This is the last part of the trilogy; the finale's coming soon!!

Here's the last warning & the last disclaimer.

"Daughters of Darkness III: Mia?" chapter 4 of 4

Sage could feel..... cold. It wasn’t a normal cold but an unearthly,
killing chill that cradled him, and he couldn’t muster the strength to
struggle against it. A cocoon of darkness engulfed his naked form,
burrowing into the core of his being; everything alive and vital in him was
being supplanted by it, cruelly nurturing him. He strived to find some way
to fend it off, save himself from this unwanted rebirth, but anything that
could fight it had died in him. He closed his eyes and cried inwardly. Why
had he succumbed to this? He’s normally stronger than this and could easily
save himself, but with this, he had resigned himself with a whimper....
What had he said? What was this? Mother..... this was his Mother now, and
she
was nurturing him in her image, making him her child. She had picked him to
take the place of Shina; he was her replacement, and he had killed her to
prove his worth. Soon, he’d turn against his friends, forced to kill each
one despite his grief--if he remembered them at all. Sage let a tear roll
down his face and sink into the darkness; it was the last voluntarily thing
he would ever do.

**You’re fending her off better than anyone else she’s ever assumed,** a
vaguely familiar female voice said, purely impressed.

^Ayame..^ Sage snarled, unsure of where the strength to speak had come from
or whether it had even originated from his physical self. He forced his
eyes open to the slightest slits, glaring as best he could in the darkness
to find his hated companion. He gave up with a pained sigh, letting his
eyes sink shut.

**Calm down. She didn’t do this, and neither did I. I’m her..... sister.
Mother calls me Venefica. Call me V, since you’re our brother now.**

^Brother? What is she going to make me do?^

**I don’t know, but it’s not gonna be pleasant. Look what she’s made ‘Yame
and me do. We don’t like this. She feels the human angle, and I have to
watch Mother consume those poor souls. But I
don’t know if I can..... disobey her. She’s as old as time.**

^But will she make me hurt someone I love?^

**Unless you can save your free will, yes. Look what I’ve been forced to
do. You’ve seen the effects.**

^You’re Ayame’s twin, then?^

**No. I AM Ayame. She died last night.**

Ryo wandered along the edge of the lake, trying to find the sun behind its
shield of smoky clouds. Weather like this made him feel as languid and
sluggish as the day itself, and the circumstances of his life right now only
compounded his dsthymic attitude. His bare feet sank into the moist sand,
leaving a trail of footsteps marred by White Blaze’s as he obediently
followed. All he wanted was solitude and distance from the house, from its
problems; in his absence, they were Rowen’s problems, and he had to put up
with them for now. Sai hadn’t left his room in four days, and any attempt
to talk to him through the door met with silence; after the second day, Ryo
couldn’t help but wonder if he was even in there. It didn’t help that Kento
persisted in his attempts to talk to his former friend, so some of that
silence could be a defense against this annoyance. Inevitably, Kento would
slink down the stairs and complain to Ryo about his
frustrations, but Rowen could experience that unique nuisance for the time
being. His gaze stared vacantly towards the dock, falling on the solitary
figure standing unmoving on the absolute edge. Maybe Sai had
decided to come out of hiding. Ryo picked up his sluggish pace, eager to
make amends with his angered friend; once he got close enough to recognize
the figure, however, he stopped dead with a gaping look of
undiluted shock on his face.

“..Mia?” Ryo whispered. He began running as best he could in the damp,
yielding sand to reach the dock; he rose his voice to a shout. “Mia! Mia,
it’s me!” Mia hardly moved from her stance, even as Ryo climbed up on the
wooden planks and rested a hand on her shoulder, grinning in relief. “Mia,
you don’t know how glad I a--”

“I’m not Mia,” she flatly responded, keeping her eyes out over the lake.
“Sorry to disappoint.” She spun around sharply, staring him down. “And
don’t you start yelling at me like you did the other night. I’m not in the
mood for it now.” After enforcing her edict with a cruel glare, she turned
back to the still lake. “Besides, I spared your lives. You should be
grateful.”

“You want gratitude?” Ryo asked angrily, doing his best to restrain his
temper.

“Your friends are alive, aren’t they? There’s no more man-eating chickens
or lovesick teenyboppers, are there? ‘Cuz if you start raising your voice
again, I will easily pick the more annoying of the two scenarios and make it
a permanent fixture in your life.” Ryo clammed up, knowing anything he said
would be angry and, in all likelihood, loud. “So behave yourself, or your
comic relief will live in constant, crippling terror of the giant purple
chickens.” She waited for a reply, receiving only silence. “I want you to
know, I’m dead now.”

