El Hazard: Continuations
Chapter 6

Makoto had been trudging along for quite a while. It
wasn't fun lugging along the device as it was not
exactly the lightest thing he had ever carried.
Looking at it, he remembered how much destruction
Lagus had caused by using it.
Beside him was Kalia and Ifurita, the two demon
goddesses following closely. Well at least, he would
be safe with those two beside him.
The earlier events were still spinning around his
head:

Inari.
Queen Diva's speech.
Katsuhiko Jinnai sulking.
Going back in the middle of the night and just
throwing his tired body and just falling sound asleep.
Waking up in the morning only to have Kalia and
Ifurita drag him into this.

"This is the place."

Makoto stopped. Kalia was pointing at the entrance of
some cave. It looked like any ordinary cave.

Not very impressive.

"This is the place."
The cave filled Kalia with a strong sense of deja vu.
*Just like going back home.* Ifurita and Makoto looked
apprehensive but followed her into the cave.
The earlier events of today kept replaying in her
head:
Waking Makoto up.
Telling Ifurita and Makoto what she thought was the
best thing to do.
Hearing a sceptical Ifurita say,"Are you sure the cave
will provide the answers to my visions?"
Answering in a voice filled with both certainty and
hesitation,"I don't know. Just call it an instinct. We
won't know until we try, okay? By the way while we're
at it, Makoto, would you bring that device? It was
found in the cave and somehow I feel that it would
provide many answers."

Dank and dark. Just like any cave.
Makoto and Ifurita stopped in awe. Kalia was pointing
at some kind of open capsule and telling them that was
where Lagus awoke her.
"It looks just like a...a.." Makoto started.
"Coffin?" Kalia replied.
"Well, I was going to say something else but well.."
"Kalia, it still doesn't make sense to me as to how
this place would have any connection with me?"
"Ifurita, you have to realize that we have not always
been resting permanently at the same place. At one
time, we were both put together in the same place."
Kalia took out her torchlight. *Great inventions -
these torchlights. I'm glad I brought this from Japan.
I wouldn't be able to buy this in Roshtaria.*
Kalia started to point at some writings on the wall.
"Ifurita, even though this is an ancient language,
knowledge of this language is in our memory circuits."
Ifurita and Makoto stared curiously at some ancient
inscriptions on the wall.
Kalia continued.
"After the Great Holy War of the Half-Eclipse, both
warring factions decided to call a truce. Both you and
I had our systems shut down and we were put here to
rest in this cave. Unfortunately, war is something
that is part of people's nature and many years later,
one of the factions decided to take you out and revive
you. Of course one thing led to another over the years
and finally you were put on that island where Makoto
finally found you; unfortunately not before Katsuhiko
Jinnai had gotten to you first. At least that is what
I recall when you told me about where you first met
Makoto."
"So where do we go from here?" Makoto interrupted. "We
are just surrounded by walls everywhere."
"That device was found in this corner. Let's search
that corner carefully."
"I believe this looks like a keyhole." Ifurita
pointed. "But where's the key?"
"Possibly that this device also functions as a key.
Let me try." Kalia watched as Makoto inserted the tip
of the device into the little hole and turned.

Just like some ancient fairy tale, the walls began to
shake. Then the walls began to part until there was a
huge opening.

After peering cautiously and making sure that it was
safe, the three figures slowly walked inside.

"Let me try."
Ifurita had watched as Makoto inserted the tip of the
device into the little keyhole and turned.

Just like inserting a housekey into the keyhole of her
apartment.

There was something about this place that gave her the
creeps and spooked her. The paradox was that this
place also felt familiar, almost like coming home
to...

Home?

*Who am I?*
*What am I?*

Ifurita only knew this: she was the ultimate weapon of
destruction ; built to start and end wars - a weapon
so powerful that it drove fear into the hearts of mere
mortals. She was the demon goddesses that caused death
and endless destruction - that's what she knew she
was.

