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Those of you who have followed my SoDC7 works from the start know how much love I've given to the super-team from Chiba, the Inazuma Fighters! In my second story featuring the team, "Adopted", I chronicled a nearly fatal night when one of their greatest enemies -- Natasha Setsushi, leader of the Demon gang the Setsushi Annihilators -- damn near killed Fubuki Inazuma and her friends...only the mercy of Soraya Setsushi and the intervention of Shizuna Muto saved our heroes. Unfortunately, this resulted in SERIOUSLY bad blood between the Fighters and the Annihilators ever since for lots of reasons.

Then 's "The Return" happened, and the Annihilators seemed to be wiped out. For different reasons they all pulled through except for Karin Yamazaki, who suffered the most consequences...ever since, Karin has striven to heal so she can atone for her past misdeeds. The former leader of the Annihilators and her most devoted follower, however, are a VERY different story!

If you've read my past tales on the subject, you know Natasha has suffered from major instability since she was born, and I'm talking murderously unstable; hell, she murdered her mom Sasha and framed her dad! Natasha's first and foremost acolyte who was just as dangerous, Haruhi 'Ameryuu' Asagiri, became a hostile live wire (to everybody except for the leader she grew to love) because of a terrible, tragic past. Both Demonesses got better thanks in big part to (of all people!) Barumusu Yuuma before his sister Sae ensured Natasha and Haruhi wouldn't be pinched by the long grip of the law by faking their deaths.

Still, there's MOST personal and unfinished business between those two and Karin, Shizuna and Tasha's sister Soraya. This meeting might close the door on the ghosts of their shared past...hopefully! This is not only for but for . Ko LOVED Natasha, and in order to keep her from getting mad at me, I'm definitely doing my best for her favorite bad girl here!
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"So Close, Too Far Away" -- Part Two of Two!

This story began with a knock at the door...it continued in that way one day later.

A heroic trio of gorgeous females needed a day to prepare and gird themselves. Going to see Natasha and Haruhi uninvited and unexpected was liable to incite unpleasant things considering the history they shared. That didn't change the necessity of going to see those two, and it was for the best the three of them went alone. They did give Enko and her girl Buki and the rest of the Fighters the head's up. Just in case things went really bad, the rest of the team would know where to go.

The trio found the humble home in a quiet suburban area in another part of Honshu. It was a long drive, but not too bad. It was hard to believe the former leader of the Setsushi Annihilators and her most passionately loyal underling could live in such serene settings. Back in the day, they hated the very idea of living the quiet life of a citizen.

But no place could stay quiet for long...one of the three ladies knocked on the door. It took a moment, but the door quickly opened and at first, Haruhi Asagiri appeared annoyed as hell...but then her face might as well have turned blank with total surprise when she saw Soraya Setsushi; on Raya's right side was Karin Yamazaki, and on the girl's left was Shizuna Muto. Haruhi took in the sight of the three of them and said quietly, "Oh, fuck me."

Soraya kept her expression as neutral as her voice when she responded, "You were never my type, Haruhi. Sorry!"

The initial shock wore off FAST and the combustible Haruhi began to slip into full tilt panic -- she looked indoors and screamed, "TASHA!"

Karin immediately snarled, "Calm down, dammit!" Haruhi looked at Karin with a nearly comical expression. The blonde wasn't in the mood to laugh as she growled, "Gods, you're still a live wire. I thought you got better!"

Haruhi's voice was thick with anxiety as she moaned, "I don't know how the fuck I'm doing right now -- !"

Shizuna said with a motherly tone, "Calm down, girl. It's just the three of us paying you a visit. No one else came with us -- !"

Shizu had to pause as Natasha Setsushi appeared to stand alongside Haruhi at the door. Yeah, the hard Demoness was extremely preggers, at least a couple of months away from having her baby. Tasha's reaction was much more subdued than Haruhi's as she said mildly, "I'll be damned. I never thought I'd see any of you again."

Karin stared at her and said dryly, "Keep telling us how much you care, Tasha. Oh, wait. You never gave a shit."

Tasha ignored that and fixed hard on her younger sister and Shizu. She asked with quiet hostility, "Are you here to arrest us? Where are the rest of the Fighters?"

Yeah, the three of them pretty much expected this reaction. Shizuna told the former gang leader, "They're not here, Natasha. We came to talk to you. That's all."

"About what?"

Raya answered that and told her elder sister: "About the future and the welfare of your unborn son. Nothing much!"

For a long, tense moment, Tasha stared at the trio. Finally, she relaxed a little and said to her companion, "They can come in, Haruhi." She turned and moved back inside. (But not easily, considering her condition.) Grudgingly, Haruhi followed Tasha as she left the door open. The heroic trio entered after her and closed the door behind them. In the humble living room, Tasha moved to a big and comfortable sofa as she said, "Excuse me if I'm having trouble getting around these days!"

Karin and Shizu bracketed Raya protectively as they walked deeper into the room...Haruhi took a position not far from Tasha. You could damn well feel the anxious energy thrumming from her. In comparison, Shizu was relaxed as she said to the former gang leader, "I've been pregnant too, Tasha. If you want to curb the late night munchies, try sushi with a heap of peanut butter and olives. Worked wonders for my mood, too."

Karin smiled a bit and recalled, "When I was pregnant, I couldn't get enough of salmon roe drowned in soy sauce. With plenty of sweet whipped cream on top of it all."

Shizu purred, "Nice."

Seated on the couch, Tasha offered mildly, "I prefer strawberry ice cream with a shitload of seaweed."

Shizu shrugged. "That sounds tasty, too -- !"

Haruhi suddenly snapped, "Why the holy fuck are we talking about bullshit like this?!"

Tasha commanded, "Easy, Haruhi. This is awkward as sin for all of us." She gazed at the visitors. "Can't just jump in without knowing how cold the water's going to be, right?"

Karin said quietly, "That depends on you and Miss Live Wire here."

In spite of her hostile mood, Haruhi told the blonde, "I thought you were dead, Karin. You're looking good."

"Thanks." The lady who was once the Annihilator Kurono then gave a hard look at Natasha. "Not so long ago, I was a lot worse."

Haruhi frowned. "You blame Tasha for that?"

Karin didn't stop staring at Tasha. She said, "If it wasn't for you and the Annihilators, my late asshole husband would have killed me. Still. You used me and you wanted Soraya dead. You'll understand if I have a fuckton of mixed emotion at the moment." The lady softened only a little as she gave Raya a glance. "Just imagine how your sister feels."

One could HARDLY imagine how Soraya felt from the elemental expression of emotion on her lovely face. Tasha stared back, and it seemed like she was as cold as a rock. Well, it seemed that way from the look of it.

"You know what?" Shizuna had her own hard feelings about a lot as she slowly sat on the armrest of an easy chair not far away. This mother's posture was casual. The look in her eyes was anything but as she said, "Let's jump right in and get it over with! After everything you two have done, Tasha, we would have had every reason in the world to come visit you with the rest of the Inazuma Fighters and a lot of cops. Most would say going to prison is your due at the least! Others might disagree." She smiled a bit as she glanced at Haruhi and finished with a wry tone, "I don't doubt you two would!"

Tasha was giving a level, quietly deadly stare to Shizu as she told the lady, "It's a good thing you didn't bring the rest of your friends. Property damage and loss of lives I couldn't give a damn about weren't in my plans today."

Karin was tempted to laugh, but didn't as she commented, "Still the hard-ass bitch?"

Tasha fired back at the blonde, "The hardest, Kurono."

Karin growled, "That name is dead, and so are the Annihilators! But I have gotten better since. And I'll keep getting better."

Haruhi began to realize something and she snapped at Karin: "Don't tell me you wanna be a fucking citizen like those two!?"

Karin grinned and said, "Oh, girl. If you hate the idea, then I know I'm doing something right!"

As Haruhi seethed at Karin, Raya couldn't stop frowning. Shizu kept herself light as she told Tasha, "You and Haruhi look like a nice and normal suburban couple, by the way."

Tasha remarked, "I've always hated normal, or I should say the Human definition of it."

Shizu said quietly, "Wow, that's bigoted."