“What?”

“Me. I died right after you berated me last week.” Before he could
answer, she turned around again and cut him off. “YES, I’m ‘Ayame’. But
that was my human name, so don’t use it. Ever. It’s just V now. Thanks
for destroying my only hope for any humanity.”

“If it means you’ll go away and leave us alone, it’s worth it.”

“So you don’t mind that you’ve just destroyed the psyche of a beautiful
human being.”

“You actually think you had a REAL human soul?!”

“NO, NOT ME.” She stared at him coldly, waiting for the moment of
realization; it never came. “You don’t get it, do you? You’re so goddamn
eager to be Mister Noble Leader Boy that you’re completely oblivious to the
real problems around you.” She sighed angrily and turned her back to him.
“He didn’t deserve the shit you and your disciples gave him.”

“Sai?” Ryo meekly offered.

“Ya think?” she sarcastically replied. “He’s alone in the world now ‘cuz
of you. He still has some bad blood with his sister and all, you guys have
completely convinced him you all HATE him, and I can’t approach him without
putting him at risk ‘cuz you guys didn’t like having me in this world.
Congratulations. You’ve ruined a single life faster and better than I could
ruin HUNDREDS in my three thousand years.”

“W-we did--....... ah, I didn’t mean to......”

“Oh, and thanks for the pronounced disgust over our evening together.
Thanks for prying that out of him. And NO, it wasn’t to bind him to me. It
was to bind ME to HIM. He was my humanity.” Her
harsh tone began to soften. “I don’t think you can even fathom what it’s
like to be in love like we were. It.... it makes you feel ALIVE. It was
the first time in all my existence I was alive, and it was because of Sai.
When you drove me away from him, what was the point? I lost my link to
humanity. He knocked the demon out of me, and yeah, I lived a dual life,
but it was worth it to have such a caring, sweet person in one of
‘em........ You wouldn’t understand.”

“I still think you had no right sleeping with him. We don’t know where
you’ve been, and after that RAMBLING,...... you gotta be nuts.”

“Well,” she started with an air of false cheeriness, “after that little
comment, you’re never seeing this girl again.”

“What?! You can’t take Mia!”

“Why not? She’s a sweet, gentle, patient, smart, underappreciated person,
and I could let her start over in a nice new life where a pod of leeches
like you louses won’t take advantage of her kindness. I’ve done it before.”

“You can’t take her... you can’t!” Ryo grabbed her arm and whirled her
around, receiving a low, feral growl for his efforts. “Look, all those
things you said about Mia, that’s why I...... why.......... why I love her.”

“Could’ve fooled me. All I ever saw were token signs of affection to save
your ass. ‘You’re mad, so I’ll give you a hug and avoid your anger,’ or
‘You seem grumpy, so I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek to get you cheery
enough to be bearable.’ She loves you, but...... WHY? You’re a selfish
little prick. You’d need to prove your love to me before you hear from her
again.” Ryo winced his eyes shut and bit down hard on the rage her cold
words stirred in him; a pair of stray tears caressed his face. “Nice show.
How hard was it to muster those?”

“SHUT UP!” Ryo snapped, tears inundating his face. “I... I’m sorry I hurt
you, okay?! I didn’t want to hurt anyone like this! I just want Mia back!”
He caught his breath and stared into her eyes, their anger burning out.
“Please, just let me talk to her one more time....”

“I can’t. I need to use her body just a little longer, if you want your
friend back. I don’t want him to end up as my brother.... he doesn’t
deserve that.”

“You mean Sage, right?”

“No, I mean Chicken Boy. Who do you think?! Mother picked him to replace
the others, and I can’t let that happen. He’s in such pain, and he can only
keep up his fight so long before he loses. And
you’ll be the first fodder he goes after. He won’t have any choice but to
hurt his loved ones, and he knows that--it’s killing him. If I’m gonna get
him back to humanity even a little, I need a body, and since my old one
spent a night on the train tracks and no longer has a left side, I need
Mia’s.”

“I’ll help you. But promise me, please, that you’ll let me have Mia back.”

She stared into him. A mutual sense of loss surrounded the two, and her
grief was augmented by his. As much as she had come to hate him and his
ilk, she did share a bond with them. Maybe it was
through Sai, since he was bound to them; maybe her attempts to win them over
as friends had paid off in a tiny way; maybe it was Mia’s bond she was
using. Whatever it was, she couldn’t deny their ties. And she couldn’t
turn away his help, even if it was just him and just to retrieve Mia. She
smiled slightly. “Okay.”

