for longer.

"Stardust…"

It floated down until it hung where gravity seemed to pull us, but there was no guarantee. I had to test it, and jumped. The space was weightless, like gravity didn't exist. That explained how Demak could float higher than the other Dark Signers. Without any effort, I floated enough to reach Stardust's head, and laid my hand between its eyes. I smiled at it, not only once, but twice, it had transformed into a divine creature of salvation, carrying Kiryu here and then bringing me here to see it for myself. And if the Dark Signers could be reborn, perhaps Rua and Rally…

"Thank you, Stardust".

The dragon purred somewhat, its yellow eyes gleaming. I offered so much to it – somewhere in the past, I had been granted the card, and held onto it like my life depended on it. Then, when someone else's life depended on the card's fate, I had to abandon Stardust. I never forgave myself, but it turned the wheel of fate. And brought me to Neo-Domino, my birthplace, where my friends would all be waiting, where connecting the past and future was possible. Stardust revealed the Birthmark and pushed me forward when pain came endlessly.

"How will we get them out though?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at the five Dark Signers, freed from the blackness.

Stardust didn't move, but breathed again, like it could understand me. Maybe it could, who knew? I turned from Stardust and descended over the distance between us. In about half a minute, I was by Kiryu's side, on one knee, trying to figure out just what it was that I could do help him. To make up for when I couldn't help.

"Stardust" I called, standing up and looking over my shoulder again. "You can still be Savior Star, right? We can get them and ourselves out of here before the Meikai no Oh dies, can't we?"

Stardust's wings stretched and it glided elegantly across the empty air. Time seemed to slow down – did time even move here? – and Stardust came to a halt, towering over me. I couldn't tell if it had an answer, but I had to get them, and us, out of here before it was too late. Even if time didn't move, there had to be a reason the Crimson Dragon had separated, probably to deal with the Meikai no Oh to stop it from swallowing those of us inside of it. My eyes scanned the distant space, the stars glinting from so far away. Souls. I had an idea.

"Stardust, if you can, I need you to become Savior Star again" I said, looking back at the dead and laying my hand onto Kiryu's shoulder. "I need you to envelope us all, and guide all the other souls here out of this place. It's the only way anyone will survive. And… see if you can find Rua or Rally. I can't leave without them".

There was an ominous groan, all around, it was the Meikai no Oh. Something couldn't have been right if it was moaning like that. Were we running out of time? A bright glow fell around us; an aura around us of blues and greens and purples. I looked over my shoulder, Savior Star floated, expanding its aura beyond its body, it would move forward and capture us, but I had to get into my D-Wheel to make that so. My hand left Kiryu, and hung by my side as I moved towards the loyal D-Wheel I treasured; the only red amongst the brightness. I climbed in, there was no sign of my helmet, maybe it was somewhere else in Savior Star, but I didn't have time to worry about that – there was no air in here, after all.

Savior Star shrieked, and together we moved. Over the Dark Signers and left nothing; their bodies became orbs of light floating inside of the dragon, around me. We began to circle the inside universe, gathering more lights that followed like believers in freedom, I only prayed that Rua and Rally were amongst them, I believed they would be. Where the Godwin brothers had been, a portal of white opened up. We were out of time; the Crimson Dragon was beckoning us back to the living world. Savior Star turned towards it, leading the stream of lights. As we approached, my eyes closed; again, it was too bright to watch as it grew in strength.

There was an explosion around us, my eyes snapped open, I could see the purple clouds overhead; we were back. A scream, like a battle cry, erupted from me. The Crimson Dragon dispersed, leaving only Savior Star and I as we rose higher and away from the demon god. We were free, everyone was free. The lights from the inside universe were gone, but they had followed us, I trusted them. Suddenly, Saviour Star turned, stretching its wings and legs as we gazed down at the slimy monstrosity.

It moaned again, looking towards the sky with its cold, blood red eyes before a tower of light shot out of its mouth. It grew wider, like something was being Synchro Summoned from inside of it. Something to tear it apart and make it the sacrifice. The glow continued to stretch, tearing the beast apart and lighting the sky gold. Opposite us, the Condor geoglyph still glowed purple in the sky, without Godwin it had no power to sustain itself. Godwin!