"I've only given as much as this fucking world has given the likes of us. Yes, I'm including you, Shizu. Even if you're only half-Demon."

Shizu almost let herself laugh then, but she didn't. "Keep it up, honey. You won't change our minds about wanting to have a polite talk."

With incendiary anger, Haruhi burst at Shizuna, "You're the only one who wants that, you piece of shit traitor!"

Shizu sighed. "Still can't get over that, huh?"

Haruhi then gave a firey stare at Raya and began to snarl at her, "You fucking turned on us too, you worthless little -- !"

BIG mistake, because Karin suddenly began to move to Haruhi as she shouted loudly, "SAY ONE MORE WORD, DAMMIT!" With surprise, Haruhi watched the blonde roll up to her. Karin stopped a few feet away, but it still felt too damn close as she pointed at Tasha and said with emotion, "I lost a lot more than you know because THAT selfish bitch had our gang serve her sugar daddy Barumusu Yuuma!" Karin's eyes were bright with divine anger and she was ready for a fight, even though she still needed more time to fully renew her pure combat prowess. The blonde stared right into Haruhi's SOUL and declared, "I can still kick ass if I want to, and you'd better believe that if you insult Raya, I will fuck you up!" Not far away, Shizu quickly stood ramrod straight...shit, she had a bad feeling this would go wrong for so many reasons -- !

Then Soraya cried, "Karin, it's all right!" The girl protectingly, lovingly held one of Karin's shoulders in one of her slender hands. Her face turned to everyone in the room as she said, "Please calm down! We just wanted to talk!" Raya finally looked at her elder sister and implored, "Can't we at least TRY!?!"

Karin kept giving a hot glare to Haruhi as she asked quietly, "Or will a simple conversation get in the way of your damned day?"

For a long moment, it was uncomfortably silent...the only one who didn't seem to be visibly upset and emotional was Natasha Setsushi as she sat on the couch. She hadn't even moved an inch. Finally, the Demoness said quietly, "The only one I feel the need to talk to is Soraya. The rest of you can go outside. You too, Haruhi."

Haruhi immediately asked, "You sure?"

"Yes."

Karin gently took Raya's hand from her shoulder and kissed it...Raya smiled at the blonde with total fondness. Karin then said to Haruhi, "You heard her. C'mon outside. Be a good little sycophant and let your mistress and her sister talk."

Haruhi snapped hard at Karin, "Fuck you!" Still, she moved past the lady, Raya and Shizu and went out the front door.

Karin and Shizu began to follow her out...Karin couldn't help but comment, "Haruhi's charming as ever."

Shizu said, "Some things will never change." The ladies left, but both spared a concerned look at Raya before they closed the door behind them. They didn't want to leave Raya alone, but for her, this was most personal of all.

For the first time in too long, these sisters were alone with each other. The last time they had been together was the worst night of Soraya's life. It was the night she helped her sister ambush the Inazuma Fighters. Natasha wanted to kill them all as they laid helpless. Raya wanted to show them mercy. But her unstable older sister reacted violently by trying to kill Raya...and before she did, Tasha confessed to murdering their mother and framing their father for the crime. He had died in prison. Raya would have died at Tasha's hands if it wasn't for Shizuna Muto.

Soraya Setsushi thought back about that night and so much more she had to regret in her once-darksome life...she said to her elder sister, "So much has changed, Tasha. We both have."

Natasha Setsushi nodded and responded, "Yes. You once believed in our gang."

"No. I believed in you and me and our parents. I believed in and loved our family. One thing that hasn't changed is the fact you're my sister." Raya took a comfortable chair across from Tasha's position, with nothing but a dining room table between them. At first, all of Raya's emotions showed in her posture as she sat there and she said thickly, "The night you betrayed me, after you told me what you did to mom and dad...after you tried to kill me...I swore revenge against you."

Tasha observed, "You never followed through. You could now."

"But I won't. I don't hate you. I did change. I've grown since then." Raya's expression flooded with increased emotion -- regret, anger and pain, and so much more -- all of it justifiable. "I wanted to know if it was possible to forgive you...I needed to know if we could be family again, but...but now...being here in the same room with you now, I...! I..."

Natasha said, "You want to call the police on my ass just as badly."

With a quiet fire in her eyes, Raya responded flatly, "You cannot tell me I'm not justified feeling that fucking way."

Tasha nodded slowly. The hard former leader finally began to develop emotion on her own face...quietly toxic emotion. "I'd be the last one to blame you for that, Raya...but if you had, I would not have gone quietly."

Raya gathered herself, and managed to sit back in her chair. For a long moment, she regarded the sister she once hated. The beauty tried to relax as she said, "Karin and Shizuna know you destroyed our parents, too."

"You told them, huh? I sure can't blame you for that."

"Actually, they figured it out without help. Shizu left the gang because she suspected you killed our mom."

Tasha's brow furrowed. "That's why she left??"

"It was one of many good reasons. And Karin never, ever bought into your crap about me betraying the Annihilators when I joined Shizu."

"Why?"

Raya's face expressed her adoration for the one she spoke of. "Because that lady always believed in me, and I'll love her forever for that. You never did give them both enough credit."

Tasha's expression hardened again. "I don't have to give anyone a thing."

"Okay. Wrong choice of words. Maybe you never respected them enough to imagine they'd see through your lies. Most everyone else did. I did, and then you tried to kill me."

"And you'd want to forgive me? I'd call you a damn fool, but..." Her voice trailed off. The hard woman's expression...faltered.

Raya quietly urged, "Say it, nee-chan."

Tasha was totally surprised. "Fuck, you haven't called me that for...f-forever."

Raya's lovely form stayed relaxed, but her expression turned hard then. "My forgiveness is dependent mainly on you, Natasha. I'd forgive you if you really have gotten better, at least in some way, like Karin told me. When you murdered our mother and framed father and let him die in prison, I know you weren't in your right mind -- !"

Tasha's expression was sullen when she interrupted: "If I was in my right mind, I would've found a better way to make a break from our useless fucking parents! Gods, you loved them both so much, but they weren't worth your damned love! They were so fucking selfish, they couldn't have cared less about the both of us!"

Raya wasn't relaxed in any way anymore. She cried back, "They were still our PARENTS, Natasha! I still saw so much good in them, I saw everything they could be, and I prayed they'd finally get over themselves and really be our mom and dad one day! But you never even gave them the chance, you judged them and then murdered them!" Her lips trembled as she demanded, "And all because they didn't love you ENOUGH!?"

Tasha sat forward a bit and barked, "They owed us both more than what they gave to us, Raya! They -- !" The elder sister stopped herself. The silence was so loud as they stared at each other. Finally, Tasha sat back in her seat again. Her expression became so weary then. She finally began to lower her defenses...

...and Raya could really get a hint for how much pain her older sister had kept hidden within herself up to now. Tasha was one helluva actress, usually for her own selfish gain. But any act and pretense, any possible front she could have put up was nonexistent as there was an earth-shaking level of regret in her eyes. Tasha couldn't even look at Raya as she said much, much more quietly, "Gods dammit all, they didn't owe us their lives. I do know that now. I know I wasn't in my right mind then, and I know how wrong I was to kill them...and to hurt you.

"You said your forgiveness depends on me?" Tasha issued a short, dark and bitter laugh. She finally managed to look at her younger sister again, but it was so hard for the former gang leader to keep her eyes fixed on Raya's. "I am in my right mind now, my head's never been clearer...even with the fucking back pain and all the damned ice cream I need to eat and everything! Would you believe that I can't forgive myself for all the things I've done?"

Raya answered gently, "Yes, I can. Actually, I was afraid you felt that way. Karin and Shizu were worried about you, too.

"Yes, Karin was worried about you, and she just said she knows how much you used her." Raya tried to fight the divine anger she felt simply knowing that. "I begged you to help her because it was the right thing to do. But then you preyed on Karin's anger and hoplessness and made her into an Annihilator. And it was all for you and your hate for this world and everyone who isn't a Demon."

Tasha snapped with a bleak tone, "Everyone else hates Demons like us. Even those like you and me and Karin who can pass for Human can only get so far, and why? Because it's the way everybody ELSE wants things to be. And I've wanted to simply give as much shit as I've been forced to eat in my damned life."