Sage could feel the darkness penetrating his deepest self, surpassing his
body’s pain and reaching a new apex of agony. He knew he had to fight his
rebirth, retain his will and his soul, but the
strength to fight hardly equaled the determination; even if he couldn’t see
his body, he could feel how emaciated and atrophied his flesh was, clinging
to his brittle bones. It could claim victory over his body, he knew that.
He was willing to give the darkness that hollow victory, but he’d never give
up his soul, no matter how much it was violated and tainted. Even if it
meant an eternity of unrest, his soul--his essence, his purest self--would
remain free. Despite his conviction, Sage knew he couldn’t last; he hadn’t
counted on the pain. He was being torn apart from the inside out, and that
was just a method of breaking his will; once he was broken, it would only
get worse. Still, he would succumb to this ungodly fate fighting--he
could do no less.

“Sage!” a very human, very familiar voice called out loudly. “Sage, it’s
V! Gimme your hand! I’ll get you free!”

Sage strained his memory; that was not V’s voice. ^Mia..... You
can’t......^

“I’m not just here as Mia!” V shouted again. “I’m here to help you, as
your sister and friend! Please, just give me your hand!”

^... I can’t...... She’s killing me...... I can’t move...^ A gentle
caress of vital warmth broke through the cocoon of darkness, touching his
moribund body. It carefully gripped his hand, folding his numb fingers in
its soothing embrace. He felt renewed and began tearing himself free from
the dark womb; sensation came back into his frail form, the first indication
coming with the comforting acknowledgment of his heartbeat. The pain in
every aspect of his being began to fade, and a serene smile formed on his
face as the first slivers of dimming daylight met his flooded eyes. He had
beaten the darkness; he was free.

*Ungrateful little BASTARD!!!* the shadows around him hissed. A new wave
of agony swallowed him, tearing through him with more focus and efficiency
than any before it. Sage screamed, unable to
tolerate the sheer magnitude of this new assault. The daylight dissipated
as the darkness engulfed him anew; the soothing rhythm of his heart vanished
in the crushing pain. *Never will my own child defy me! Stop this
fight.........* He felt the warmth of his rescuer slipping away, and the
darkness cradled him anew. Why bother fighting? If his fate was to destroy
everything he had once loved, he may as well embrace it and end his
distress.

She stepped back; he may have been withdrawing back into the darkness, but
she still had his hand--she could salvage his body, at least. He was
useless to her without his body. She pulled hard, able
to feel his delicate frame straining in the struggle. The darkness
expanded, warping out of its limbo to form a glaring black vertical shaft;
the dried weeds in the dead valley around it were smoking, and it was only a
matter of time before this figure was immolated. She had to get him free,
had to prove to Mother that she couldn’t control her anymore. A surge of
strength overtook this rather feeble vessel, and the unconscious young man
fell out in front of her. He was nude, his flesh blanched out to an ivory
pallor; his silver eyes stared open without light, taking on the pearly
blankness of a lifeless toy’s gaze. He was alive, but was he truly able to
live anymore? Before she could find out, the darkness erupted, swallowing
the field and
staring down at her with an inhuman stare devoid of an ocular source.

*You’ve killed our line, witch-child,* the darkness hissed. *I won’t let
this one escape me at your tainted hands....*

“I’m not scared of you, Mother!” she said as she cradled Sage’s chill body,
mustering the most nerve this vessel’s gentle voice could produce. “I’m
sick of being your pawn and being blamed for YOUR
cruelty!”

*..... We all make mistakes, witch-child...... I’m fixing one of
mine........*

An unearthly gold light started to glow in the ripples of darkness, its
brightest light glaring down on her. She froze; this body was neither fast
enough nor hearty enough to survive this. She turned away and winced,
protecting Sage as best she could with her embrace and waiting for the most
painful agony in possibility to tear through them. Instead, a vaguely
familiar voice shrieked in excruciation as the light supernova’d around his
figure. She opened her eyes in time to see Ryo fall to his knees, still
alive and awake but in severe agony; perspiration drenched him as he gasped
for air, his eyes wide in physical shock. She placed a hand on his
shoulder, receiving no reaction. He had taken that harsh an assault
unguarded, even though he could’ve protected himself--he had to have that
pointy stuff, too. He knew that she might not be able to give him Mia back,
and even then, he was willing to protect her vessel, maybe to die for it.
If she had truly been Mia, what difference in his actions would he have
made? None. He may be short-tempered, a little judgmental, and immature,
but Mia’s heart was in the right place with her affections. She deserved
him back. She deserved her vessel back.