The wall began to seperate with a soft rumble, Slowly,
the three of them began to walk inside.
It was dark but there was just enought light so that
they could see. The air smelt musky and the atmosphere
felt dank.

Some control panels.

Ifurita leaned over to read. There were some ancient
writings. Writings of an obsolete language. Writings
that obviously belonged to a tribe that might have
been extinct for thousands of years.
Still, Ifurita was programmed to know every single
language recorded in El Hazard. Slowly, with slight
difficulty, she began to read.
The instructions were simple: she merely had to
activate by placing her palm on one of the panels and
pressing a button.
This she did.

An image.
A holographic image.
A face of a kindly old man with a flowing white beard.
Somehow, Ifurita felt that she must have seen him
before.

The image spoke.
"If you are watching this, Ifurita, then I have
probably died. For hundreds, maybe for thousands of
years. I felt though, I had to leave some kind of
record so you know who you really are."
Ifurita sat in silence as the gravelly voice
continued.

"You see, I made you. In other words, I am your
creator. But before that, I was your neighbour and
best friends with your parents. That was before you
became a demon goddess. You used to be a normal girl;
normal in the daily sense but a sweet girl
nonetheless; you were like the daughter I never had. I
remember how your smile used to brighten everyone's
day in the morning; so full of promise, so full of
potential."
Ifurita's mouth felt dry as she hung on to Makoto's
arm for support.

"It was war. Stupid El Hazardians - always fighting
wars. One day, the war came too close to home and an
explosion killed your parents. In your shock and daze
you wondered along the battlefields - lost and
confused. You - old enough not to be a child anymore
but still young enough that you were on the threshold
of womanhood - lost and confused in the horrors of
war. Over and over, you walked stumbling over the
mangled and battled bodies over the battlefield. It
was unfortunate that you walked into a land mine
and...."
He paused and continued after a while.
"I found your broken body. I felt like a part of me
had been torn away and I was in emotional pain for
days. It so happened that during that time I was
considered as one of the most brilliant scientists in
the land and I was needed to create an ultimate
weapon."

Ifurita found herself crying even though she didn't
know why.

"It might have been a cruel fate for you to have been
what you were but this was the only way I could give
you a second chance at life. I constructed the demon
goddess of destruction using parts of you."

He continued.

"Technically you are a machine - an immortal. It is
not a human body that counts but a human heart that
matters. You will slowly and gradually be a human
again once you break the chains of subservience; once
you learn to feel compassion for former enemies."
"And when two hearts are joined as one, the cycle of
time will be complete."

Makoto Mizuhara sat listening. He wasn't sure what to
feel.

"And when two hearts are joined as one, the cycle of
time will be complete."

"What cycle? What hearts? Please tell me what you are
talking about."
"You're wasting your effort, Ifurita. You're talking
to a hologram. He can't hear you." Kalia held back
Ifurita gently.

The image continued.

"This is my gift to you. If your memories of your
previous life start seeping back, that means that the
time is getting near. I sometimes wished that you
could have been my daughter in my lifetime. I do
regret that you failed to achieve a lot during your
previous life as it was cruelly cut short by the hand
of fate. I hope you will have a better life in your
next life. The skills you have acquired as a demon
goddess will however not leave you and will help you
in your life. That is my final legacy to you."

The image faded away.
Makoto and Kalia held on to Ifurita to comfort her and
give her strength. After a while, Makoto stepped back.
"Ifurita, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say or do
but..."

"Look out!"

The floor of the room was collapsing. There were huge
cracks. Makoto stepped back and plunged deep into one
of them.
Deep.
Deep.
Deep.
An endless fall.

*Cold? Why am I cold?*
*Hungry? Why am I hungry?*

Makoto looked around and realized that he was in an
underground river. Water was rushing, no 'wooshing'
very strongly. Makoto realized that if he didn't act
fast he would be swept away from the strong currents.

