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Returning to normal? Not a chance. Back at Home, the repairs were mostly finished, but the damage had been done. Many were traumatized, had lost members of their blood, and were badly injured. No punishment could be given to the military that was good enough. However, there was some light at the end of the tunnel.

When Taffy met with Sam, they learned that they shared a common enemy. With his formidable clan backing the Lilith, the military had gone on the defensive. Yesterday, Master went to meet with Sam privately, to a location not even known by Susuka. Taffy, along with Susuka, were put in charge of making Lucy feel at home in the Home, which was an odd task since she had an army willing to sacrifice theirs lives for her. However, it was an order from Master, so they had no choice.

Master, of course, had been changed by the entire experience in a subtle way. Taffy had noticed it the few times they had crossed paths since the mission, but he was definitely different. He was quieter, as though constantly in deep thought, and more prone to aggression. Susuka was worried, but there was nothing she could do.

"So, is there anything in particular you would like to do Lucy?" Taffy asked politely. She had her hood on, and a new shirt and skirt. She had on all of her weapons, just in case.

The white feline thought for a moment, using her parasol to shield her from the sun, "Well, can I see that bracelet thing you are wearing? It looks so pretty." Taffy raised her hand, "Wow. Is there any way I can get one like it? With a different gem, of course."

Taffy knew that the man who had made the bracelet, John, had lost his wife. However, if he were to work again, it would be like therapy, "Alright, come on. I hope he'll let us in..."

Lucy had a confused look on her face, "This place suffered major damage in a siege. The maker of that piece of jewelry lost his wife in the first wave. He had not been doing too well, which was understandable." Susuka had a hardened expression on her face, "Come. We will make him work. It will be good for him." The three girls headed to the damaged business district. Fire damage was still visible, but people were starting to relax again, "I am curious. The military has access to high powered missiles, yet they don't wipe the Lilith out. I know that Serenity was the only one keeping her from doing that, and this new alliance is also barring them from an attack, but they knew when he was going to leave. Why didn't they attack then?"

Taffy had no idea. It didn't make any sense, "Simple. This... Chaos... she wished to break the man. If they had destroyed Home, then he would have went berserk with rage and being with him would have been impossible. However, this way, there is a chance that he will be weakened. I think it has already happened."

"How dare you speak of him so lightly! He is the strongest man I have ever known! He would not break under such circumstances, he would only get stronger!" Susuka was furious.

Lucy closed her eyes and lowered her head, "That may be, but he is still only mortal. He can break like any other, though he may have a different way of showing it. It is up to you to help him through this, to keep him from making mistakes. Flesh is corruptible, and once he loses himself, it will be hard to regain it." After this comment, Susuka looked worried.

"Sorry Lucy. But I will need to cut this short. There is something I need to look into." She ran off towards the fortress. Taffy wondered what she was up to, but suddenly she became dizzy. She wobbled back and forth as her vision blurred. A voice could be heard shouting her name, but it was too late. A thud, then darkness.

....................................

Taffy woke up on long rock. She rubbed her head, and found that her hood was no longer there. In fact, nothing was. She was naked without a weapon, "Ah!" She hopped to her feet and stood at a defensive position, but only for a second. The rock she was sitting on was about twenty feet long, ten feet wide, and floating in a pitch black space with multicolored ribbons spiraling around randomly. This was nowhere on earth, this was more of a dream world. Taffy focused her mind briefly when she saw a member of the Lilith sitting at the far end of the rock. The usual uniform, with Taffy's revolvers and rifle. She had her head hanging down so her face could not be seen, "Um, hello? Are you... Chelsea?"

"No. I'm you. I'm your inner self. We need to have a talk." She gestured for Taffy to sit on the ground, "You hesitate at every move, question everything you do, and are afraid to do what needs to be done. Why?"

"Where am I?"

The copy sighed, "Your mind. See how chaotic it is? That is your fault. You need to fix it. Or I can just kill you here, get it all over with. After all, this is a coma."

Taffy stood up as a chill shot down her spine. She spun around to see that another copy was behind her, "What the hell is going on?!"

"Ah, you still do not see. Until you accept who you are, you will be trapped here. But, as the natural world dictates, you will die if you spend too long here. So we need to make this quick. What are you afraid of?"

Taffy wanted to ask more questions, every nerve in her body was tingling and asking her to push on, but she decided that it would be better to just give in. She was unarmed, and wouldn't do much good in a fight, "Spiders mostly. Why do you ask?"

