Whoo, last chapter. I know, exciting. Well, I won't ruin it with ranting, so...enjoy!

Polaris18: Lol, who said Ayumu wasn't girly? Heh, you'll kill people, yes. Yep yep for the quote. Thanks for reviewing!

Red Kitsune Flames: Duh-duh-duh, showdown! Yay! There's only two of you playing because...you two are the only ones who review (cries). I know, it's sad, but I love ya for it! Thanks for reviewing!

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Ayumu and Polaris arrived a few minutes before the others. The brunette surveyed the rubble that was once a hotel, and the group of people that were standing around it. He spotted Kiyotaka almost instantly, and ducked down when the older one's gaze swept to his hiding spot. He knew he wouldn't be seen since he and Polaris were on a hill with a gradual slope that ended at what used to be the back of the hotel. He looked to the girl at his side, "Hey."

Blue eyes flickered towards him, "Yeah?"

"How do you think this will all end?"

The question took her by suprise, but she quickly covered it up. How did she think it would all end? She knew how it would all end, but she was damned if she'd tell him, "For the best." was her simple response.

Ayumu was about to ask her to clarify when arms came around his waist from behind, pulling him into a tight embrace, "Miss me?"

The younger boy smiled to himself before turning to face Kanone, "Terribly." he whispered, giving the Blade Child a kiss, "So, what's your plan?"

Olive eyes blinked, "Plan?" he asked, as if the notion of a plan was absolutely ridiculous, "I plan to go down there and kill as many people as I can."

Ayumu swallowed hard at hearing the ease with which his lover spoke these words, but nodded, "That's all?"

Kanone chuckled, dryly, "Ayumu, there's something you don't understand. This battle, unlike any other we've fought thus far, is based on physical ability rather than mental. Solving crimes and finding clues will be of no use here, belief in yourself and certainly hope aren't going to save you. No, the only way to make it out alive tonight will be to kill."

"Kill or be killed." came a voice from behind Kanone. The latter turned to see a frowning redhead, "See, Little Narumi, I told you that's how it was for us."

Ryoko, who was next to him, shivered a little, drawing Kanone's attention to her, "So, what have you decided, Ryoko? Will you continue to believe in your foolish idealisms, or face reality?"

The crimson-eyed girl stayed silent, glaring at Kanone. Rio, who was in between Kousuke and Ryoko, grabbed the other girl's hand, "Don't listen to him, Ryoko." she said, "You have to believe in what you've put your faith in. That can't change now."

Kanone simply scoffed at the empty words, and surveyed the crowd, "Regardless of your decision, your participation in this game won't matter. You're in the outfield as far as I'm concerned."

"No, thanks, I think I'll sit this one out." she replied.

Rio nodded, "Sorry, Kanone, I'm with Ryoko. I think we'd do best on the bench."

The choice elicited no more than a shrug from the oldest, "Have it your way."

"We're still missing one." Polaris noted.

"One?" Kanone asked her, "He's much more than simply one. You can't have a game without a pitcher."

"You really amount me to such an important role?" the soft british accent floated through the air, putting a small smile on Kanone's face, "I rather thought that would be yourself. You are the one who started this all, aren't you?"

"Perhaps such a role is best left to label Kiyotaka with." Kanone suggested, "Then what are you?"

Blue orbs locked with olive ones, "I'm a Blade Chlid." he answered simply.

Another chuckle arose from Kanone's throat, "Of course you are, dear." he looked over the others once more, "Well, time to play."

"They're late." a Rebel muttered, tapping his foot, impatiently.

"Maybe they all got scared." another joked, earning a few laughs.

Kiyotaka simply glared at the men, "You're not really that idiotic to think Kanone would just walk away from this, are you?" He then considered the possibility that the man just might be.

"It was a joke." the Rebel explained, sighing in frustration when his leader's only response was a blank stare, "You've just got no sense of humor."

"I'm sure I'll be laughing when he kills you." the brunette muttered under his breath, then smiled faintly at the thought. Perhaps he could strike up a deal with Kanone...

"I wish they'd get here." Madoka commented, a little nervously. She looked to Kiyotaka from her place at his side, "Then again, Ayumu is rarely on time for anything."

