Here's the end--sorta.

I don't have any right to write this; I do have to put a warning for
language & content, though.

"The Darkness: Mother Night" chapter three of three

The second seizure hit Sai’s body about two steps into his apartment. The
pain still lingered on him an hour after he had fallen. Every muscle in his
body ached, as if sensation was letting its first stabs break through a
lengthy numbness; a lack of heat wracked his being, leaving him convulsing
with violent shivers. He could barely catch his suddenly hard-sought
breath, and he fought with every bit of will he had to stay awake. If Kento
hadn’t been there to help him to his bed and talk to him, give him something
to focus on, he may not have made it any farther. The physical pains were
only the side effects, however; something much deeper was injured, and he
knew it could never be repaired. He tried his best to sleep, to convince
his guest that he was okay and didn’t need a baby-sitter for the night, but
he was kidding himself. Tonight, he would be restless
and pained, just like the night before.

The knock at the door startled both residents as it reverberated through
the apartment. Kento set aside his magazine and stood up from the folding
chair he had positioned at Sai’s bedside. “Wait here, okay?” he commanded
as he left. Sai nodded as he snuggled against the pillows, giving his
stuffed dolphin a little hug. Kento walked through the small apartment and
tossed the door open, letting his jaw drop as he saw the caller.
“Sage.....?”

Sage stood at the entrance, the very image of death in life. Despite his
glassy face, he looked desperate, and his eyes held an eerie intensity. “I
wanna see Sai,” he demanded. “Move.”

“Wha......,” Kento stammered dully before suppressing the shudder that ran
down his spine. “No. Just wait out here, and I’ll tell Sai you’re h--”

Sage lifted a hand, and the ground vanished beneath Kento’s feet before he
was propelled into the wall, hitting it hard enough to leave a full-size
dent. He fell to his knees, staring up dazed at his assailant as he walked
towards the bedroom. “I need Sai, and I can’t let you slow me down.” He
stopped at Sai’s bedside, staring down at the weary occupant. “Wake up,
Perfection.”

Sai looked up from the briefest of sleeps and stared up in shock. “Sage?”
he asked nervously. His eyes went wide as a menacing hand reached for his
face. “Sage, wha--” The chilly fingertips touched his face and sent a
violent shudder through his body as the hand clamped over his mouth.

“Quiet, Perfection. Don’t be scared. This’ll save both of us.” Sage
reached down and pulled Sai out of bed by his arm, dragging his agonized
body to the door. As they went to leave, Kento came slowly to his feet
again; a second later he hit the wall again, this time prompting a thin
stream of blood to flow from his mouth before his eyes rolled back and his
body collapsed in a limp heap. Sai looked at Sage, aghast. “Trust me, this
will work out in our favor.”

*This is the Perfection? Well done, child. You are truly part of our
line,* the Darkness hissed through the empty alley. Sage remained
unemotional as Sai struggled in his tight restraint. A sliver of black
reached out for Sai’s face; he winced in disgust as its searing fingers
touched his flesh. *Weakling. I hardly believe it’s him.*

“Sage, what are you doing?” Sai asked as he craned his neck back, panicked.
“Sage, PLEASE!!! Don’t listen to that thing!”

“I have no choice, Sai,” Sage said flatly, a thin trickle of tears staining
his stoic face. “You have to save us both.” He pushed Sai forward, letting
him stumble to his knees. “He’s yours, Mother!”

*Thank you, my child. You will be free.* A relieved smile crossed Sage’s
face. The sliver of shadow grew into a thick void, drawing Sai and any
loose debris towards its vacuum. He grabbed at the ground in vain, trying
desperately to plant himself enough to escape the darkness.

Sai tried to get Sage’s attention, panicked tears forming on his face.
“Sage!! Don’t let her take me!! She won’t let us both live, Sage, help
me!!” A large bit of debris struck his face, leaving
him to the mercy of the void. His limp form was swallowed by the darkness,
but the void remained open. Two shadowy arms reached for Sage’s body,
grabbing him by the throat.

*You served your purpose, and you were hardly worth the trouble. Goodbye.*

“No, Mother, NO!!” Sage protested before the light left his world.

Rowen’s eyes snapped open as he heard the screaming. A massive black hand
had a grasp on some struggling figure high above him; it let the figure fall
near him, eliciting an appalled stare. Sai’s pained being lay sprawled out
on his stomach, his barely open eyes staring desperately out at him. Rowen
picked him up, cradling his dying friend in his shaking arms. He had
thought he’d never see his friends again, but this was the last way he
wanted to see any of them.

“Rowe....” Sai moaned, barely able to form the words. He reached up feebly
for a comforting hand, which Rowen anxiously obliged. “I jus’ wanted a new
life....... I didn’t wanna die....”

*Too bad, child!* Mother Night hissed as a sharp pain swallowed both. *For
the Perfection, you’re hardly a threat.*

A brilliant white light began to radiate from Sai’s limp figure as he
screamed. The glare ended the pain and threw the shadows away from the two
figures; the darkness around them gave out an agonized, inhumanly
high-pitched shriek as it burnt away. Stray segments of black wafted about
the glistening expanse before dissolving. A pulling sensation yanked a
stunned Rowen and a still Sai up, leaving them floating helplessly. For a
second, the dim shapes of two hand appeared, gently caressing each of their
faces; Rowen caught the hand against his cheek with his.

“V........,” Rowen whispered before the final overwhelming burst of white
knocked him away from everything.

“Sage? Can you hear us?” Ryo’s voice called through the darkness. Sage
opened his eyes; the two figures of his closest friends hovered over him,
each visibly nervous. “What were you
doing out there?”

“I....” Sage groaned. The whole scene was so dim...... “Sai...?
Wha....?”

Kento swallowed hard and gave Sage’s cold hand a gentle squeeze. “We,
uh.... We can’t find ‘im. We don’t know what happened.”

“Where’s Rowen?”

“He’s been missing a long time,” Ryo said sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“But.....” Sage tried to fathom everything. It was so dim, so hard to
piece together; as the snippets of recollection fell into place, however, he
felt his heart stop. “Oh, God...... I killed
them......” He started to weep out loud, prompting a worried look between
his two visitors. “I killed them, but I didn’t wanna..... I didn’t mean
to.....”

“What are you saying?” Ryo asked, growing distressed; Sage only responded
with stronger crying. Ryo offered a comforting embrace to him, letting him
weep gently against his shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll find th--”

“No, you won’t,” Sage said, placing a weak hand over Ryo’s mouth. “I can’t
explain it, but they’re gone..... They’re dead....... I let two of my
friends die......” He jumped slightly as Kento’s hand came down on his
shoulder, and he turned a tear-stained face towards him, prompting tears in
his friend’s eyes.

“If they’re dead, are they a-at rest?” Kento stammered. Sage just nodded,
the memory of the sweetly burning white light validating his decision.
“Okay, I can deal with that...” he muttered to himself, wiping away his
tears.

“I’m sorry,” Sage muttered as he leaned against the bed, trying to catch
his breath. “I wish I could give you some hope, but...... I’m so
sorry.....”

“Sage,” Ryo said, mustering a strong smile. “There’s nothing you can do to
change things...., and wherever they are, Rowen and Sai aren’t mad at you.
You know that.”

Sage just nodded quietly. He knew they meant well, but they were as hurt
as he was. Two of the dearest people in his life had been cut down so
early, and he could have prevented it all. He gave a silent prayer, closing
his eyes. ^Rowen, Sai, I don’t know if you can hear this, but please,
forgive me and please, look after us. We’ll miss you.^