Thank you for all of you who have followed this fic in its entirety! I started this fic on a whim, but ended up becoming pretty attached to it and truly appreciated the reviews. This last chapter, a little longer than usual for the finale, concludes Our Broken World. Hope you enjoy!

...

Kei struggled to move on the ground, even as pain racketed through his body. His vision blurred as he pushed himself up. His progress was halted by the presence of something cold and imposing into his back.

"I cannot forgive this," Mrs. Awayuki said in a cold voice, "Another betrayal by the Leafe Knights. I will not tolerate this any further. You will take me to my daughter."

"She is no more your daughter than I am a hero," Kei answered, blood seeping from his wound. He had only moments before his life would end. But he had one more job to do.

"The darkness will return. And then—you will not interfere," Kei hissed, and with a final burst of his magic, he formed a barrier around Mrs. Awayuki and her men.

And not a moment too soon. A brilliant light broke through the sky, shuddering the foundation of the ground and forming a tangible crack through both ground and sky.

"It has begun," Kei said before slipping into unconsciousness.

…

Sasame paused as he saw the sky tear into two. A familiar presence flooded his senses and he dared not believe his feelings. A lonely, frightened presence surrounded by a protective hatred. Takako.

A figure descended through the sky, her figure wrapped in a cloak of darkness. When the shadows broke, Sasame felt his eyes blur in a combination of longing and dread. He had to fight her once again. He could not bring himself to hurt her anymore than he had. He had carried the guilt that he had brought her death.

Guilt worse than Hayate's. He had every intention to kill her. But not this time. He took one look back at the little ones before wrapping them in a protective shield that blocked both visual and auditory stimuli to those within and without.

This way, no matter the outcome, they would be safe. They would be ignorant to his betrayal. They would be ignorant to the happenings of the end of this broken world and be able to rebuild it anew.

But now, his destiny awaited him.

…

Hayate felt his breath catch in his throat. It couldn't be. The figure of darkness descended with such hatred—hatred that he had been on the receiving end of—and such malice. Takako had returned. But something was different, and it was the resonance of the second presence that he felt that caused him to feel pangs of agony in his chest.

Hikari sensed his unease and continued her trajectory towards the figure of darkness. Everything in her being was calling her towards the darkness. There was her purpose, her reason for existence. She said a soft prayer for the little ones who had showed her such kindness, for straightforward Kei, goofy Go and gentle Sasame. And Hayate…

She needed to do this because she was designed to do this. But it was more than that. She wanted to do this for him. To relieve him of his pain and free him from the guilt that haunted him from the past. And she now had the ability to do so.

As she approached closer, she felt hesitation emanating from Hayate's spirit inside of her.

"Let's do this. We will win," she said aloud. Hayate started in surprise and then she could feel his entire being smile with the warmth she loved.

Thank you, Hikari

She summoned her wind sword and rushed forward to attack, when a burst of pressure threw her backwards.

"Sasame!" Hikari cried out in surprise.

Speak for me, Hikari

"Join me, Sasame. Let's end this cycle now," Hikari cried out, speaking the words that Hayate wanted to use to reach out to Sasame.

Sasame's eyes were cold and unfeeling when he met Hikari and Hayate's gaze.

"I lost the one I loved once before. Never again. Even if the world should end for good this time," Sasame cried out. Tendrils of darkness surrounded him, and he accepted it willingly.

"Pret with me, Takako," he murmured.

She shouldn't be able to pret…she stopped being a pretear long ago

In a brilliant flash of deep violet light, Sasame was gone and Takako, dressed in a dark outfit with Sasame's emblem of the sound of knight on the front.

"Have you ever seen the like, Hayate? A Princess of Disaster turning into a Pretear?" Takako cried out while laughing.

"It matters not. We will defeat you," Hikari said in a flat voice. Hayate had suddenly gone silent.

"You understand now, don't you, Hayate?" Takako said, her lips curling into a wicked smile.

A blast of fire towards Takako interrupted their conversation.

"Let Himeno go!" Go cried out, continuing his volley of fire. He was flying through the slit in the sky, heading straight down towards her. A volley of gunshots followed his flame attacks as Mawata followed him down.