The older Narumi made no comment, but simply stared straight ahead, waiting for the others' arrival, "What is he planning now?" Kiyotaka knew Kanone would have a good reason for showing up late, and it was most likely to set some sort of trap of catch him off-guard. He wasn't about to let that happen; whatever Kanone was planning, he'd be ready.

"Will you two stop it?" the golden-eyed Blade Child asked, very annoyed.

"He started it." Polaris grumbled, shooting a pout at Kanone and a glare at Ayumu.

"I did not!" the latter objected, "You pushed me first!"

"Hey, Little Narumi, shut up." Kousuke suggested.

Ayumu just shrugged the redhead off and elbowed Polaris one more time. The silver-haired girl growled, but Kanone, who had the misfortune of winding up in between the two, put a stop to it, "Polaris." he said, warningly.

"But..." the objection was cut off as Kanone gave her a look, "Whatever...baka."

An eyebrow shot up at this, "What was that?"

She shook her head at her mentor, "Not you." she said quickly, "That idiot, Ayu!"

Kanone sighed at the fight he knew was about to errupt from that comment, "Let's go." he suggested. It was likely the Rebels had already heard the two going at it from where ever they were.

Olive eyes closed in annoyance when he heard his boyfriend speak again, "Ayu? Where the hell did that come from?"

Polaris snickered, "I think it suits you." she said, nodding, "Definitely."

"How does it-"

"Shut up." Kanone commanded, glaring at the two, "If you two won't stop fighting long enough to do this, then stay here. If you're going to act like the mature people I know are burried somewhere inside, then let's go."

Ayumu blinked a couple times and sighed, "Sorry." he muttered, taking his place by Kanone's side.

The latter smiled softly and pulled his lover into a soft kiss, "It's alright." He missed the jealous glare from Polaris as he turned to head down the hill that the group had been perched on, and toward the giant mass of rubble that had once been a hotel.

"There they are." Kiyotaka whispered. Kanone, of course, was leading the group with Ayumu close by. Eyes wasn't far behind, falling in step with the other Blade Children and the Hunters brought up the rear. He smirked slightly at the look of determination on everyone's face, and soon motioned to the Rebels, "Alright, let's get this over with."

The two males met at the base of the hill, which was in the back of what had once been the hotel. Both faces were expressionless until Kanone smirked, "Finally, we get to play."

Kiyotaka said nothing, but looked to Ayumu, "Too bad you're on the losing team."

"We'll see." was the only response the younger brother gave, glaring daggers at Kiyotaka.

"Remember." Kanone warned, surveying the Rebels, "No cheating." Before anyone could react, a fist flew into Kiyotaka's face, sending the taller man stumbling back in suprise.

"Damn hypocrite." Kiyotaka muttered, and all hell proceeded to break loose. The Rebels and Hunters clashed, each finding an opposing player to fight with. Ayumu hung back with Eyes, Rio, and Ryoko while Kousuke and Polaris joined in the fight.

Ryoko watched as the redhead mercilessly ripped through the Rebels one by one, "Is this truly our fate?" she wondered, "Have I been a fool to try and deny it?" She shook her head, and stayed her ground; no matter what, she wouldn't turn her back on her beliefs now.

Rio, who was next to her, growled, "I can't just stand here and do nothing." she complained.

"Then fight." Ayumu suggested.

"Why aren't you fighting, Little Narumi?" Rutherford wondered.

Ayumu glanced at the Blade Child next to him, "My only fight is with Kiyotaka." he informed the older one, "And I...don't think Kanone needs any help." This comment drew the Blade Children's attention back to Kanone and Kiyotaka's fight.

The golden-eyed Blade Child grinned as he easily ducked a slow swinging fist aimed at his head, then grunted as a knee connected with his gut. He growled, cursing himself for not realizing the distraction, but quickly recovered. He launched himself at Kiyotaka, grabbing the older man's arm and twisting it, satisfied when he heard bones creaking and bending until they finally cracked. The pained yelp the action elicited wasn't too bad, either, and brought a twisted grin to the brunette's face.