Makoto gasped for air as he struggled against the
strong currents. He swallowed a lot of water as he
struggled and struggled.

*That rock! If only I can reach it!*

Makoto saw a giant slab of rock in the middle of the
river. It looked like a tiny island in the middle of
the river. Actually, the river was more like a stream
as it wasn't very big but somehow the strong pressure
underneath must be causing the current to be so
intense.
Water, water everywhere.

A hand.
A hand?
Makoto grabbed at the outstretched hand which pulled
at him. With much effort he heaved himself onto the
island.

Makoto opened his eyes.
Ifurita and Kalia. A rush of feelings were flooding
his emotions. He put his arms around the two women and
embraced them tightly.
"I thought I'd never see you again."
"Me too. I'm glad to see both of you."
"I'm so happy..."

Makoto felt a tear roll down his cheek. He didn't know
why he was crying but he had never felt happier to see
the two of them.
"How did you get here?"
"I fell when the ground opened," Kalia replied.
"I jumped in. I just couldn't leave the two of you in
the strong waters, I..." Ifurita answered.
Makoto sat back. He pondered.
"We need to figure a way out."
"Hmmm..."

"I know." Kalia suddenly sat up and spoke. "See the
sides of this underground river? It's very narrow but
it's dry and if we can get to one side. I and Ifurita
would fly across if not for the fact that the roof of
our current location is too low. Also, it's too bad
that we both didn't bring our power staffs as we could
both put them to good use." She paused. "However, if
we can get to one side, we can perhaps walk until we
find an exit. Surely there must be an exit somewhere."
"If we had a rope, we could tie our hands together so
that we are not seperated by the raging currents."
"I think this will have to do." Makoto proceeded to
remove his shirt showing his lean but firm chest
muscles. Ifurita and Kalia smiled to themselves but
said nothing. By some ripping and tying the shirt,
Makoto finally fashioned it into some kind of
makeshift rope."
"I think we're ready." Makoto proceeded to tie his
hands to both Ifurita and Kalia.

Kalia and Ifurita were musing to themselves as they
proceeded to cross the stream. The three of them were
silent.
Being the stronger ones, Kalia and Ifurita helped pull
Makoto more than once while wading through the strong
stream as strong waves swept against them.

"We made it."
Makoto looked around. His feet were touching dry land.
It felt good.
"Note that this is a narrow ledge. So we need to walk
slowly with our backs against the wall."
"Here Makoto. Wear my cloak."
"But..." Makoto blushed Kalia removed her cloak and
was just wearing her undergarments underneath.
"I'm a demon goddess, remember? I don't think my back
is as likely to get scratched from the jagged edges of
the wall like your human skin."

The three travellers trudged on slowly. It seemed like
hours as they hobbled slowly with their backs against
the walls as water rushed through just three inches in
front of their feet.

Light? Was that light?
"I see an opening."

The three of them walked out. Fresh air! It just felt
good to be out again.
Makoto looked back. There was hole where they came out
from and a river ran through it. It appeared that they
were at the bottom of the mountain.
"Look Makoto. Aren't they pretty?"
"Yes."
Ifurita was pointing at some kind of fireflies. They
had bright lights coming from their backs. It was a
wondrous sight. From a distance, they looked like
snowflakes.

************************************

Night.
Makoto wandered along the corridors of the Florestican
palace. He felt rather tired from recent events.
Ifurita and Kalia had been resting since yesterday's
events at the cave and Makoto had no doubt that they
were still resting.

Palnus was busy trying to work on his fighting skills.
Fujisawa and Miz were busy with the joys of parenting.
Inari, no doubt was busy trying to find the antidote
to save her mother, Queen Diva.

Makoto brushed these thoughts from his mind. He
thought he would drop by to see how Ifurita was doing.
He wondered how she was dealing with the revelations
about her past she had uncovered in their recent
journey together.

He opened the door.