Raya asked, "Didn't you say we don't have to give anyone a thing? Gods, that hasn't changed at all about you, has it? You still have so much anger and hate in you..."

"And you ought to understand why better than anyone. Karin should understand, too. But I will NEVER understand why you two would want to be citizens and get along with the rest of this worthless world."

Raya's expression became as serious and solemn as her voice. "Because we know something you refuse to figure out...anger and hate solve absolutely nothing. Take a look at what happened to the Annihilators."

Tasha frowned. "We were brought down because of that cocksucker Ryo Oe and his cyberslut wife -- !"

Raya suddenly declared, "No, it was because your gang went on a sinful path, and your sins caught up with you. Negative actions bring negative consequences. But me and Karin know that life is meant for positive things, not hate and sin and all of the ugly shit you used to revel in. Me and Karin want to love. To hope. We want to believe in better things just like everyone else. We've talked about virtues and how we need to believe in them in this life and the next. We need to believe in them for the sake of the future."

Hard as stone, Tasha asked, "The future, Raya? Who's future? Yours? Karin's? Shizu's? Maybe for your friends or for all the assholes in our corner of the universe you're so dead-set on saving?"

With an appealing tone, Raya qualified, "I'm talking about our future. Yours, mine, and your baby's! I'm here because I'm worried about my NEPHEW!"

That was when Tasha started to get visibly hostile...she growled, "You honestly fucking think -- !"

"I don't know WHAT to think when it comes to you! You're my sister, but I can't forget all of the things you've done! All the pain and betrayal -- !"

"We're talking about my gods-damned son, Raya. I would rip my own guts out before I ever hurt him."

Raya challenged thickly, "You'd love him unconditonally, right? You'd never judge him for not loving you enough?! It wouldn't take one little fucking thing to make you spin out and betray him in the same way you betrayed the rest of your family!?!"

Tasha yelled, "I've gotten better!"

"In some ways, you have. But in others, you clearly haven't changed at all. You're still so angry and hateful. I haven't even heard you say you're sorry for what you've done. You haven't said anything about wanting to make amends for all of your wrongs -- gods, you could show me in some way you're -- !" Raya quickly slammed the brakes before she finished that sentence. She was going to say human, but she knew Tasha wouldn't have taken that well.

Instead, Raya said with a much softer and needful tone, "You could show me you have a heart."

There was renewed pain in Tasha's face...toxic amounts of it. She growled, "I can't forget all the things I've done either, Raya. I told you I can't forgive myself for what I did to our parents and to you."

Raya asked desperately, "Then what good will MY forgiveness do?!?"

Tasha declared with force, "Your forgiveness won't mean a damn thing!" Another uncomfortable moment of quiet, and Tasha shook her head. "You don't get it, Raya. You and Karin and Shizu, you believe in morality and life and love and frigging hope. You believe in shit, so you don't see this world for what it really is. I have gotten better, and I've had a lot to think about ever since I lost the Annihilators.

"We are Demons. Ever since the day the likes of us are born on Earth, this fucking world has never been ours, and maybe we were never meant to be a part of it. Humans out there only see the very worst in us -- !"

With high emotion, Raya tried to appeal, "For the Heavens' sakes, only SOME do -- !"

Tasha demanded hotly, "And who are they, Raya?! Too fucking many of them are the ones in power, they're the ones who decide how society should be and how citizens should act! They decide how everyone should see who is good and who is evil! These are the same assholes who say there's some kind of meaning to life and that everyone has value! But what do Humans do without fuckin' fail if someone disagrees with them, or better yet they decide they want something a lot more valuable than someone else's life!?!

"They eat each other up in the name of making their religion stronger or to get ahold of territory or fucking fuel or whatever else they'd want more than they value their morality!

"That's how Humans are and that's how they've always been. All you have to do is open a history book to see how meaningless morality and hope and life itself on this Earth has been and will continue to be as long as Humans are in charge. These are the same fuckers who hate Demons like us because they write us off as unholy monsters by default."

Raya sat forward and stabbed a finger at Tasha as she yelled, "Maybe it would help a little if you didn't meet that stereotype, Natasha! You led a criminal gang that subsisted on sin! I know you weren't in your right mind then, but you must be able to see you didn't help yourself, me, Karin, and the rest of us in ANY DAMN WAY! Look at how hard the Setsushi Annihilators fell, Natasha."

Completely resistant, Natasha repeated, "That was the Oes' fucking fault, not mine or anyone else's."

"So you're not going to take any responsibility for the shitty choices you made before that??"

"You said it yourself. I wasn't right in my head then. And now that I am -- !"

Raya interrupted, "Now you must be able to see how wrong you were. The only way things will get better is if people like us and ordinary Humans learned from each other and understood we're not so different. Then that would change the way SOME Humans see us! That's what I believe in! They are not all the same, Natasha, in the exact same way not all Demons are unholy!

"But you can't see that. You have gotten better, and yet you haven't. You think this world is so hateful, and all you can do is hate right back."

Unyielding as stone, Tasha said, "If it wasn't for all the Human bullshit that kept our mom Sasha down and made her create the Annihilators, things would be different. Things would be better. But they never will be better...I know there's no meaning to life and all of the stuff you want to believe in as long as we have to deal with Humans!"

Raya's eyes narrowed. "If you really feel that way, why bring your son into this world at all? You want to give up on everyone else, call everything meaningless? You really think that hope and love and everything I know makes life worth living doesn't exist?? And all because you're too damned bigoted to think differently???

"What's stopping you from leaving this world? Why not pull the plug?!" Raya finally screamed, "WHY NOT KILL YOURSELF AND YOUR UNBORN SON SO YOU CAN SPARE HIM THE BULLSHIT!?!"

Tasha sat bolt upright in spite of her condition and roared back, "YOU DON'T FUCKING DARE SAY THAT SHIT TO ME!!! I WILL BRING MY SON INTO THIS WORLD IN SPITE OF EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING ELSE!"

Raya was on the verge of shaking as she asked, "What kind of life will he have if you raise him to believe in nothing? To be angry, bitter, and hate for hate's sake? You saw where that took you and your fellow Annihilators before, and you and your son were blessed to endure that. Do you want history to repeat for him?! If you really want to bring him into this world, then if you have a heart at all, that's the last thing you should want.

"If you are in your right mind, then you know you can't be fit to be his mother."

The next moments were beyond uncomfortable as the siblings glared at each other. They were sisters, yet so different. Tragically different.

Tasha was virtually smoldering in her seat as she stared at Raya...and she finally said, "I may be his mother, but I never said I was going to raise him."

The quiet was so loud then. Raya could only look at her older sister with surprise. Tasha then angrily began to move to get up from the sofa, but given her condition it was damned hard. Raya quickly rose from her seat to help Tasha, but the former gang leader held up a hand in a stopping gesture as she glared quietly. She didn't want any help, and it took a moment to rise to stand. Tasha needed another moment to settle herself as her hands gently rested upon her swollen belly...Raya could only look at her as she waited.

Tasha finally said as she looked down upon her unborn child, "I meant it when I said I can't forgive myself, Raya. Nothing I do will ever balance the scales when it comes to what I did to you and our parents. And I know better than you I'm not fit to be this boy's mother in any way. Right after he's born, I..."

Raya asked quietly, "What?"

"The very thought of it is tearing my heart out." She gave her little sister a sullen look. "Yes, I do have a heart, Raya. I...I'm going to give him up. Someone else will raise my boy, not me and Haruhi. The two of us already talked about it. We know better than anyone that neither of us would be fit to raise a child."

Soraya almost whispered, "Yeah." She remembered Haruhi's terrible past with her own family...she lost her father, and then her terrible mother did some of the most nightmarish things to Haruhi before she escaped her home long ago. Undoubtedly when it came to the girl formerly known as Ameryuu, she might simply have been afraid she'd be even worse than her mom. Raya asked, "Who will raise him? Do you even know...?"