Polaris gripped her knife, slicing through Rebels like butter, sustaining a laugh as she did so. If there was one thing she loved more than anything, it was fighting. Quickly becoming bored with the simplicity of random killing, she observed the remaining fighters, her blue eyes locking on Kanone and Kiyotaka. Somehow, the older man had pinned the Blade Child to the ground, and he didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. The silver-haired girl dashed through the fighting men and women to arrive at her mentor's side, sedning a foot flying at Kiyotaka's head. The latter had enough common sense to avoid the kick, but temporarily loosened his grip on Kanone, who promptly kicked him off and jumped to his feet. The girl grinned at him, "Thought you might need some help." she said, motioning to the now-upright Kiyotaka.

Kanone glared slightly at the girl next to him, "This isn't your fight." he told her, "Go make sure Ayumu doesn't do anything foolish."

"You're sending me to babysit!" she yelled, "That's the thanks I get for saving your ass?" Kanone knew she loved to fight, so why in the hell was he telling her to go watch over Ayumu like some lost little child?

Kanone nodded, "You're babysitting because you have nothing to fight with." he informed her, yanking the knife out of her hand, "Oh, and thanks for the knife."

Polaris blinked a few times, "See if I ever help you again." she muttered, turning and running off. Golden eyes followed her until she disappeared from sight. Kanone briefly wondered where she was going, but knew with or without a weapon, Polaris could take care of herself. His attetnion was forced back to the fight as Kiyotaka came at him once again.

"Like hell I'm going to babysit his boyfriend." Polaris thought, "After all we've been through, and that's how he treats me when it all comes down to it?" She gritted her teeth in anger as she stalked off to go make sure Ayumu wasn't dead. She finally caught sight of him and saw him standing there with Eyes, talking, "Why did he even come if he had no intention of fighting?" she wondered, then turned. Despite Kanone's orders, she wouldn't just stand by and let the others do the dirty work. Her blue eyes gazed over to a seemlingly abandoned section of shadows. She peered into it, sensing someone there, and slowly approached, "Hey, is someone there?" she called out.

Madoka hesitantly emerged from the darkness she was hidden in, by Kiyotaka's request. Before Ayumu and the others arrived, the older Narumi had told her to hide from sight. He had said it was for her own safety, so that she didn't get caught up in the fighitng, but she could tell he had ulterior motives. Her eyes scanned over Polaris, warily, "Is Kanone here as well?"

Polaris nodded, "Yeah." she moved so Madoka could witness the fighting. She saw the older woman's eyes widen as she watched Kanone once again get the better of Kiyotaka. She rushed towards him, crying out his name. Polaris chased after her, "Hey, hold on!" she yelled. Madoka, however was too lost in seeing Kiyotaka get his ass kicked to hear her yelling.

Ayumu's attention snapped from his conversation with Eyes to the woman running to her husband. His eyes widened considerably as his feet unconsciously moved towards her. Eyes followed behind, glaring at the entire situation. Rio's shaky voice stopped him, "Eyes?" she asked, wondering what was going on.

"If anything is to happen, now is the time." he informed the remaining two Blade Children. Without another word, he followed Ayumu down to where Kanone, Ayumu, Kiyotaka, Polaris, and Madoka were now all standing. The two oldest boys had stopped fighting as Madoka took her stand beside Kiyotaka and Ayumu joined Kanone. The Blade Children all grouped behind Kanone and Ayumu as Kousuke joined the group. The surviving Rebels and Hunters paused, their attention focused on the group. Soon, Kevin, who had managed to survive by some means, remembered Kiyotaka's orders and advanced towards Eyes, motioning to the others. Soon, the Rebels had closed in around the Blade Children and the Narumis.

"Madoka?" Ayumu whispered, brown eyes widening even more, "What's...what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry." she said, avoiding eye contact, "I've made my decision." She risked a glance up at him, "It's not too late, you can still come with us." she offered suddenly, throwing everyone off. Kiyotaka said nothing, but cursed her for giving him the option. He was supposed to fall with the other Blade Children, he was supposed to be dead to her. Then again, he supposed that was never truly meant to be.

Kanone watched Ayumu's movements, and grabbed his hand, encouraging him to stay strong, "Please...don't hesitate." he begged, "Don't leave me. Don't hurt me, Ayumu."

"Make your choice now that you really know the players." Kiyotaka said, forcing him to choose.