Ifurita was not asleep. She was wearing a silk yukata
which she had brought back from Japan and her gentle
form was reflected against the diffused night lights
from the window. She was resting her fair, long legs
against the wooden bedposts of the plush beds of the
Royal Guest Rooms.
She seemed to be deep in thought.

"What do you think of yesterday's events?"
Ifurita had noticed Makoto walking towards her and had
turned her soft profile towards him as she asked him.
"Am I more than just a machine or a mechanical
device?"
Makoto paused before answering Ifurita as she seemed
very uncertain of what she was saying.
"Ifurita, that is not true. For countless days and
nights, I despaired of not seeing you again. For
endless passages of time, I longed to meet you again;
to hold you and embrace you again." He was gazing into
her eyes now. Eyes that looked warm. "Ifurita, what
I'm trying to say is that; you're not a machine to me;
you're my life. It is not a human body that counts;
but a human heart and soul."
"Do you see me as a woman? Even though I may not be
able to give you a normal married life, another woman
might give?"

Makoto walked over to Ifurita who was sitting by her
bed. Obviously, she was in need of some reassurance
and this was one of the times she needed his company.

He slipped.

A fold of the carpet beside the bed caught his foot
and he slipped.

It was a very awkward moment. Makoto had fallen on top
of Ifurita and both of them were surprised and unable
to say anything. They just kept gazing into each
others eyes as seconds seemed to go on forever.

Ifurita smelled sweet; like the scent of the sweestest
Roshtarian perfumes. Her body scent was arousing
strange feelings in him. She gently clapsed one hand
around Makoto's neck and brought his head closer.

They kissed.

Makoto and Ifurita gently rubbed their lips against
each other and it wasn't long before their tongues
began to connect. They licked each other's tongues for
what seemed like eternity. They were feeling more than
their memories interlocking; they were feeling their
emotions and feelings interwining.

"...I....you....."
".ssshh....Makoto, it's okay."

Makoto wrapped one arm around Ifurita's gentle waist
as he gently nibbled her ear while she moaned softly.
He began to kiss her forehead, moving down to her
cheeks down to her neck where he continued to kiss her
passionately while she breathed gently. He hesitated
when he came to her cleavage which was showing. With a
gentle nod, Ifurita gently removed Makoto's shirt and
rested her head against his warm chest while she
guided his hand to the sash of her yukata. It wasn't
long before they were both naked and were both
frantically involved with each other....

********************************

Sunlight shining through the window.
Birds chirping.
The sights and sounds of an early morning.

"Where am I?"
Makoto rubbed his eyes while looking around. Ifurita
was awake and she was resting her head on his chest
listening to the regular thumping of his heartbeat.
The musky aroma of love covered the room.
Makoto realized then both he and Ifurita were not
wearing anything and the blurry memories of last night
began to flood back into his mind.

"I didn't mean to....." he began awkwardly.
"It's alright. It was beautiful and I almost wished
that the moment could have lasted forever," Ifurita
quietly whispered into his ear. He could feel her nude
body rubbing against his bare skin.
"You mean you're not upset?"
"Not at all. Didn't it mean something to you?"
"To hold you forever in my arms would bring endless
joy..." Makoto was interrupted as Ifurita leaned over
to kiss him again.

Somehow, Makoto thought that his life was going to
have more responsibilities from this point onwards...

******************************

It was nearly dawn. The Bugrom party had been
travelling all night, yet showed no sign of
weariness...except for the Queen.

One of the litter bearers glanced at her. "You should
sleep, my Queen. We can follow the trail on our own."

Diva shook her head. There would be no sleep for her
with the torment of her last conversation with Jinnai.
She had distracted him long enough to give Inari a
good headstart - but then he had caught on and
demanded to know where their daughter was.