Tasha thought of Barumusu Yuuma...he was the asshole who got her pregnant in the first place, after all! But that Prime Demon never gave that much of a shit about her, so she was still on the fence whether it came to having her boy be put in the custody of his dad, the CEO of Sakamoto Pharmaceuticals. Tasha kept that knowledge to herself as she said honestly, "I haven't decided yet, but I do know I'm not giving him to you. It's not out of spite or hate or anything personal, Raya. But my son doesn't need to be raised to believe in shit.

"After that...I honestly don't know what me and Haruhi will do next." Tasha looked into space thoughtfully. "We'll be together. Maybe that'll be enough. And if it isn't..."

Raya asked slowly, "If it isn't...?"

Tasha's brow furrowed, and the belligerency within her eyes was primal. "Maybe I can still do something in spite of all the Humans out there...at least I can show 'em I hate them just as much as they hate me."

For a long moment, Raya was silent...and then she said, "You can't mean that." Raya took a couple of slow steps closer to Tasha as her emotions and her voice rose: "If...i-if you do, then you really haven't learned anything. If you do, then I hope to all of the gods my nephew will be as far away from you as possible -- !"

Raya finally pleaded from her soul: "Please, Natasha! Tell me you can't mean that!"

Tasha looked into Raya's eyes and said with a voice devoid of hope: "Nothing has meaning for me, Raya. I'm sorry -- "

Raya interrupted fiercely, "No! No, don't you say you're sorry when you're not. You are my sister and I prayed with all of my heart that somehow, some way, we could be family again. That I could -- !"

Tasha asked, "Help me? The same way you and your friends help every-fucking-body else?"

"Because I care about what might happen to you and Haruhi and your son, Natasha!"

Tasha's dark eyes narrowed. "You want to save me. In spite of everything I've done." The Demoness almost issued a bitter laugh. "If you were anybody else, I'd call you one arrogant little bitch. But that's not it. You've always been too damn kind, Raya."

Raya said matter-of-factly, "And you hardly ever were. You let yourself get so selfish and full of yourself. Just like our parents."

Tasha snapped, "Oh, that's fucking insulting."

The girl in green shrugged slowly. "I'm sorry if the truth hurts. Your condition before simply made matters so terribly worse. You are better now...but only in some ways."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

Raya almost flinched. "I told you not to say you're sorry when you're not. THAT'S insulting. I'd ask if Haruhi agrees with you, but I'm sure she does! That girl devoted herself body and soul to you a long time ago. You say jump, she says 'How high?' Anything you feel, she feels just as strongly."

Natasha's expression finally softened, but only a little, for the first time. "And I love her for that, Soraya."

Raya nodded solemnly. There was a lot about her elder sister that was complex, even her sexuality. Natasha swung both to males and females, often depending on the moment, and even more often to her benefit. Two of the more recent men she slept with were Barumusu and the former Annihilator Setsugekka. But even then, especially to Soraya, it became clear that Haruhi Asagiri might have been the one person on the planet Tasha was capable of loving...and that love was reciprocated by the girl once known as Ameryuu with the most zealous and desperate need.

Soraya finally told Tasha, "If you really love Haruhi, then at least think about her. Think about her future."

Defiant, Tasha said, "Her future will be with me, no matter what happens. You can't change that, either."

Raya moaned, "Gods damn it, Natasha...!"

Tasha looked away from her younger sibling. "You can't save everyone, little sister."

"Because you don't want to be saved."

"And I told you why. You may be ready to forgive me...but I will never forgive myself." A moment of introspective silence...and Tasha finally asked, "Have you ever thought that maybe this was the way things were meant to be?"

Raya gazed at her sister with redoubled sadness...and her voice was quiet and choked with regret as she answered. "I couldn't. I'm not a fatalist or a nihilist. And I am absolutely sorry you are. I was hoping for so much more, but...

"...but the truth hurts." Raya looked away for a brief moment as she fought hard to hold back tears. She never saw Tasha look to her with a terrible sadness of her own. The elder sister began to open her mouth to say something else. But. She stayed silent. The former gang leader had emotional baggage heavy enough to compress a semi-tractor.

Raya said quietly, "I don't know where you and Haruhi are going from here, but you ought to know that someone told us where to find you."

Raya heard Tasha respond curtly, "No shit." She looked at the elder sister, who's face was hard as stone again. Tasha said, "I figured you weren't smart enough to find me yourself. Will someone else be coming for us?"

Raya answered, "No. The person who told us where to find you said that you and Haruhi earned your freedom for stopping the Oes. I'm not sure what kind of authority she has, but she knows a lot of things. She did say that others are worried about you. I can take a guess that she or somebody else will keep watching you. If you and Haruhi try to do anything criminal and hateful in the future, they'll know...and they'll do something about it."

Tasha frowned hard as she really thought about that. She did NOT like the idea that others knew where to find her. She'd have to remedy that, if it was even possible to. The elder sister finally said, "I appreciate the warning, Raya."

Raya nodded. "You also ought to know I'm going to retire from the Inazuma Fighters. For my health. You're one of the few I've told this."

Tasha frowned again. "Then you'll finally stop sticking your fool neck out for everyone else?"

Raya shrugged. "If possible. But I need to give you another warning. If you're going to keep letting yourself be motivated by hate, whatever you do in the future..." Raya's eyes hardened, and not for the first time, Tasha got a glimpse of the true warrior in her younger sister as she finished, "...you will not ever threaten anyone I love. You're my sister, but being family only goes so far.

"So I will be hoping for you and Haruhi. And I hope I'll never see you again." Raya began to turn, but stopped herself. She asked, "Do you have anything to say to Karin and Shizuna?"

A long beat of thought, and Tasha answered, "No. I'm okay with the three of you being citizens, but..." She looked away one more time. "I'd rather not see them again. And it would be best if you left now, Raya. I'm sure we said all we needed to say to each other, right?"

Raya knew with great sadness her older sister couldn't have been more wrong...but she also knew it was literally pointless to try to say anything else. Those who didn't want help, those who didn't want to be saved...couldn't be. Raya finally said, "I hope you did listen to what I told you, Natasha." Another unsure, tortured moment. Finally, the girl said, "Goodbye." Raya turned away from her pregnant elder sister. Moved to the door. Reached out to the knob.

And Raya's entire being paused when she touched the knob.

She didn't see Tasha look to her again. The older sister was so tempted to say something else. But. She stayed silent.

Raya needed another few beats to gather her strength and accept what she couldn't change...not for the first time, the girl wished with all her heart things had been different...and she wished most of all she could help Natasha Setsushi. But she couldn't. Raya opened the door, walked out, and gently closed it behind her.

Outside in the holy light of the Sun, she saw Haruhi staring with quiet aggression at Karin and Shizuna. There was considerable yet uncomfortable distance between Haruhi and the pair. Raya moved to Karin and Shizuna and told them with a quiet tone, "My sister wants us to leave now."

Karin was watching Haruhi like a hawk as Shizu asked doubtfully, "There's nothing we can say to her?"

Raya shook her head. "Nothing I haven't told her already." She looked to the live wire and told her, "We're going, Haruhi."

Haruhi aggressively stepped up to Raya and snarled, "Fucking finally. I never want to see your asses again -- !"

Raya stood her ground, and easily, in spite of Haruhi's heat. She said with a quiet fire of her own, "If you really mean that, you won't. But don't ever give us a reason to come looking for you again. I already warned Natasha. You'd better be listening, too." Haruhi opened her mouth to say something else...but the expression in Raya's lovely face made her think twice. Without another word, Haruhi blinked, turned and went back inside to join Tasha.

The three extraordinary females who wanted to live in the bright light of hope began praying this was the last time they'd ever see Tasha and Haruhi again. Soraya Setsushi found her warrior's strength to truly smile and hope for the future, and she hoped this would close the door on her troubled past, as well. Raya said to Karin and Shizuna, "Let's get out of here."

With love, they both took the girl's hands...and the three beauties departed together.

The End
---
All I can say is hope for the best, my friends...this MAY be the last time you'll see Natasha and Haruhi, but you never know!

Up next, and finally, I'll be cooking up the next episode of Makai Toshi Taimashi for !

Giving credit where it's due!
XNALara created by Dusan Pavlicek; XPS by Dusan and XNAaraL

Models:
From left to right -- Natasha Setsushi and Haruhi Asagiri by their creator, !

