Inai Ni Yami ((Within Darkness)) {{FINISHED}}

Inai Ni Yami ((An Original Story)) Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"And here we are. As far away from the Sanctuary as I can take you. Happy?" Zakiya stretched out, limbs worn tired from all the running and skimming he'd done through the forest. His artificial muscles kept contracting on their own from over use, and his lungs worked overtime as he took in deep, long breaths.

Eve, on the other hand, was completely fine and relaxed, reveling in the glory of the underground forest. A few more Over World memories had resurfaced since the day Takeyama had given up on holding her hostage, and since then she'd had the time to sift through the memories that were Eve's and the one's that belonged to Evelyn.

Eve and Evelyn... So who am I?

Not paying attention to Zakiya's earlier question, she dragged her fingers down the bark of a strangely arranged tree. It's branches wrapped around itself and other trees, but they didn't look like the sun hungry trees of the Over World. No, they looked like nets, to hold and contain, or to maybe even protect, she wasn't sure. And the grass. It didn't reach up like the sharp, green fingers up above, but shifted around the ground, reaching out to nothing and bowing to no wind.

"How curious..." she whispered, bending down and brushing her fingers over the vegetation, more interested in it than Eve would've been. No, this was Evelyn, the scientist and researcher reviving at the sight of something new. A small part of her wanted to take a few strands of grass and store them away for later research, but that wasn't her. That was Evelyn.

If that's not me, then I wonder who is...

"Leave her now, Zakiya. She no longer needs your help."

How do you know that?

Zakiya countered from within his head, but when he turned to Eve, he noticed she looked a bit wary of his presence. As if she didn't like him. Smart girl, even if she didn't remember who he was, she still knew not to trust him completely.

"So then leave, Zakiya. Keisuke will become suspicious once he hears news of her disappearance and you're nowhere to be found."

Sadly enough, she was right. And so Zakiya stretched out once more before turning back to her. "I'm leaving, if that's alright with you," he informed her, waiting for a response.

Eve waved her hand at him dismissively and Zakiya nodded his head, walking away. That's as much as he could help her, as far as she knew and in all honesty, she didn't want to associate herself with him anymore. Something about him seemed familiar, and not in the good way, when remembering a family member or long lost friend. It was like realizing, Oh god, there's that bully from school, or something along the lines of someone you didn't like.

Eve stayed wary of him until he left her alone. Then she was finally free to explore. Oh god, what to do now? I'm free, but I'm still trapped. It was the truth, no matter how many ways she tried to look at it. Because above her was a dome of rock, and the dome was somewhere over thousands of miles under the earth's surface. Biting her lip, she reached into "Eve's" memories to look for anything useful...

"What is it? Don't you people know it's late! Oh, Kagami, Barajou, what a pleasant surprise! And who's this?"

"This is Hime, Barajou's twin. The girl's not a full Dorei, so don't worry if her services are lacking. She was ousted by her last Kurai because of that."

That place! They knew her face and they trusted her, or at least, the "Eve" side of her. Yeah. That place will work just fine. Problem was, how was she supposed to get there with her ragged clothes and battered up appearance. If only I had that weird device that kid carried around with him to change my appearance... And then she realized something more. That man from the bar... He knew "Kagami", not "Eve."

"Why does this keep happening to me?"

"Because you keep making the wrong, wrong decisions, Yin." Eve stood up from the ground immediately and put her back against a nearby tree. A laugh sounded through the place, and though it sounded like Zakiya, it was more feminine. "Always so wrong, always so dark, always so negative, aren't'cha, Yin?" The voice was closer now, though location was still a large question in Eve's mind.

"Lagrimas Del Cielo...

Battle Mode Nine: Lagrimas Del Cielo!" The large silver sword from before returned, and along with it, the mini gun attached to the top. For the first time, Eve felt relief flood through her at the sight of the weapon, and the moment a twig snapped from not too far off, Kagami Eve snapped into focus and it was all hunter and prey instincts from there.

"Ha~ Yin, Yin, Yin~ You're sooo clever, channeling yourself. You do know now, don't you? None of us are one person! None, none, none! One, one, one! Two in one, four in two! You know, you know, we're actually three people; THREE! But, but, we don't have the thirds memories. No, no~ But we can speak to each other in our heads~ Yes, yes! Did you know? Did you know? And I, I share his mind, just as he shares yours. Did you knowwww~?"

"You're insane," Eve responded softly, treading carefully over each blade of grass as if they were mine bombs. "I think you need to go see a psychiatrist or something. How about I recommend you to one of Evelyn's friends?"

"Ha~ See? Evelyn, not mine! Eve, not me! You are three, as are we~ Insane, ludicrous, call it all you want. You're still one of three, just like me!" She laughed again, and Eve could tell she was about ready to say something else but another voice came in, one she recognized way too much.

"That's enough Akiya. We're here to retrieve, not to tease. Battle Mode Eight: Shadow Cape."

Shadow Cape, Shadow Cape... What's Shadow Cape again?

Eve only had a few seconds to feel the panic set in before arms wrapped around her from behind. She yelped but could do nothing more than struggle as he grabbed a hold of her wrist with the sword.

"NiKagami Mode One: Nullification."

The sword melded back into her hand. "NiKagami Mode Two: Usurp." Eve's body became lead in his arms as he drained away what energy she had. Another yelp escaped her lips, though this one was weaker, smaller. "I'm truly sorry, Eve. I didn't mean to hurt you or anything, but if this is the only way I can bring you back, then I must use this way. I'm only glad that Zakiya was smart enough to leave you."

"Because of me, me, me!"

"Akiya, shut up. Just why did they let you come with me? I told him I could handle this on my own."

"But you couldn't, couldn't, couldn't! See, you needed me! You need two Yang's in order to control two Yin's, yes? Well, I'm the other Yang, and you need the second Yang, so there! You need, need, need me!"

"Akiya!" A groan slipped from Eve's lips as she finally collapsed to the ground, Steve too late to catch her. "Damn. I'm so sorry, I really am, but this must be done. You don't seem to understand which side you're on and I'm here to help you. Crazy as Akiya sounds, she's right. We're all three people; I'm your third, just as you're my third." Eve looked up into the violet eyes of Steve's that mirrored hers and whimpered. She thought she was free. She thought she was away from him and others. Why was she always so wrong?