The copy sighed, "Fine. Not good, but not bad either. Violence or heights would have been more appropriate, but... oh. I do know something you fear. I think I shall force you to break free from the chains that bind you. So, win or die trying!" Taffy's ear twitched as she heard a sound. It was like the wind, but heavier. And splashier. Taffy froze, "Yes, you don't mind water when it is in your control, but when it is constantly flowing, you lose control. Escape."

Taffy lost it and screamed. The water was getting closer, yet she was too engulfed in fear to move. This was it, she was going to be washed away. She put her hands on her head and crouched down, "I can't do it! I can't do it!"

There was a sigh, "This is your mind moron. As you believe something is true, so shall it be. Same for the real world. If you sit on the edge of a building and believe you will fall off and die, you will. If you believe something will cause pain, it will. Understand yet? Or do I have to drill into that thick skull of yours?"

Taffy stood up, focusing on what her copy said, and the sounds stopped. Even the ribbons started to become more predictable, "What did you say?"

"This isn't going to happen again, so I need to put as much into your head as possible. Think of me as the best teacher in the world and pay attention. You can't just aim your guns and fists. You need to anticipate the opponents motions, let your instincts do the work for you. Understand? If you rely on your sight too much, you will miss."

"Um, I know that already. Can I wake up now?"

The copy smiled, "I would like you to think about something. Chelsea was regarded as one of the most skilled Lilith. Why?"

Taffy did think. It was her training, her acceptance of the beliefs, and her variety of weapons that kept her alive. What else could it be?

"Wrong." Taffy jumped, as she didn't say a thing, "She was strong because she had a reason. As does Master and Susuka. Susuka's father did so once, but he lost the reason and suffered the ultimate penalty. Do you know what the reason is? It was in all of your dreams about her. A person, always by her side. A reason, close to her heart." The copy faded, to stone platform smoothed out and became soft, and the sky returned to blue.

"She was in love..."

"Huh? Are you okay?! Taffy! Open your eyes!" Yoko was standing over her, screaming in Taffy's ears. Taffy looked up and Yoko sighed in relief, "You... you scared me. You scared all of us. Don't do that again."

"I think... I need to do something. Can you help me up?" Yoko took her hand and lifted Taffy to her feet, "I've been relying on this, on Chelsea, for everything." She grabbed her necklace, "I can't do that any more. My guardian angel was just holding me back, I need to be the one to push forward. I need to be the one to act. Where are my things, there are those who need me."

Taffy was handed all of her equipment and quickly put it on. She wore the skirt and shirt instead of her uniform, as it gave her more flexibility and because she was going to avoid physical confrontation as much as possible, so leather armor was unnecessary. She put her guns on and ran to find Susuka.

"Good. I need your help. Follow me, I'll fill you in on the way." Taffy followed her without a word. They got on a bus, which emptied out quickly, and drove south to a military secret base, "He has taken it, a sword used as punishment. It is incredibly heavy with spiked studs as the handle. In the past, it was given to traitors and tied to their hands. They were forced to fight off the Lilith. In most cases, the wielder died from blood loss. We must hurry and find him.

They arrived at a building and Taffy kicked in the front door, her pistols drawn. A few people were in the lobby, but most ran when they saw the two. One man stood in the corner, "She will lead the angels to your door. There will no longer be any mercy. You shall all suffer from the warriors of the true god." He was wearing a suit and was completely unarmed. Susuka walked up to him and drew her katana. She smiled, then slashed him into a million pieces. Taffy was impressed by the speed and power, but this was no time to wonder. She ran over to an elevator and made sure it was empty.

"Come on, we're running out of time." Susuka cleaned off her blade then ran in just as the doors shut. This elevator clearly went down to where they needed it to go, but the numbers only went up, "I have an idea." Taffy grabbed the barrel of one of her pistols and basked open the emergency panel. Luckily, new buttons were displayed. She hit the one labels "lab" and down the elevator went.

As the door opened, they were greeted by a gruesome sight. A sea of bodies was blocking their path. Some had military uniforms, others civilian wear, and only a handful had any weapons. Blood was splattered on all of the walls, and large cuts ruined the smooth metal. Taffy felt an urge to vomit, but Susuka put a hand on her shoulder, "We must keep moving. If it is him, then we don't have much time." Taffy steeled herself and pushed forward, trying as hard as she could to avoid stepping on the bodies.

When they were clear, a single thin stream of blood was left, "Hm, it's not big enough to be from a body, so no one was dragged. Maybe it was Master. He can't have escaped that without some kind of injury."