Description
Those of you who have followed my SoDC7 works from the start know how much love I've given to the super-team from Chiba, the Inazuma Fighters! In my second story featuring the team, "Adopted", I chronicled a nearly fatal night when one of their greatest enemies -- Natasha Setsushi, leader of the Demon gang the Setsushi Annihilators -- damn near killed Fubuki Inazuma and her friends...only the mercy of Soraya Setsushi and the intervention of Shizuna Muto saved our heroes. Unfortunately, this resulted in SERIOUSLY bad blood between the Fighters and the Annihilators ever since for lots of reasons.

Then 's "The Return" happened, and the Annihilators seemed to be wiped out. For different reasons they all pulled through except for Karin Yamazaki, who suffered the most consequences...ever since, Karin has striven to heal so she can atone for her past misdeeds. The former leader of the Annihilators and her most devoted follower, however, are a VERY different story!

If you've read my past tales on the subject, you know Natasha has suffered from major instability since she was born, and I'm talking murderously unstable; hell, she murdered her mom Sasha and framed her dad! Natasha's first and foremost acolyte who was just as dangerous, Haruhi 'Ameryuu' Asagiri, became a hostile live wire (to everybody except for the leader she grew to love) because of a terrible, tragic past. Both Demonesses got better thanks in big part to (of all people!) Barumusu Yuuma before his sister Sae ensured Natasha and Haruhi wouldn't be pinched by the long grip of the law by faking their deaths.

Still, there's MOST personal and unfinished business between those two and Karin, Shizuna and Tasha's sister Soraya. This meeting might close the door on the ghosts of their shared past...hopefully! This is not only for but for . Ko LOVED Natasha, and in order to keep her from getting mad at me, I'm definitely doing my best for her favorite bad girl here!
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"So Close, Too Far Away" -- Part Two of Two!

This story began with a knock at the door...it continued in that way one day later.

A heroic trio of gorgeous females needed a day to prepare and gird themselves. Going to see Natasha and Haruhi uninvited and unexpected was liable to incite unpleasant things considering the history they shared. That didn't change the necessity of going to see those two, and it was for the best the three of them went alone. They did give Enko and her girl Buki and the rest of the Fighters the head's up. Just in case things went really bad, the rest of the team would know where to go.

The trio found the humble home in a quiet suburban area in another part of Honshu. It was a long drive, but not too bad. It was hard to believe the former leader of the Setsushi Annihilators and her most passionately loyal underling could live in such serene settings. Back in the day, they hated the very idea of living the quiet life of a citizen.

But no place could stay quiet for long...one of the three ladies knocked on the door. It took a moment, but the door quickly opened and at first, Haruhi Asagiri appeared annoyed as hell...but then her face might as well have turned blank with total surprise when she saw Soraya Setsushi; on Raya's right side was Karin Yamazaki, and on the girl's left was Shizuna Muto. Haruhi took in the sight of the three of them and said quietly, "Oh, fuck me."

Soraya kept her expression as neutral as her voice when she responded, "You were never my type, Haruhi. Sorry!"

The initial shock wore off FAST and the combustible Haruhi began to slip into full tilt panic -- she looked indoors and screamed, "TASHA!"

Karin immediately snarled, "Calm down, dammit!" Haruhi looked at Karin with a nearly comical expression. The blonde wasn't in the mood to laugh as she growled, "Gods, you're still a live wire. I thought you got better!"

Haruhi's voice was thick with anxiety as she moaned, "I don't know how the fuck I'm doing right now -- !"

Shizuna said with a motherly tone, "Calm down, girl. It's just the three of us paying you a visit. No one else came with us -- !"

Shizu had to pause as Natasha Setsushi appeared to stand alongside Haruhi at the door. Yeah, the hard Demoness was extremely preggers, at least a couple of months away from having her baby. Tasha's reaction was much more subdued than Haruhi's as she said mildly, "I'll be damned. I never thought I'd see any of you again."

Karin stared at her and said dryly, "Keep telling us how much you care, Tasha. Oh, wait. You never gave a shit."

Tasha ignored that and fixed hard on her younger sister and Shizu. She asked with quiet hostility, "Are you here to arrest us? Where are the rest of the Fighters?"

Yeah, the three of them pretty much expected this reaction. Shizuna told the former gang leader, "They're not here, Natasha. We came to talk to you. That's all."

"About what?"

Raya answered that and told her elder sister: "About the future and the welfare of your unborn son. Nothing much!"

For a long, tense moment, Tasha stared at the trio. Finally, she relaxed a little and said to her companion, "They can come in, Haruhi." She turned and moved back inside. (But not easily, considering her condition.) Grudgingly, Haruhi followed Tasha as she left the door open. The heroic trio entered after her and closed the door behind them. In the humble living room, Tasha moved to a big and comfortable sofa as she said, "Excuse me if I'm having trouble getting around these days!"

Karin and Shizu bracketed Raya protectively as they walked deeper into the room...Haruhi took a position not far from Tasha. You could damn well feel the anxious energy thrumming from her. In comparison, Shizu was relaxed as she said to the former gang leader, "I've been pregnant too, Tasha. If you want to curb the late night munchies, try sushi with a heap of peanut butter and olives. Worked wonders for my mood, too."

Karin smiled a bit and recalled, "When I was pregnant, I couldn't get enough of salmon roe drowned in soy sauce. With plenty of sweet whipped cream on top of it all."

Shizu purred, "Nice."

Seated on the couch, Tasha offered mildly, "I prefer strawberry ice cream with a shitload of seaweed."

Shizu shrugged. "That sounds tasty, too -- !"

Haruhi suddenly snapped, "Why the holy fuck are we talking about bullshit like this?!"

Tasha commanded, "Easy, Haruhi. This is awkward as sin for all of us." She gazed at the visitors. "Can't just jump in without knowing how cold the water's going to be, right?"

Karin said quietly, "That depends on you and Miss Live Wire here."

In spite of her hostile mood, Haruhi told the blonde, "I thought you were dead, Karin. You're looking good."

"Thanks." The lady who was once the Annihilator Kurono then gave a hard look at Natasha. "Not so long ago, I was a lot worse."

Haruhi frowned. "You blame Tasha for that?"

Karin didn't stop staring at Tasha. She said, "If it wasn't for you and the Annihilators, my late asshole husband would have killed me. Still. You used me and you wanted Soraya dead. You'll understand if I have a fuckton of mixed emotion at the moment." The lady softened only a little as she gave Raya a glance. "Just imagine how your sister feels."

One could HARDLY imagine how Soraya felt from the elemental expression of emotion on her lovely face. Tasha stared back, and it seemed like she was as cold as a rock. Well, it seemed that way from the look of it.

"You know what?" Shizuna had her own hard feelings about a lot as she slowly sat on the armrest of an easy chair not far away. This mother's posture was casual. The look in her eyes was anything but as she said, "Let's jump right in and get it over with! After everything you two have done, Tasha, we would have had every reason in the world to come visit you with the rest of the Inazuma Fighters and a lot of cops. Most would say going to prison is your due at the least! Others might disagree." She smiled a bit as she glanced at Haruhi and finished with a wry tone, "I don't doubt you two would!"

Tasha was giving a level, quietly deadly stare to Shizu as she told the lady, "It's a good thing you didn't bring the rest of your friends. Property damage and loss of lives I couldn't give a damn about weren't in my plans today."

Karin was tempted to laugh, but didn't as she commented, "Still the hard-ass bitch?"

Tasha fired back at the blonde, "The hardest, Kurono."

Karin growled, "That name is dead, and so are the Annihilators! But I have gotten better since. And I'll keep getting better."

Haruhi began to realize something and she snapped at Karin: "Don't tell me you wanna be a fucking citizen like those two!?"

Karin grinned and said, "Oh, girl. If you hate the idea, then I know I'm doing something right!"

As Haruhi seethed at Karin, Raya couldn't stop frowning. Shizu kept herself light as she told Tasha, "You and Haruhi look like a nice and normal suburban couple, by the way."

Tasha remarked, "I've always hated normal, or I should say the Human definition of it."

Shizu said quietly, "Wow, that's bigoted."