His response to her confession had been totally
unexpected. All right. What if Mizuhara were sincere?
Couldn't the story of the miracle cure had been fed to
Makoto by the assassins themselves? How convenient
that the cure was such a dangerous one to obtain, and
that it would involve luring the Bugrom from their
safe haven into the North, where mysterious violence
was already taking place! How suspicious that no
deputation from Princess Rune had offered to collect
the antitoxin on the Bugrom's behalf! What if it were
all a trap, and Inari walking blindly into it?

"Lord Jinnai wanted you to stay behind," the bearer
murmured.

"My lord and my daughter argue very well," Diva
muttered grimly. "Too well."

******************************

"Our Army training camp at Patembang was destroyed
completely..." Londs paused for effect. "..there has
been massive loss of life for our military forces and
a lot of military equipment has been destroyed."

Makoto sat in silence while listening to Londs make
his speech in the Florestican Court. Rune Venus only
nodded her head in despair. Fatora as usual, was
nowhere to be found when important announcements were
made.

Patembang?
It was a mid-sized city in the Northern Lands of
Roshtaria. It was also home to an important military
barracks of Roshtaria. With its destruction, Makoto
estimated that Roshtaria might have lost one-third of
its military personnel and more importantly, a
significant portion of its latest military equipment
had been destroyed.

Not a very good situation if some other country
decided to attack Roshtaria.

*******************************

Earlier today, Makoto had gone over to Nanami's
restaurant. Apparently she was not there and Miz was
helping out temporarily with a little help from Kauru.
Of course as Miz wasn't much of a cook, she let Kauru
do most of the cooking while she just took the orders
and did the serving.
According to Miz, Nanami had left a few days ago to
look for Makoto and she hadn't returned. *Looks like
she got my message a few days late.*
Makoto had noticed that little Taro was not around and
he had politely asked Miz about it. She vaguedly
mentioned something about Palnus and Makoto figured
that Palnus must be babysitting the youngster.

****************************
Makoto's thoughts were interrupted when his glance
briefly lingered on Ifurita and Kalia who were also in
the court.
Ifurita.
Hmmmm...

Makoto tried to get the thoughts of him and Ifurita's
frantic coupling and moans of ecstasy out of his mind.
He had felt a little awkward for a day or two after
THAT night but Ifurita just reassured him that he was
feeling that way because it was their first time after
all.
His thoughts raced back to an earlier incident this
morning when he had gone shopping with Ifurita in the
downtown market. Some of the commoners there had given
her more than just some dirty looks.
*It's not fair. She's not just some weapon or machine.
She's more than human. After all, we....*

*..made love?*

Makoto rubbed his forehead. *Arrrggghhh. Stop thinking
about that, you pervert. She's more than that. Who
else has always been there for you? She's your soul
mate...the one who will be here with you now and who
will be there when your last breathe expires!*

Ifurita and Kalia gently walked to where Princess Rune
Venus. Each of them were carrying their power staffs.
They stopped and lowered their heads slightly before
Ifurita first spoke.
"Your highness. I think only I and Kalia can stop the
terror of Abzahai and bring the chaos in the Northern
Lands to an end."
"Are you sure the two of you want to do this? It is a
highly risky." The princess paused for effect.
"Besides I'm not sure if the people up North will be
too happy to see the two of you."
"We are both sure."

"Wait! Then I'm coming with you!" Makoto cried while
Ifurita and Kalia's heads turned. They looked worried.
"It's dangerous and..."
Makoto leaned over and gently placed one finger on
Ifurita's lips before she could continue talking. "I
might be more useful than you think." He leaned over
to whisper into her ear. "Besides, we said we'd do
everything together, right?" Makoto winked at her
while she nodded her head, slowly comprehending.
"Okay but bring Ura along. For protection, okay?"
"Sure, sure."