Kanone watched the uncertainy in his lover's eyes, and felt a sick feeling swelling up inside him. He saw then that Ayumu was indeed going to make his choice, but it was going to be the wrong one. Ayumu's hand slowly started to slip from his own as the brunette moved towards his brother and sister-in-law, "Don't." he whispered, "Don't leave me."

"I..." Ayumu trailed off, looking from Madoka to Kanone, "I can't..." He shook his head, "I can't do this. I'm sorry, I thought I could, but..."

Kanone nodded, gripping Ayumu's hand tightly, "I understand." he said, swallowing back his tears. He had expected this to happen, had even planned on it. After everything was said and done, Ayumu had betrayed him, hurt him, left him; he had decieved him. A small gasp left Ayumu's mouth as his brown eyes widened in pain more than anything, perhaps a little shock. Tears fell from Kanone's eyes as he pulled the knife from his lover's back and watched him fall to his knees, "I understand perfectly." he whispered, kneeling down in front of Ayumu and placing a kiss on his already-cold lips, "I love you."

Brown eyes started to glaze over as the younger boy's vision blurred, "What..." he managed to gasp out, but instead used his breath for breathing rather than speaking.

"I won't lose you, not to anyone, and especially not to Kiyotaka." Kanone told him. He stood up, and glanced to Eyes, who wore a face of pure shock and horror under his stoic mask. No one would be able to tell, but Kanone could; Eyes hadn't planned on this outcome at all, hadn't even considered the possibility. Kanone turned to leave, whispering a small 'forgive me'.

Of course, with the people he was surrounded by, that wasn't so easy, "You bastard!" came Madoka's shrieking voice, but her shouts soon dissolved into sobs as she leaned into Kiyotaka. The latter stared at his brother's now-lifeless corpse with an emotionless facade. He had meant for Ayumu to be dead to them, and though he hadn't meant it quite so literally, perhaps it was for the best.

"Kanone?" came the next voice, belonging to none other than a very hurt Rio. She looked up at the older Blade Child with watery eyes, "How could you...why..." she couldn't seem to finish any of her sentences, but everyone got her meaning. Kousuke and Ryoko remained silent, each lost in their thoughts of depression and disbelief. How could he have done that? He loved Ayumu, he was unbelievably dedicated to him, so how could he do something like that? Polaris sighed and shook her head. Of course she had known this was going to happen, but it still suprised and saddened her that Kanone had gone through with it. Though, when she really thought about it, it would be very out of character for Kanone to do such a thing as half-ass or not carry out a plan he had spent time and energy, not to mention emotional damage in this case, into scheming. Seeing Ayumu's dead body lying on the ground, though, she couldn't help but have to force back the tears.

Eyes looked up from being memorized by the pool of blood forming at the deceased boy's mouth and saw that Kanone had slipped out and headed who knows where. Of course, once he saw what Kanone had planned, the elder's words became completely sensible. Ayumu meant more than anything to him, and to lose him would have hurt too much, "Protect me by protecting yourself." That had been the promise he had made to Kanone all those years ago. He had wanted nothing more than to protect Kanone, to keep him from hurting. Ayumu leaving him, decieving him, would have brought Kanone too much pain. Eyes, of course, wouldn't have realized that until it was too late. Perhaps that was what Kanone had meant when he said Eyes would try to stop him, because he would have, had he known the older boy's intentions.

He trained his glowing eyes in front of him, silently following his childhood friend to wherever his path might lead. He never let Kanone be aware of his presence, but trailed him nonetheless; watching him, caring for him, protecting him.

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An odd way to end it, I know. I may do a bonus chapter type of thing, sort of a follow up, but I'm not too sure. Either way, I hope you liked the little twist (for those of you who didn't already know, anyway). Umm..not much else to say, I guess. Other than hope you liked the story, and...review!

"I've always tried to guide you. So don't...don't leave me all alone"

The episode thing is kind of pointless now that it's the last chappy and all, but still, if you get it right and make the 10 points, I'll still take the request. I'm pretty much just talking to Red Kitsune Flames here since she has 9 points...I just thought this quote was too appropriate not to put up, even if I have done it before. I'll stop babbling now! Oh, and Polaris, let me know what you want for your prize.