"I've only given as much as this fucking world has given the likes of us. Yes, I'm including you, Shizu. Even if you're only half-Demon."

Shizu almost let herself laugh then, but she didn't. "Keep it up, honey. You won't change our minds about wanting to have a polite talk."

With incendiary anger, Haruhi burst at Shizuna, "You're the only one who wants that, you piece of shit traitor!"

Shizu sighed. "Still can't get over that, huh?"

Haruhi then gave a firey stare at Raya and began to snarl at her, "You fucking turned on us too, you worthless little -- !"

BIG mistake, because Karin suddenly began to move to Haruhi as she shouted loudly, "SAY ONE MORE WORD, DAMMIT!" With surprise, Haruhi watched the blonde roll up to her. Karin stopped a few feet away, but it still felt too damn close as she pointed at Tasha and said with emotion, "I lost a lot more than you know because THAT selfish bitch had our gang serve her sugar daddy Barumusu Yuuma!" Karin's eyes were bright with divine anger and she was ready for a fight, even though she still needed more time to fully renew her pure combat prowess. The blonde stared right into Haruhi's SOUL and declared, "I can still kick ass if I want to, and you'd better believe that if you insult Raya, I will fuck you up!" Not far away, Shizu quickly stood ramrod straight...shit, she had a bad feeling this would go wrong for so many reasons -- !

Then Soraya cried, "Karin, it's all right!" The girl protectingly, lovingly held one of Karin's shoulders in one of her slender hands. Her face turned to everyone in the room as she said, "Please calm down! We just wanted to talk!" Raya finally looked at her elder sister and implored, "Can't we at least TRY!?!"

Karin kept giving a hot glare to Haruhi as she asked quietly, "Or will a simple conversation get in the way of your damned day?"

For a long moment, it was uncomfortably silent...the only one who didn't seem to be visibly upset and emotional was Natasha Setsushi as she sat on the couch. She hadn't even moved an inch. Finally, the Demoness said quietly, "The only one I feel the need to talk to is Soraya. The rest of you can go outside. You too, Haruhi."

Haruhi immediately asked, "You sure?"

"Yes."

Karin gently took Raya's hand from her shoulder and kissed it...Raya smiled at the blonde with total fondness. Karin then said to Haruhi, "You heard her. C'mon outside. Be a good little sycophant and let your mistress and her sister talk."

Haruhi snapped hard at Karin, "Fuck you!" Still, she moved past the lady, Raya and Shizu and went out the front door.

Karin and Shizu began to follow her out...Karin couldn't help but comment, "Haruhi's charming as ever."

Shizu said, "Some things will never change." The ladies left, but both spared a concerned look at Raya before they closed the door behind them. They didn't want to leave Raya alone, but for her, this was most personal of all.

For the first time in too long, these sisters were alone with each other. The last time they had been together was the worst night of Soraya's life. It was the night she helped her sister ambush the Inazuma Fighters. Natasha wanted to kill them all as they laid helpless. Raya wanted to show them mercy. But her unstable older sister reacted violently by trying to kill Raya...and before she did, Tasha confessed to murdering their mother and framing their father for the crime. He had died in prison. Raya would have died at Tasha's hands if it wasn't for Shizuna Muto.

Soraya Setsushi thought back about that night and so much more she had to regret in her once-darksome life...she said to her elder sister, "So much has changed, Tasha. We both have."

Natasha Setsushi nodded and responded, "Yes. You once believed in our gang."

"No. I believed in you and me and our parents. I believed in and loved our family. One thing that hasn't changed is the fact you're my sister." Raya took a comfortable chair across from Tasha's position, with nothing but a dining room table between them. At first, all of Raya's emotions showed in her posture as she sat there and she said thickly, "The night you betrayed me, after you told me what you did to mom and dad...after you tried to kill me...I swore revenge against you."

Tasha observed, "You never followed through. You could now."

"But I won't. I don't hate you. I did change. I've grown since then." Raya's expression flooded with increased emotion -- regret, anger and pain, and so much more -- all of it justifiable. "I wanted to know if it was possible to forgive you...I needed to know if we could be family again, but...but now...being here in the same room with you now, I...! I..."

Natasha said, "You want to call the police on my ass just as badly."

With a quiet fire in her eyes, Raya responded flatly, "You cannot tell me I'm not justified feeling that fucking way."

Tasha nodded slowly. The hard former leader finally began to develop emotion on her own face...quietly toxic emotion. "I'd be the last one to blame you for that, Raya...but if you had, I would not have gone quietly."

Raya gathered herself, and managed to sit back in her chair. For a long moment, she regarded the sister she once hated. The beauty tried to relax as she said, "Karin and Shizuna know you destroyed our parents, too."

"You told them, huh? I sure can't blame you for that."

"Actually, they figured it out without help. Shizu left the gang because she suspected you killed our mom."

Tasha's brow furrowed. "That's why she left??"

"It was one of many good reasons. And Karin never, ever bought into your crap about me betraying the Annihilators when I joined Shizu."

"Why?"

Raya's face expressed her adoration for the one she spoke of. "Because that lady always believed in me, and I'll love her forever for that. You never did give them both enough credit."

Tasha's expression hardened again. "I don't have to give anyone a thing."

"Okay. Wrong choice of words. Maybe you never respected them enough to imagine they'd see through your lies. Most everyone else did. I did, and then you tried to kill me."

"And you'd want to forgive me? I'd call you a damn fool, but..." Her voice trailed off. The hard woman's expression...faltered.

Raya quietly urged, "Say it, nee-chan."

Tasha was totally surprised. "Fuck, you haven't called me that for...f-forever."

Raya's lovely form stayed relaxed, but her expression turned hard then. "My forgiveness is dependent mainly on you, Natasha. I'd forgive you if you really have gotten better, at least in some way, like Karin told me. When you murdered our mother and framed father and let him die in prison, I know you weren't in your right mind -- !"

Tasha's expression was sullen when she interrupted: "If I was in my right mind, I would've found a better way to make a break from our useless fucking parents! Gods, you loved them both so much, but they weren't worth your damned love! They were so fucking selfish, they couldn't have cared less about the both of us!"

Raya wasn't relaxed in any way anymore. She cried back, "They were still our PARENTS, Natasha! I still saw so much good in them, I saw everything they could be, and I prayed they'd finally get over themselves and really be our mom and dad one day! But you never even gave them the chance, you judged them and then murdered them!" Her lips trembled as she demanded, "And all because they didn't love you ENOUGH!?"

Tasha sat forward a bit and barked, "They owed us both more than what they gave to us, Raya! They -- !" The elder sister stopped herself. The silence was so loud as they stared at each other. Finally, Tasha sat back in her seat again. Her expression became so weary then. She finally began to lower her defenses...

...and Raya could really get a hint for how much pain her older sister had kept hidden within herself up to now. Tasha was one helluva actress, usually for her own selfish gain. But any act and pretense, any possible front she could have put up was nonexistent as there was an earth-shaking level of regret in her eyes. Tasha couldn't even look at Raya as she said much, much more quietly, "Gods dammit all, they didn't owe us their lives. I do know that now. I know I wasn't in my right mind then, and I know how wrong I was to kill them...and to hurt you.

"You said your forgiveness depends on me?" Tasha issued a short, dark and bitter laugh. She finally managed to look at her younger sister again, but it was so hard for the former gang leader to keep her eyes fixed on Raya's. "I am in my right mind now, my head's never been clearer...even with the fucking back pain and all the damned ice cream I need to eat and everything! Would you believe that I can't forgive myself for all the things I've done?"

Raya answered gently, "Yes, I can. Actually, I was afraid you felt that way. Karin and Shizu were worried about you, too.

"Yes, Karin was worried about you, and she just said she knows how much you used her." Raya tried to fight the divine anger she felt simply knowing that. "I begged you to help her because it was the right thing to do. But then you preyed on Karin's anger and hoplessness and made her into an Annihilator. And it was all for you and your hate for this world and everyone who isn't a Demon."

Tasha snapped with a bleak tone, "Everyone else hates Demons like us. Even those like you and me and Karin who can pass for Human can only get so far, and why? Because it's the way everybody ELSE wants things to be. And I've wanted to simply give as much shit as I've been forced to eat in my damned life."