"I say we let the Northerners solve their own
problems!" one of the palace guards cried out while
his colleagues muttered in agreement.
Makoto took out a map of Roshtaria and spread it out.
He began to speak with wisdom that was beyond his
youthful years.
"By drawing a straight line through where Abzahai has
attacked, it is possible for me to predict where he's
heading. It's only a matter of time before he hits
Florestica. Therefore, the problem up North does not
just affect those folks up there but is also our
problem here."
Dr. Schtallabaugh smiled when Makoto finished his
speech and everyone in the court were nodding their
heads in agreement. *Wisdom which is simply beyond his
youthful years. Young Makoto will be a great leader
someday...*

********************************

Palnus and Mr. Fujisawa stood at the top of a hill
overlooking the city of Floristica. The sun had barely
come up over the horizon, but the two were already
hard at work on their day's training. Mr. Fujisawa had
decided that they would focus on defensive manuevers
for the day's lesson, and was sparring with Palnus to
teach him how to block an attacker's movements.

"Keep your shoulders up there, Palnus. There...good,
good. Now, don't move so stiffly. You'll have to keep
your muscles loose in order to do this properly..."
Mr. Fujisawa went on instructing like this for most of
the lesson, giving Palnus pointers when he needed
them.

Over the course of a few weeks, Palnus had made a good
deal of improvement. He was a fast learner, for the
most part, and caught on to each day's lessons
quickly. Today, though, he had his head lost in the
clouds, and wasn't paying attention very well. He
continued blocking Mr. Fujisawa's movements, not aware
that he was edging closer and closer to a large rock
behind him. Palnus tripped and lost his footing on the
rock a moment later, and wasn't able to block
Fujisawa's next attack in time. Mr. Fujisawa's right
leg accidently connected with Palnus stomach, and the
blow had sent Palnus spiralling head over heels down
to the bottom of the hill. Moments later, Mr. Fujisawa
came rushing down the hill to make sure Palnus was
alright.

"Oh, jeez....! Palnus, you okay, kid?"

Palnus staggered to his knees uneasily. "Uh...yeah,
I'm fine, sensei. You just knocked the wind out of me
a little, that's all. No big deal."

Mr. Fujisawa breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew. Good. I
was afraid I'd have to explain to your parents how I
had given you a concussion. Anyways, you're sure
you're all right...?"

Palnus waved him away. "Fine, sensei, really. I'll
have a couple bruises at best. Besides, I'm sure the
pain will pay off in the long run. If it doesn't kill
me, it can only make me stronger, right?"

Mr. Fujisawa beamed. "That's the spirit, Palnus! Just
for that, we're going to stop practice early
today...."

Palnus jumped up and began to cry out happily.

"...after you give me one hundred push-ups," Mr.
Fujisawa added.

Palnus groaned and lowered himself to the ground.
After he had finished, Mr. Fujisawa asked him if he
wanted to come over later for lunch.
"Want to come? Miz is going to be making her potatoe
soup again..." Palnus shuddered upon hearing about
Miz's soup. Noticing this, Mr. Fujisawa chuckled.
"That's a no, huh? I can't blame you, really. Stuff
tastes like glue." He paused for a moment, then added
nervously, "Uh...just...don't tell her I said that,
okay?".

With that, the two said their good-byes and went along
their way. Palnus walked back to the palace, and
became lost in his own thoughts. He had been having
the dreams about Lagus and the phantom tribe again,
more frequently than ever. He had a feeling that
something big would happen, and soon....

*************************

Makoto wasn't sure how many days had passed since they
returned to El Hazard.
That was immaterial now as he travelled up north with
Kalia, Ifurita and Ura. Seemed like he had
underestimated how big the country of Roshtaria was.
Even though they had been flying in one of those
little Roshtarian flying vehicles, it seemed like the
journey would take forever. The Roshtarian flying
machines were nothing like Japan Air Lines and could
only go as fast as a car on ground.
Stopping every now and then for rest, they had
encountered more and more local folk. Rune Venus was
right. Not everyone had been friendly. Seeing those
two demon goddesses with him, some of the locals had
given them looks.
Looks that were not friendly but plain ugly.