"Godwin!"

They were still smiling, wherever they were. They had accepted their ends, to join my father in the places beyond Earth, Maybe now they could all find peace… together.

The Stairway to the Sky, as Godwin had called it, dissolved. It was no longer needed; we had won, apparently, forever. The geoglyph followed in succession. Then it dawned on me from a distance… Jack, Crow! They fell.

"Savior Star!"

We raced forward faster than ever. No-one would be lost now. Everyone would find their light; no-one would be a victim any longer. The speed and skill that Savior Star had inside of it amazed me, it was able to catch both Crow and Jack, with their D-Wheels, so gracefully. The gold separated, revealing its nature to be small blue stars that fell like snow. The souls we had rescued and more: those that couldn't get out in time. We soared over the others; each of them turned on their heels and followed us, towards the edge of Neo-Domino while we watched everywhere. City, Satellite, Daedalus, Daimon, B.A.D, Tops.

Savior Star shrieked once more as we moved in the direction of the sunrise, to the edge of the City.

When we descended over the others, each smiled with joy and relief – everything was over and everyone was free. People were waking up across the City and Satellite, released after varying times of imprisonment inside the darkness. Savior Star hovered a few yards over the ground, dropping Jack, Crow and I through its body. We landed in the D-Wheels we had used to defeat Godwin.

"Atlus-sama" Mikage-san cried with glee.

"You did it" Ushio smirked. "Thank goodness, it's over. I don't think I could handle any more Jibakushin incidents".

Savior Star was back in the sky, patrolling the morning light as it guided the remaining stars home. Ruka came to mind, she smiled numbly behind Aki, almost hiding behind her, Aki herself was pleased, smiling in a way I had never seen from her before.

"Yusei, those lights were people, right?" Aki asked, drawing my eyes.

"They were. The Dark Signers were among them" I replied. "They should be close by, Savior Star and I carried them out first".

"Misty…" she breathed happily.

Jack's eyes moved in the direction of Satellite, his hand pressed against his chest. He began to move forward, towards the edge of the land where waves gently crashed against the concrete.

"Jack?"

He didn't say anything, we all watched in silence. Whatever he had been hiding, he pulled from his Riding Suit, a pair of cracked spectacles. I knew them.

"I've seen those before" I mumbled. "Aren't those Carly's?"

Jack's head shot around, setting his left eye on me in the corner of his vision. "You knew her?"

"We met briefly".

"I see…" He looked again at Satellite. "Yes, they're hers. But she won't need these anymore. They're a reminder of the beast that controlled her. These were what saved us both, but it's a monument to that dark time. I don't want her to know what happened, only one thing…"

His gloved hand opened, the glasses fell. Beyond the concrete ground and into the water, drowning without resistance. Accepting. No-one knew what Jack meant by 'one thing', but something had happened between him and Carly, we could only guess. No-one would intrude; everyone was entitled to secrets and feelings.

"So the Dark Signers get another shot at life, huh?" Crow mumbled, smirking wildly. "That means Kiryu and Bommer will be back too. They can rebuild their lives".

He looked at me; it was true; they had both parted from this world with deception clouding their minds and misdirected fury burning within their hearts, maybe now they could keep the truth close to their hearts and resume the lives they had relinquished so long ago. Bommer was aware the children and people of his hometown were alive; Kiryu had admitted his darkness got the better of him. Maybe we could become close friends again, stand with the others like brothers of Satellite. Reunite Team Satisfaction.

There was nothing more I wanted them to rebuild the bridges burnt down by Security and restore order. As part of another team, we had achieved the latter goal; the first still had a long way to go. A breeze swept past, nobody complained, but we remained focused on Satellite. With Godwin dead, was his Daedalus finally going to be completed? Mikage was close to him, she could vouch for his word; maybe the people of two ends could finally become one and reunite. The survivors of Zero Reverse and the generation born afterwards, perhaps… the distant dream was coming to us.