Raya asked, "Didn't you say we don't have to give anyone a thing? Gods, that hasn't changed at all about you, has it? You still have so much anger and hate in you..."

"And you ought to understand why better than anyone. Karin should understand, too. But I will NEVER understand why you two would want to be citizens and get along with the rest of this worthless world."

Raya's expression became as serious and solemn as her voice. "Because we know something you refuse to figure out...anger and hate solve absolutely nothing. Take a look at what happened to the Annihilators."

Tasha frowned. "We were brought down because of that cocksucker Ryo Oe and his cyberslut wife -- !"

Raya suddenly declared, "No, it was because your gang went on a sinful path, and your sins caught up with you. Negative actions bring negative consequences. But me and Karin know that life is meant for positive things, not hate and sin and all of the ugly shit you used to revel in. Me and Karin want to love. To hope. We want to believe in better things just like everyone else. We've talked about virtues and how we need to believe in them in this life and the next. We need to believe in them for the sake of the future."

Hard as stone, Tasha asked, "The future, Raya? Who's future? Yours? Karin's? Shizu's? Maybe for your friends or for all the assholes in our corner of the universe you're so dead-set on saving?"

With an appealing tone, Raya qualified, "I'm talking about our future. Yours, mine, and your baby's! I'm here because I'm worried about my NEPHEW!"

That was when Tasha started to get visibly hostile...she growled, "You honestly fucking think -- !"

"I don't know WHAT to think when it comes to you! You're my sister, but I can't forget all of the things you've done! All the pain and betrayal -- !"

"We're talking about my gods-damned son, Raya. I would rip my own guts out before I ever hurt him."

Raya challenged thickly, "You'd love him unconditonally, right? You'd never judge him for not loving you enough?! It wouldn't take one little fucking thing to make you spin out and betray him in the same way you betrayed the rest of your family!?!"

Tasha yelled, "I've gotten better!"

"In some ways, you have. But in others, you clearly haven't changed at all. You're still so angry and hateful. I haven't even heard you say you're sorry for what you've done. You haven't said anything about wanting to make amends for all of your wrongs -- gods, you could show me in some way you're -- !" Raya quickly slammed the brakes before she finished that sentence. She was going to say human, but she knew Tasha wouldn't have taken that well.

Instead, Raya said with a much softer and needful tone, "You could show me you have a heart."

There was renewed pain in Tasha's face...toxic amounts of it. She growled, "I can't forget all the things I've done either, Raya. I told you I can't forgive myself for what I did to our parents and to you."

Raya asked desperately, "Then what good will MY forgiveness do?!?"

Tasha declared with force, "Your forgiveness won't mean a damn thing!" Another uncomfortable moment of quiet, and Tasha shook her head. "You don't get it, Raya. You and Karin and Shizu, you believe in morality and life and love and frigging hope. You believe in shit, so you don't see this world for what it really is. I have gotten better, and I've had a lot to think about ever since I lost the Annihilators.

"We are Demons. Ever since the day the likes of us are born on Earth, this fucking world has never been ours, and maybe we were never meant to be a part of it. Humans out there only see the very worst in us -- !"

With high emotion, Raya tried to appeal, "For the Heavens' sakes, only SOME do -- !"

Tasha demanded hotly, "And who are they, Raya?! Too fucking many of them are the ones in power, they're the ones who decide how society should be and how citizens should act! They decide how everyone should see who is good and who is evil! These are the same assholes who say there's some kind of meaning to life and that everyone has value! But what do Humans do without fuckin' fail if someone disagrees with them, or better yet they decide they want something a lot more valuable than someone else's life!?!

"They eat each other up in the name of making their religion stronger or to get ahold of territory or fucking fuel or whatever else they'd want more than they value their morality!

"That's how Humans are and that's how they've always been. All you have to do is open a history book to see how meaningless morality and hope and life itself on this Earth has been and will continue to be as long as Humans are in charge. These are the same fuckers who hate Demons like us because they write us off as unholy monsters by default."

Raya sat forward and stabbed a finger at Tasha as she yelled, "Maybe it would help a little if you didn't meet that stereotype, Natasha! You led a criminal gang that subsisted on sin! I know you weren't in your right mind then, but you must be able to see you didn't help yourself, me, Karin, and the rest of us in ANY DAMN WAY! Look at how hard the Setsushi Annihilators fell, Natasha."

Completely resistant, Natasha repeated, "That was the Oes' fucking fault, not mine or anyone else's."

"So you're not going to take any responsibility for the shitty choices you made before that??"

"You said it yourself. I wasn't right in my head then. And now that I am -- !"

Raya interrupted, "Now you must be able to see how wrong you were. The only way things will get better is if people like us and ordinary Humans learned from each other and understood we're not so different. Then that would change the way SOME Humans see us! That's what I believe in! They are not all the same, Natasha, in the exact same way not all Demons are unholy!

"But you can't see that. You have gotten better, and yet you haven't. You think this world is so hateful, and all you can do is hate right back."

Unyielding as stone, Tasha said, "If it wasn't for all the Human bullshit that kept our mom Sasha down and made her create the Annihilators, things would be different. Things would be better. But they never will be better...I know there's no meaning to life and all of the stuff you want to believe in as long as we have to deal with Humans!"

Raya's eyes narrowed. "If you really feel that way, why bring your son into this world at all? You want to give up on everyone else, call everything meaningless? You really think that hope and love and everything I know makes life worth living doesn't exist?? And all because you're too damned bigoted to think differently???

"What's stopping you from leaving this world? Why not pull the plug?!" Raya finally screamed, "WHY NOT KILL YOURSELF AND YOUR UNBORN SON SO YOU CAN SPARE HIM THE BULLSHIT!?!"

Tasha sat bolt upright in spite of her condition and roared back, "YOU DON'T FUCKING DARE SAY THAT SHIT TO ME!!! I WILL BRING MY SON INTO THIS WORLD IN SPITE OF EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING ELSE!"

Raya was on the verge of shaking as she asked, "What kind of life will he have if you raise him to believe in nothing? To be angry, bitter, and hate for hate's sake? You saw where that took you and your fellow Annihilators before, and you and your son were blessed to endure that. Do you want history to repeat for him?! If you really want to bring him into this world, then if you have a heart at all, that's the last thing you should want.

"If you are in your right mind, then you know you can't be fit to be his mother."

The next moments were beyond uncomfortable as the siblings glared at each other. They were sisters, yet so different. Tragically different.

Tasha was virtually smoldering in her seat as she stared at Raya...and she finally said, "I may be his mother, but I never said I was going to raise him."

The quiet was so loud then. Raya could only look at her older sister with surprise. Tasha then angrily began to move to get up from the sofa, but given her condition it was damned hard. Raya quickly rose from her seat to help Tasha, but the former gang leader held up a hand in a stopping gesture as she glared quietly. She didn't want any help, and it took a moment to rise to stand. Tasha needed another moment to settle herself as her hands gently rested upon her swollen belly...Raya could only look at her as she waited.

Tasha finally said as she looked down upon her unborn child, "I meant it when I said I can't forgive myself, Raya. Nothing I do will ever balance the scales when it comes to what I did to you and our parents. And I know better than you I'm not fit to be this boy's mother in any way. Right after he's born, I..."

Raya asked quietly, "What?"

"The very thought of it is tearing my heart out." She gave her little sister a sullen look. "Yes, I do have a heart, Raya. I...I'm going to give him up. Someone else will raise my boy, not me and Haruhi. The two of us already talked about it. We know better than anyone that neither of us would be fit to raise a child."

Soraya almost whispered, "Yeah." She remembered Haruhi's terrible past with her own family...she lost her father, and then her terrible mother did some of the most nightmarish things to Haruhi before she escaped her home long ago. Undoubtedly when it came to the girl formerly known as Ameryuu, she might simply have been afraid she'd be even worse than her mom. Raya asked, "Who will raise him? Do you even know...?"