An abandoned mine.
Set amidst some caves, hills and valleys, this mine
probably used to mine jirium, a Roshtarian metal used
for decorative purposes. There were even trolleys,
lifts and pullcarts left behind; obviously once used
for transporting this commodity. Makoto took out a map
and commented that this was a possible spot to find
what they were looking for.
It was quiet now and the air took on a spectre of
deadly silence.

"Look..." Makoto pointed. "...up there..."
The two demon goddesses drew their power staffs. Ura
wrapped herself tightly around Makoto's torso in
anticipation.....

Wearing a turban and clothes similar to ancient
Punjabi warriors, Abzahai stood menacingly tall on top
of the little hill looking like an angel of death. He
didn't seem perturbed by the arrival of Ifurita and
Kalia but he probably guessed what they wanted.
"We cannot allow anymore wanton destruction of life."
"I'm sorry you feel that way but you two are
obstructing my task," he answered nonchalantly as if
he were brushing off some ants.

He drew out his power staff and then Makoto noticed
something: his staff was double-sided with sharp
edges; as if it was designed for combat against two
opponents at the same time.
Ifurita and Kalia drew out their staffs and flew up to
engage him in battle.

Boof!
Clang!

Somehow it didn't seem to faze him that he was taking
on two opponents at once as Ifurita attacked him from
the front and Kalia attacked him from the back. With
his extended staff, he blocked off their attacks with
ease even though both of them were coming at him at
the same time. The looks Kalia and Ifurita were giving
each other during the fight would seem that they were
both agreeing that he was probably one of the toughest
opponents that either one had ever faced.

The battle went on for minutes and it didn't seem like
there would be a clear winner. Standing at the bottom
of the hill, Makoto decided to use the abandoned
elevator to come up in the hopes that he could find
Abzahai's weakness.
Abzahai flew off in the midst of battle confusing
Ifurita and Kalia who were surprised at his change of
strategy. To her horror, Ifurita realized what he was
trying to do...

Like a well-positioned marksman, Abzahai aimed a
well-precisioned concentrated blast at Makoto who was
coming up the elevator. Ifurita quickly flew to
protect Makoto but was too late. Makoto would have
died on the spot if not for Ura who quickly wrapped
herself tightly around him and took the full brunt of
his attack.
"OW! OW! OW!" Though it hurt, the little kitty was
alright. After all this was the same cat that survived
the full brunt of Ifurita's blast several years ago.

Taking advantage of Ifurita's distraction for her
beloved, Abzahai suddenly began to charge with
electric sparks and he fired a strong bolt of
electricity at her, stunning her. He kicked her on the
head and grabbed her arm and twisted it all around.
There was a soft sound like the sound of twigs
snapping and Ifurita cried out in pain.

Kalia had rushed over to attend to Ifurita while
Makoto who had just gotten out of the elevator was too
stunned to come over in time. Abzahai stood a distance
away on a mound looking like a gloating spectre of
death.

"ARE YOU OKAY?"
"Kalia, it hurts but I think I can continue the
fight."
"Don't be silly, Ifurita. You're too hurt to fight
him."
"I am so useless. Perhaps I don't deserve to live."
Kalia hugged Ifurita and tight and shouted,"What are
you saying? What is important to you now is to go and
LIVE. LIVE YOU HEAR! LIFE is precious and important."
Ifurita looked dazed but she finally comprehended what
Kalia was trying to say. "LIVE IFURITA! Makoto is
waiting for you!"

Ifurita was silent for a while before she looked up at
Kalia.
"You love Makoto too, don't you?"
Kalia was stunned at the question and hesitated.
"I'm just a machine."
"No more machine than I am. If you are JUST a machine,
you're the most human machine I've ever met."
"Ifurita, there's something I need to tell you.
You're......."

From a distance away, Makoto couldn't hear what the
two women were saying but he saw Ifurita's eyes
widened and an expression of surprise plastered all
over.

