Chapter 109: 'The Shadow And the light.'

"Good evening ladies." Arin sneered, halting a short distance away.

Bowing before them in a sarcastic mockery of polite formality, before turning to face a stunned Ryoko directly.

"Did you really think to be rid of me so easily Ryoko?"

"You can't be here!" She murmured thickly.

"It's impossible!" Ryoko wailed, now in the grips of a rising hysteria.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU HAVE TO DIE?!" She screamed as she leaped igniting her sword. As she descended upon the sight of her own personal devil!

There came a blast of thunder as their respective blades collided. The wind from the backlash alone, extinguishing most of the small fires within the clearing as Kagito gave a contemptuous shove, launching Ryoko in to a short flight backwards.

She landed instantly at the ready grasping her energy blade in both hands she again surged forwards.

"ENOUGH!" Ena's voice echoed ringing somehow louder than the previous explosion of sound, striding calmly between the two combatants. Causing Ryoko to halt her charge as Ena turned to face Kagito.

"Ah!" He sighed elaborately bowing.

"The Royal concubine! To what do I owe this august pleasure?"

"Curious, your knowing who I am?" Ena Responded mildly. "Never having met me in the actual flesh?"

The remark thus delivered was curious. Enough that it seemed to give Kagito pause. He stood regarding her oddly.

"No matter." Ena sniffed. "I merely wanted to see if any of the rumors were true!" She paused now to regard him in turn.

"Since we will never meet again. Here..." She Added smiling, indicating their surrounding with her eyes.

"Or ever, in the so called real world!"

"Why I do believe..." Kagito laughed, looking only mildly surprised, glancing appreciatively up and down the length of Ena's elegant form. "That sounded vaguely like a threat!"

"I assure you, there is nothing remotely vague about it." Ena replied calmly squaring her shoulders to him.

"I suggest you prepare whatever is left of your soul for resolution."

"Brave words!" He chuckled, sparing a single glance Ryoko's direction.

"Do you actually believe a lavishly appointed whore is any more of a threat than..."

"This is pointless!" Ena interrupted, gesturing curtly dismissive as she turned away.

"Be gone wrath!" She added, over her shoulder while the ground beneath Kagito's feet instantly erupted!

"WHAT IS THIS!" He roared, dropping several feet. Having to abandon his weapon as twin rows of rounded white stone slammed into view against his outstretched hands. Even as the soil about him continued to rise.

Ryoko watched horrified but unable to turn away, seeing the agony leap into being upon the face of her nemesis. When his back and shoulders met the opposing chorus line of gleaming white stones.

She mutely bore witness to his arms finally snapping like matchsticks against what was now unquestionable a rising maw.

"RYOKO!!!" Kagito wailed imploringly, his agonized gaze fining her an instant before he vanished as the mound containing the orifice rose still higher.

Still gaping herself, in stark wonder, Ryoko found her perspective somehow now shifting. Her field of view rising to keep pace as the meadow, the fires even the giant trees were at last left far below.

The 'mound' shedding dirt and stone as still it rose and began tilting.

The gaping mouth at its center becoming more and more pronounced as features continued to resolve upon what was now obviously a mammoth face.

Ryoko glanced beneath her, seeing the light of Juraihelm receding below, realizing she somehow impossibly seemed to be growing!

Till the clouds formally above now began to obscure details below even as the face and form erupting from the planet below became more recognizable.

The umber of earth shifting first to purple then subtly to blue as the craggy features rapidly smoothed.

What seemed the dust of a hundred deserts beginning to rain down. As what was now clearly Ena's hair erupted and rapidly lengthened. The craggy lines of her gigantic countenance cracked and split as next the emerald fields of her beautiful eyes opened. Fixing steadily upon Ryoko's. Just as the last details, namely her clothing seemed to fade in around her like a gathering storm.

"Thus ... it finally ends." Ena smiled, then perhaps more than a tad flamboyant, visibly swallowed.

"What?" Ryoko stammered unsettled. "What just happened?"

"He's gone Ryoko." Ena told her solemnly.

"Though, technically Kagito was never truly here."

She reached out gently brushing away a stray lock from Ryoko's astonished face.

"The portion just dealt with..." She paused, breaking again into one of her radiant smiles.

"I suppose you might call it a 'residue' of him has been removed. He will never bother you again!"

In her state of confusion Ryoko's eye sort of wandered about. For about an instant she caught herself staring at Ena's perfect teeth, morbidly wondering if she shouldn't consider a good flossing!

"And," Ena added with a laugh. "In the unlikely event he still exist somewhere out there..." Her gaze indicating the world about them.

"Having somehow cheated the death Tenchi so righteously granted him! He will never be able to use that lingering remnant to invade or control your mind!"

Ryoko continued to stare, uncertain what to believe ... Yet somehow deeply sensing the truth behind Ena's words.

"You must forgive me!" Ena continued passionately.

"I had to wait for the arrogant sliver of him that remained to show itself! For fear of what true 'deep probing' could have done to your mind!"

She paused, Ryoko detecting a tinge of genuine regret coloring her words.

"Though his shade failed somehow to grasp that which little Zero learned earlier." Ena added, producing, then opening the very 'brass lantern' in which the fore mentioned was still held.

"In this realm, I am supreme!" Ena concluded triumphantly. Smiling as the tiny mirror image of Ryoko shot forth.

Circling the two of them in a fashion most surreal, for the moments it took to for Zero to regain correct scale.

Before finally choosing to land some feet away. Zero pausing to Regarding them both as she finished 'growing' to proper size.

"Can you feel it" Zero spoke wonderingly after a few moments of watching them. Looking directly at Ryoko.

"He's gone!" She gasped seeming almost over whelmed. "Ryoko! He's finally gone!"

Ryoko greeted these events with a quiet gratitude. Unable to keep from mirroring the smile on that face, which was and at the same time wasn't her own.

It was hateful to her, after all she had just rediscovered. To think of something now so long a part of her being locked away.

"You're free!" Zero spoke with sudden emotion, looking directly at Ryoko, her eyes shining and unashamed.

"You're free." She added as tears at last started to flow. "And I'm so happy!"

Ryoko started to speak, though uncertain what she should even say. When a feeling of panic began to rise when noticing her 'twin' was beginning to turn transparent.

"What?" She gasped. "WHAT'S happening to you?"

"It's ok! You don't need me anymore..." Zero told her smiling even as she continued to fade.

"WAIT!" Ryoko gasped, starting forwards just as her 'twin' vanished completely.

"Good bye." Zero's voice whispered also growing faint. Her last words, passing Ryoko's ear soft as a lingering breeze.

"She will always be with you, you know Ryoko." Ena told her quietly.

"I," Ryoko stammered, turning imploringly to her. "I don't understand."

"Yes you do." Ena assured.

"Look within your heart. It was that last lingering portion of Kagito that kept you apart!

When you merged, Zero imposed herself as a sort of shunt! Routing around the 'bad' portions of your psyche allowing you to experience some of your true emotions."

Ena paused, her smile turning wistful. "How utterly like a sentient machine!"