Tasha thought of Barumusu Yuuma...he was the asshole who got her pregnant in the first place, after all! But that Prime Demon never gave that much of a shit about her, so she was still on the fence whether it came to having her boy be put in the custody of his dad, the CEO of Sakamoto Pharmaceuticals. Tasha kept that knowledge to herself as she said honestly, "I haven't decided yet, but I do know I'm not giving him to you. It's not out of spite or hate or anything personal, Raya. But my son doesn't need to be raised to believe in shit.

"After that...I honestly don't know what me and Haruhi will do next." Tasha looked into space thoughtfully. "We'll be together. Maybe that'll be enough. And if it isn't..."

Raya asked slowly, "If it isn't...?"

Tasha's brow furrowed, and the belligerency within her eyes was primal. "Maybe I can still do something in spite of all the Humans out there...at least I can show 'em I hate them just as much as they hate me."

For a long moment, Raya was silent...and then she said, "You can't mean that." Raya took a couple of slow steps closer to Tasha as her emotions and her voice rose: "If...i-if you do, then you really haven't learned anything. If you do, then I hope to all of the gods my nephew will be as far away from you as possible -- !"

Raya finally pleaded from her soul: "Please, Natasha! Tell me you can't mean that!"

Tasha looked into Raya's eyes and said with a voice devoid of hope: "Nothing has meaning for me, Raya. I'm sorry -- "

Raya interrupted fiercely, "No! No, don't you say you're sorry when you're not. You are my sister and I prayed with all of my heart that somehow, some way, we could be family again. That I could -- !"

Tasha asked, "Help me? The same way you and your friends help every-fucking-body else?"

"Because I care about what might happen to you and Haruhi and your son, Natasha!"

Tasha's dark eyes narrowed. "You want to save me. In spite of everything I've done." The Demoness almost issued a bitter laugh. "If you were anybody else, I'd call you one arrogant little bitch. But that's not it. You've always been too damn kind, Raya."

Raya said matter-of-factly, "And you hardly ever were. You let yourself get so selfish and full of yourself. Just like our parents."

Tasha snapped, "Oh, that's fucking insulting."

The girl in green shrugged slowly. "I'm sorry if the truth hurts. Your condition before simply made matters so terribly worse. You are better now...but only in some ways."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

Raya almost flinched. "I told you not to say you're sorry when you're not. THAT'S insulting. I'd ask if Haruhi agrees with you, but I'm sure she does! That girl devoted herself body and soul to you a long time ago. You say jump, she says 'How high?' Anything you feel, she feels just as strongly."

Natasha's expression finally softened, but only a little, for the first time. "And I love her for that, Soraya."

Raya nodded solemnly. There was a lot about her elder sister that was complex, even her sexuality. Natasha swung both to males and females, often depending on the moment, and even more often to her benefit. Two of the more recent men she slept with were Barumusu and the former Annihilator Setsugekka. But even then, especially to Soraya, it became clear that Haruhi Asagiri might have been the one person on the planet Tasha was capable of loving...and that love was reciprocated by the girl once known as Ameryuu with the most zealous and desperate need.

Soraya finally told Tasha, "If you really love Haruhi, then at least think about her. Think about her future."

Defiant, Tasha said, "Her future will be with me, no matter what happens. You can't change that, either."

Raya moaned, "Gods damn it, Natasha...!"

Tasha looked away from her younger sibling. "You can't save everyone, little sister."

"Because you don't want to be saved."

"And I told you why. You may be ready to forgive me...but I will never forgive myself." A moment of introspective silence...and Tasha finally asked, "Have you ever thought that maybe this was the way things were meant to be?"

Raya gazed at her sister with redoubled sadness...and her voice was quiet and choked with regret as she answered. "I couldn't. I'm not a fatalist or a nihilist. And I am absolutely sorry you are. I was hoping for so much more, but...

"...but the truth hurts." Raya looked away for a brief moment as she fought hard to hold back tears. She never saw Tasha look to her with a terrible sadness of her own. The elder sister began to open her mouth to say something else. But. She stayed silent. The former gang leader had emotional baggage heavy enough to compress a semi-tractor.

Raya said quietly, "I don't know where you and Haruhi are going from here, but you ought to know that someone told us where to find you."

Raya heard Tasha respond curtly, "No shit." She looked at the elder sister, who's face was hard as stone again. Tasha said, "I figured you weren't smart enough to find me yourself. Will someone else be coming for us?"

Raya answered, "No. The person who told us where to find you said that you and Haruhi earned your freedom for stopping the Oes. I'm not sure what kind of authority she has, but she knows a lot of things. She did say that others are worried about you. I can take a guess that she or somebody else will keep watching you. If you and Haruhi try to do anything criminal and hateful in the future, they'll know...and they'll do something about it."

Tasha frowned hard as she really thought about that. She did NOT like the idea that others knew where to find her. She'd have to remedy that, if it was even possible to. The elder sister finally said, "I appreciate the warning, Raya."

Raya nodded. "You also ought to know I'm going to retire from the Inazuma Fighters. For my health. You're one of the few I've told this."

Tasha frowned again. "Then you'll finally stop sticking your fool neck out for everyone else?"

Raya shrugged. "If possible. But I need to give you another warning. If you're going to keep letting yourself be motivated by hate, whatever you do in the future..." Raya's eyes hardened, and not for the first time, Tasha got a glimpse of the true warrior in her younger sister as she finished, "...you will not ever threaten anyone I love. You're my sister, but being family only goes so far.

"So I will be hoping for you and Haruhi. And I hope I'll never see you again." Raya began to turn, but stopped herself. She asked, "Do you have anything to say to Karin and Shizuna?"

A long beat of thought, and Tasha answered, "No. I'm okay with the three of you being citizens, but..." She looked away one more time. "I'd rather not see them again. And it would be best if you left now, Raya. I'm sure we said all we needed to say to each other, right?"

Raya knew with great sadness her older sister couldn't have been more wrong...but she also knew it was literally pointless to try to say anything else. Those who didn't want help, those who didn't want to be saved...couldn't be. Raya finally said, "I hope you did listen to what I told you, Natasha." Another unsure, tortured moment. Finally, the girl said, "Goodbye." Raya turned away from her pregnant elder sister. Moved to the door. Reached out to the knob.

And Raya's entire being paused when she touched the knob.

She didn't see Tasha look to her again. The older sister was so tempted to say something else. But. She stayed silent.

Raya needed another few beats to gather her strength and accept what she couldn't change...not for the first time, the girl wished with all her heart things had been different...and she wished most of all she could help Natasha Setsushi. But she couldn't. Raya opened the door, walked out, and gently closed it behind her.

Outside in the holy light of the Sun, she saw Haruhi staring with quiet aggression at Karin and Shizuna. There was considerable yet uncomfortable distance between Haruhi and the pair. Raya moved to Karin and Shizuna and told them with a quiet tone, "My sister wants us to leave now."

Karin was watching Haruhi like a hawk as Shizu asked doubtfully, "There's nothing we can say to her?"

Raya shook her head. "Nothing I haven't told her already." She looked to the live wire and told her, "We're going, Haruhi."

Haruhi aggressively stepped up to Raya and snarled, "Fucking finally. I never want to see your asses again -- !"

Raya stood her ground, and easily, in spite of Haruhi's heat. She said with a quiet fire of her own, "If you really mean that, you won't. But don't ever give us a reason to come looking for you again. I already warned Natasha. You'd better be listening, too." Haruhi opened her mouth to say something else...but the expression in Raya's lovely face made her think twice. Without another word, Haruhi blinked, turned and went back inside to join Tasha.

The three extraordinary females who wanted to live in the bright light of hope began praying this was the last time they'd ever see Tasha and Haruhi again. Soraya Setsushi found her warrior's strength to truly smile and hope for the future, and she hoped this would close the door on her troubled past, as well. Raya said to Karin and Shizuna, "Let's get out of here."

With love, they both took the girl's hands...and the three beauties departed together.

The End
---
All I can say is hope for the best, my friends...this MAY be the last time you'll see Natasha and Haruhi, but you never know!

Up next, and finally, I'll be cooking up the next episode of Makai Toshi Taimashi for !

Giving credit where it's due!
XNALara created by Dusan Pavlicek; XPS by Dusan and XNAaraL

Models:
From left to right -- Natasha Setsushi and Haruhi Asagiri by their creator, !