V resigned herself with an inward sigh as she returned to the darkness,
ignoring the pain. It was what she deserved, a demon witch trying to kill
such an innocent affection. For all her alterations made in the name of
love, she knew she just didn’t understand it; she wasn’t human enough.

Mia opened her eyes, adjusting them to the sunrise’s first lavender rays as
they streamed through the windows of the van. A blanket had been tossed
over her, and she had been stretched out over the middle seats. She sat up
slowly to find Ryo in the front seat, sound asleep; his jacket was wrapped
around his backwards, serving as his own blanket as he rested. She smiled.
He always looked so childlike when he slept, so peaceful and happy. Rowen
was driving, his eyes focused on the empty roads; he was unusually stern,
almost putting on a poker face for public show. She looked to the rear
seats, where Sage was propped up with a catatonic stare on his pallid face,
covered only in the second spare blanket. She reached forward and touched
Ryo’s shoulder, waking him up with a weary moan.

“Ryo, are you okay?” Mia whispered, staring into his opening eyes.

Ryo smiled slightly. Mia’s eyes had their light back, that kind-hearted
glow that had been missing for so long. Despite her scratches and bruises,
she was beautiful again, as any loving human woman was. The demon, for all
her torture and bitterness, had kept her word. He reached up, tenderly
caressing her face with his fingertips. She took his hand in hers, sharing
each other’s warmth. He’d never let anyone take her away from him like that
as long as he lived, he silently vowed.

“I-... I’m fine now,” Ryo wearily replied before he summoned all his
strength and placed his first, frightened, gentle kiss on her lips.

Rowen strolled through the woods, trying to get his thoughts in order.
First, the good things: Sage was alive, Mia was back, and he was in full
possession of his facilities. Then, the bad: Sage wasn’t really alive; he
just sort of sat there. Sure, he was breathing and could eat simple foods,
but he wasn’t alive. He couldn’t talk or feel or move anymore; he was
wasting away. Rowen needed to put it out of his head, or he’d be of no help
with this suffering. His eyes fell on the leaf-speckled ground, enchanted
by a
very foreign object with an equally odd color. He knelt down and pinched it
up from the dirt; it was a feather of the brightest royal purple with an
exceptionally soft texture. He stroked it, enjoying this solitary token
from some lost bird of paradise. Such a comforting distraction...

“Rowen!” Kento called as he approached. His head was turned away from
Rowen, spun in the proper direction by a stumble over the uneven ground.
“Ggaah! W--.... Rowen!” He smiled broadly. “It’s
supp--....” Kento noticed Rowen’s gentle hand motions over some tiny object
and let his smile drop faintly. “Whatja got?” Rowen calmly pulled his
hands away from the feather, and Kento’s eyes went wide. “oh... my.......
GOD............” he muttered. He forced a quick, nervous smile as he began
a retreat. “I’m... gonna go.... backtothehouse--bye.” Kento sprinted off
in the general direction of the mansion, leaving Rowen to shrug in benign
bewilderment and resume petting his new prize.

The dim light in the room matched the grotesque scene within. Sage
reclined in bed, still trapped in his catatonic state; he had been carefully
dressed in his favorite silk pajamas and had his hair combed, but he hardly
looked alive. Ryo sat next to him, sleeping in a chair with a quilt draped
over his resting body. Sai quietly shut the door, careful not to disturb
the unexpected attendant as he knelt by Sage’s bedside. He cradled his
stiff hand in his own trembling ones and carefully pried the fingers back
enough to rest his armor crystal safely in his palm.

“I know you can hear me,” Sai whispered as he lowered Sage’s hand back on
the bed. “You’re the last one I can trust, and I am truly sorry for
disturbing you. I’m going away to start over. Maybe if I leave now I can
make something of my life, and you guys won’t have to worry about me
anymore. I won’t be able to help you if trouble should arise again, so
here--” He patted the cold hand with a sad smile. “--find someone suitable
for this responsibility. I’ll miss all of you, even if you won’t miss me
any. Good-bye.”

Sai carefully stood up and slipped out of the room. He shouldered his worn
black duffel bag, its heavy weight dragging him down further under his
burden of living. He crept out of the back door and started down the
driveway, his steps over gravel disturbing the stillness of the night. For
a moment, he froze and looked back at the resting manor; not a light had
come on, and not a single shadow stirred by the windows. The growing tides
in his gaze receded, replaced with a cold determination. His choice was
right; he would not be missed in this life. Sai turned away with a resigned
sigh and continued down the drive. It was time to begin anew, now, with no
disturbances. Just solitude, lonely solitude.