"Yusei…"

That young voice drew me, Ruka's golden eyes shone in the morning light, but her face was still filled with fresh sorrow and grief. I knew what she wanted, but I hadn't been able to find him… did I fail? Were Rally and Rua truly lost? I guiltily moved towards her, falling to one knee in front of her and laying a hand onto her shoulder. Her eyes widened with superstition, maybe she had worked it out already, because they weren't here.

"Is Rua coming back?" she asked, voice tight with the strain to suppress her worst fears.

"I'm sure he is" I whispered. "I couldn't tell which light was his, but everyone still trapped must have been there. Only the Dark Signers could be told apart".

"But… why didn't he come back after Cusillu was beaten?" she cried out, tears filling her eyes. Her hands shot forward and clutched the edges of my jacket, the palms of her tiny hands bent fiercely. She was still scared… of losing the most important person. "Why didn't he come back? What if he's lost forever?"

Her face was far different from anything I had seen before; tears I had seen, but her voice was desperate, her lips pushed away from each other with great force. His absence had pushed her into the frame of mind where the worst-case scenario was truth.

"What if he's like your father and won't come back?" she sobbed. "Crow found the picture of you all when you were a baby, we can all see the face that disappeared, what if Rua's met the same fate?"

"My father died in Zero Reverse, Rua died through a fight with a Jibakushin" I answered as quickly as I could, stroking the top of her head. She was still traumatised after everything, until he was back, she wouldn't calm. I pressed her against my chest, letting tears stream down her face and take them from her once they fell. Over her hair, my eyes moved to Crow, who watched, dumbfounded. Of course, he had never met Rua. "You found a picture of us?"

Crow nodded and fished it out of his jacket, producing it in his right hand. I reached out and took it from him, his fingers didn't move until mine pressed down, then they retreated outside the private place. I brought the photograph close by, eyes narrowing when I traced each feature of my mother and father. I had seen him, but she had always been faceless. Now there was a permanent reminder that I had a family, that I had parents watching me from somewhere else. And although I tried not to allow it, tears began to fill my own eyes.

There had been no guarantee that those who lost duels would return, the Dark Signers had been protected by the real Rudger and Godwin, but had Rally and Rua? Would they be lost forever in the darkness, dragged down to Hell with the Meikai no Oh like my parents and those from Zero Reverse? Was that what Ruka had meant? Mentally, I shook – this was Ruka's distorted mind, not mine, I had to remain strong for her, positive for her. Optimistic like they had always been, those two boys who were so alike despite the distance between them.

Above Ruka, smiles began to return. I looked over her to see them across the faces of our friends; Ushio, Mikage-san, Aki, Crow, even Jack. I looked over my shoulder, eyes widening when I realised what was happening, why they were smiling. Standing there with a smile plastered on his face like nothing had happened, he stood there, hair waving in the morning breeze. It was like hope had been restored entirely, like there was nothing wrong with the world anymore. A tear slipped down from my right eye, one that hadn't retreated to safety, but leapt out into the world outside, seeking adventure. Just like him. My fingers pressed down harder against the front and back of the photograph in my hand, feeling the straight wooden back hold strong.

I looked back to her, to Ruka, whose eyes remained closed. Until her wish was granted, she would suffer. Alone. My empty hand fell to her shoulder, and gently, pushed her back slightly. Her face was drenched with tears of envy and isolation; she alone had been denied her loved one back. Her eyes shimmered with the combination of fresh tears yet to fall and the morning light.

"Ruka… Martha and I talked when we were at the orphanage" I mumbled. "She said that Rua gave you Power Tool Dragon as a reminder of him, you should treasure it. If you treasure it like I do this picture, then we can remember there are people who are always with us, even if we can't see them or they aren't alive. They existed, they still exist. Okay?"

"But Rua… I can't live through this world without him…" she sobbed. "He was everything to me… I'm nothing without him. He made me who I am…"

"Ruka, show me those two dragons. Yours and Rua's dragons".

She fished them out of her pink jacket, holding them for me to see; the glorious angelic being, trapped for 5000 years and what we assumed was a reincarnation of the Fifth Dragon, a replacement until it would appear, like how Rua had been standing with us like a replacement for the Fifth Signer. But now, Crow had stepped in, inheriting the Tail Birthmark when the Crimson Dragon passed to me the Head Birthmark corrupted long ago. I would take care of it, like I would take care of her. I took the cards from her hand, removing Stardust from the Graveyard of my Duel Disk and placing it the other side of Ancient Fairy. The three turned to face her.