"How do you know?...you.."
"I am a demon goddess remember? I have been programmed
to sense this things." Kalia was patting Ifurita's
head as Ifurita hugged her tightly.
Looking serious suddenly, Kalia turned and said, "Take
good care of Makoto, won't you?" With a slight
michievious gleam in her eye suddenly and a wink she
added, "...otherwise I'll just steal him from you,
okay?"

"Take care."
Without turning back, Kalia strode over to resume her
battle with Abzahai....

(From the personal thoughts of Kalia):

#They would never have seen the expression on my face
as I walked to face the adversary leaving Ifurita and
Makoto behind.
Makoto - the look of concern on his face as he finally
caught up to the wounded Ifurita and the look of
greater concern on his face as I took on Abzahai all
by myself - a quest that could either end this aimless
destruction or a quest that could end in the
destruction of myself.
Ifurita - the look of relief at seeing Makoto but the
look of pain on her face to see me confronting the
adversary alone and knowing that she couldn't do
anything at all.#

Abzahai prepared to confront his opponent. He took
careful aim and sparks started to fly out from his
power staff.
*The lightning strike? A long-forgtten fighting
technique of the wizards of the neighbouring El Greco
kingdom? Well, two can play a game.*
Kalia pointed her staff as red blasts emerged from it.
The discharge from the two opponents met in mid-air
causing a mighty explosion.

Smoke and dust had cleared. Kalia started to brace
herself. She drew out her staff making it clear that
she wasn't going to fire but she wasn't going to
indulge in real fighting. Abzahai nodded, clearly
understanding.
*No more of this nonsense. Time for some real
fighting.*

The two demon gods flew and their staffs met in
mid-air causing sparks to fly. Again and again they
met, but both opponents were equally strong and both
refused to give way.
They charged again.
However this time, Kalia's staff was slightly off
angle to Abzahai's straight approaching staff. They
charged...

Pain.
The pain.
Abzahai's staff had ran through Kalia's abdomen
impaling her.

*Hurts. Why does it hurt?*
Kalia's body was impaled through Abzahai's pointed
staff and he was still carrying it with her body on
it.
*Is the end for me? Is this it?*
She struggled frantically, obviously in great pain;
trying to think of something she should do.
Her glance went up.
*Think Kalia, or your sacrifice will be in vain. He's
not built like me or Ifurita, right? Therefore, he's
more like a machine right? All machines have a central
power source - shut it down and he will be disabled.*
Her glance rested on the jewel resting in the middle
of his turban. Small, yet shiny and deadly-looking.
*I bet that's it.*
Using the last reserve of energy, Kalia brought her
fist down on the jewel smashing it as they were still
in mid-air.
The effect was unbelievable. Abzahai was like an
aircraft about to crash. It seemed like he was unable
to fly anymore.
"You have destroyed my central system. I am unable to
fly and I will self-destruct soon. Let go of me or you
will die with me," Abzahai spoke, clearly with no
emotion.
"I wish I could but you have disabled me and I have no
more energy to move."

A million thoughts raced through Kalia's mind as she
and Abzahai were plummeting at great speed over the
hills and into the deep valleys out of Makoto and
Ifurita's sight.
*Ifurita - while you might have once been my enemy,
you were also the best friend I ever had. Thank you
for the laughters and the joyful times; thank you for
all the times we were together.
Makoto - you saved me as you had saved Ifurita. You
believed in me even though no one else would. You gave
me hope and a will to be a better person. I think I
lov....*
Kalia winced.
*I'm sorry I can't be there anymore when you need me.
Makoto and Ifurita - sayonara....*

**********************************

Tears were rolling down Makoto and Ifurita's eyes as
they watched Kalia and Abzahai disappear over the
horizon followed by a huge explosion. Even Ura was
crying.
"...Kka..liaa.." cried Makoto in a hoarse whisper.
"I know. I understand. She did this so that the two of
us could have a brighter future."


#Parting is all we know of heaven.
And all we need of hell.# - Emily Dickinson