With a wave of her hand, she sent the bullets encapsulated in flames back at Mawata and Go. In a shriek, the two of them went plummeting towards the ground. Hikari moved faster than she ever had towards the two. She had just lost Kei due to her cowardice. She would not lose Mawata and Go in the same manner.

She spun as she raced towards them, summoning a whirlwind in her wake. Engulfing the bullets and flames in the whirlwind, she sent it flying towards Takako. Takako countered with a sonic arrow, exploding the combination of wind, fire, bullets and sound pressure in an explosion that shook the entirety of Serenity.

Cradling the now unconscious Go and Mawata in a cloud of wind, Hikari deposited them gently onto the ground. As the dust settled from the explosion, Takako was nowhere to be found. Hikari frowned and closed her eyes. She would be able to sense her. After all, her true self was hidden within the twisted spirit of Takako. Himeno was all that keeping Takako from releasing into a million particles of negative energy. If only there was a way to destroy Takako without harming Himeno…

You have done enough on my account…thank you

Hayate broke the pret from Hikari. She looked at him in confusion, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. He took her into his arms and breathed into her hair, "I will be back, I promise you. Be safe for me."

And with that he took to the sky. Takako made her appearance once again, sending flying daggers towards the embodiment of her hatred—towards Hayate—with a blood lust she had nursed all these years. Eyes blazing he turned to face Takako, sword pointed dangerously towards her exposed throat.

"Sasame, I know you can hear me. Break this pret now and face me. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to harm Takako," Hayate challenged.

Despite the look of protest that covered Takako's face, Sasame broke the pret and summoned a sword made from darkness itself.

"Let us end this, once and for all, Sasame," Hayate cried and thrust forward.

Takako descended down towards the clone of that failure of a pretear inside of her. She snapped to attention and stood protectively in front of Mawata and Go.

"I have no quarrel with you. Why don't you join me?" Takako offered, extending a pale hand. Hikari watched her carefully. Takako watched as her eyes took a blank look once—and she fell to the ground as an empty shell.

"What?" Takako began when she felt the presence inside of her revolt.

I am joining you, Takako, to destroy you. We will go down together.

"Get out! Get out of me!" Takako shrieked, clutching at her head.

For all the pain you have caused my family and my friends, you will pay the ultimate price

"No!" Takako cried out as tears spilled from her eyes in pain. She doubled over as the combined force of Himeno and Hikari tore her from the inside.

You will be the bond that restores this broken world. Forever to feel the scars you have caused as part of yourself

Sasame and Hayate continued their duel in the sky, both fighting for the love they had lost and regained. The conflict reflected in their eyes. Brothers, comrades, friends—all set aside for the two women who had once been the pretear. Their internal worlds shattered from grief and inability to let go.

"Please," Sasame said, his eyes split between the sight of his beloved torn into two with pain and Hayate's relentless attacks.

"Please…just let me go to her," Sasame pleaded once again. Hayate paused in mid air at the sense of utter defeat lost reflected in Sasame's eyes. Hayate nodded and let him go down. He followed behind, the strength leaving his body with the knowledge that it would soon be all over. Everything…

"Forgive me!" Takako cried out shrilly as her being was slowly dissolving away. Sasame held her disappearing frame; the tears he had left unshed all these years spilling uncontrollably into empty air.

The release of her energy twisted back into restorative powers by the true pretear's powers healed the world. The sky cleared into a brilliant blue, and sunlight flowed into the land beyond Serenity, where fields of delicate flowers had sprouted everywhere. And the red snow fell from the sky, only to turn white as it hit the ground.

"Only you would be able to take hate and turn it into love," Hayate said aloud as he watched the snow.

A face appeared in each snowflake. The shining face of Himeno. She was smiling, but her eyes were sad.

She's saying goodbye to me…

Hayate nodded in understanding, and let the snow caress his face, healing his wounds as it healed the rest of the world.

I leave you a parting gift, my dear Hayate…

Hayate opened his eyes and saw Hikari standing before him. She looked at him with hesitation. He smiled and extended his hand out to her.

"Let's go home together," he said. Her eyes filled with tears and she rushed into his arms.