"Power Tool isn't a Signer Dragon, but it fought regardless, because it wanted to help" I said, doing my best to explain things in terms of the dragons. Hopefully, it would work and make sense. "Power Tool wouldn't needlessly sacrifice itself; it fought while Ancient Fairy was breaking free of the prison that held her for so long. She grew stronger, and fought for him in the same way. Stardust could easily protect them both, remember its effect?"

"Victim Sanctuary?" she exhaled heavily.

"Yeah. But there doesn't need to be any more victims. Even if Power Tool can't protect Ancient Fairy and fight by her side, Stardust could always do so on his behalf" I continued. Did this make sense? Did she understand what I meant? Or was I just sounding stupid? "Black Rose and Red Demons will always be there, but Stardust can always be there, if you want. Power Tool can fight any time he wants. No-one can stop them or take life from them".

"What are you saying? That Power Tool is still going to fight?" Ruka asked, sucking in a deep breath as her body calmed.

I nodded, and began to stand, her eyes remained locked onto my face. "But it's not Power Tool who had a journey to take and return from".

She looked puzzled, I didn't blame her. She was so young; she avoided duelling when she feared it could take her away from Rua and to the Spirit World. After the last two experiences, I could see why. She didn't want to endanger him, drag him into something that he didn't need to be involved in and risk him. But he wanted to be there nevertheless. To protect her and let her know she wasn't alone. I stepped aside.

"You don't need to be alone Ruka" I added as I moved. "You're a sister before you're a Signer".

Ruka's eyes met the identical eyes of her brother, his cheerful smirk, hands against his hips. Her face sparkled as her body quivered, there was no ghost or spirit around. But the boy she treasured.

"Rua…"

He said nothing, but tilted his head; the hairs of his ponytail fell with the new angle.

"Rua…" she breathed. She threw herself forward, running. "Rua!"

Like nothing I had seen before, she ran to him, moving with strength that none of us had seen before until she crashed into her brother, sobbing against him. His arms moved upwards, and hands fell onto her back.

"I told you we'd meet again" he whispered into her ear.

"I thought I lost you forever!" she cried out. "I was so worried. I thought I'd never see you again!"

"So you do care" he chuckled. "I don't know exactly what happened, but I think Cusillu passed me on to some leader".

"Wiraquchasca…" Aki murmured. "Godwin didn't like the idea of Rua hearing everything when he explained it all, maybe he was holding Rua so that we'd come and fight our hardest".

That must have been it. We all agreed to it. The sounds of the grateful reunion, the happiest in the City, filled the air. I turned to face Satellite, somewhere over there, Rally was waking up. He was back. Everyone was back. The current's breeze swept past again. Even without parents, I was still more than pleased by what we had recovered; one day, I would go back to Old Momentum and lay flowers for them. Them and all the others lost that day long ago. When Satellite and Neo-Domino were reunited; my father's experiment in the hands of a deluded man had separated them, but together with my friends, I had been able to achieve what had been started by another Godwin's hands. Reunited them.

I clutched the frame in my right hand tighter; Ruka and Rua had their other half back, Jack had his friend again, Aki and Misty had unleashed the truth, Crow and Kiryu could travel back in time and experience having old friends around them. Neo-Domino and Satellite could come together again, and the ruins of the past would grow into something new.

To be born into this world, to reunite it. To do something special and make such special friends. They themselves came before the secret ties of the Crimson Dragon Birthmarks. I wouldn't give them up for anything, not even for my parents to come back. It felt a horrible thing, but I knew they understood. I could see them above the waving water, smiling, proud that we had been able to close the gateway to Hell, even if it meant sealing them forever. Maybe they had been able to get through and moved onto Heaven. I hoped they could find peace wherever they were, and I would take care of Rua and Ruka like they cared for me. No matter what the cost, I would protect all my friends – and this new world born from hope.

End