Susuka lowered her head, "He's had that injury since he left the Lilith. It's the cursed sword, I knew it. We need to stop him before he dies!" She ran off and followed the blood trail. Taffy had no trouble keeping up, but she bumped into Susuka when she stopped suddenly.

A human stood at the end of this hall, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, both of which were ripped up. His hair was shaggy, and very short and sparse fur was growing around his jaw and mouth. Strips of random cloth were wrapped around parts of his body where he was injured, and blood dripped down from the longsword in his hands. Taffy noticed that the blade was clean, and the blood was coming from, "Your hand! It's injured!"

"Among other things. But for the first time, I actually feel good. And no, it isn't just the blood loss."He turned towards the girls, "I find that the uniform... hides my true talents. Susuka knows what I'm talking about."

She began to tremble, "But, that sword, why? Why can't you use something else?!"

He smiled, "Because, this is the blade I trained with in secret. Pain, misery, and all things evil accompany this blade, not to mention how heavy it is. So I told myself, after the Tanek split from the Lilith, that I would become the man I promised you. One that would protect everyone without a second thought. I found this sword, and learned to use it. Sure, it hurts, but it's power and defensive capabilities in skilled hands are unmatched. The balance of the blade and the hilt is odd, but I've mastered it. Come on, Sam and his people should be creating their distraction."

Taffy shivered, "What distraction?" The building rumbled and some dust fell from the ceiling, "What the hell was that?!"

Master looked up, "Uh... that was bad. They aren't supposed to be here. We need to hurry, and strike while the opportunity presents itself."

Susuka hesitated, "Why that sword? You could have chose any other, yet you chose that one. Why?" She was serious.

Master sighed and looked over to Taffy, who was curious as well. She didn't know much about it, but it seemed to be a bad thing, "Well, it teaches control. There is no other blade like it, nor can there ever be one. The man who made this is long gone, and he did not pass on his secrets. In this sword is the blood and sweat of countless souls. Mostly slain, but... that is not important. The handle, with the sharp studs, it has taught me more about fighting than any tutor. That when you squeeze too hard, you sacrifice skill and dexterity. If you put too little or too much effort into an attack, you will lose the ability to protect yourself from a counter attack. And... it has slain more than a few sacred. I think it would be appropriate, don't you agree?"

A human walked around the corner, "Well well, looks like the gangs all here. Guess we should get started." It was Sam, and he was alone.

Taffy stepped forward, her pistols in her hands, "How did you get here?!" It was a heavily armored base, there was no way he should have been able to enter without so much as an alarm.

"Mm. I suppose you don't know about it then?" He looked at the three, "Alright, they just launched a satellite. From what I was able to get from the security office, it has some sort of hologram technology. Next generation stuff, not even a prototype has been tested yet. Apparently, a young lady designed it, called it a 'perfect invention,'"

"Chaos?! What the hell is she planning?!" Master was angry. Taffy thought about it for a second. Chaos was technically in a computer, and inside a base she could physically manifest her image and affect the real world. Unfortunately, Taffy wasn't that great with technology, so she could only get close to the conclusion. After she told everyone, Master solved the puzzle, "If that thing becomes fully operational, she'll be able to appear wherever she wants without consequence. We need to stop it!"

"So noble, yet misguided. You can't kill a sacred, and since you have acquired my help, neither can I. But, it is only technology mixed with a girl who needs to get laid. So many weaknesses.... let's use them to get her. A simple virus will limit her abilities, and if we use Serenity here as bait, well, she won't even notice." Master and Susuka nodded in agreement, "But, Taffy has to leave."

"What?! Why me?!" Taffy was furious, "I can help!"

Master smiled, "Yeah, but you are still young. Go back to Home and learn some more. Now is not your time." Taffy started to protest, but Master stopped her, "You still lack what is needed. Now run! Make sure they are safe."

Taffy snarled and thought about throwing a punch, but decided against it and ran the way she came from. Some tears welled up in her eyes, but she knew that they were right. She was good with a gun, but she wasn't a fighter. She wouldn't do any good if the situation got really bad. Not only that, she had no idea what they were talking about. Taffy had no proficiency with computers, or anything related to them. All she could do was shoot and run, neither of which were helpful here. Not even her vision gave her comfort.

And so she ran for over an hour, her muscles were screaming in pain, as were her lungs, but she was lost in despair. She easily scaled the walls and slowly walked through Home to her favorite spot. She couldn't remember how she had got here, but it didn't matter. She was of no use to Master and therefore no use to herself.

This hill, however, was very relaxing. The sun shone down upon it brightly, and there was an odd tree with pink flower blooms all year long. An occasional breeze would make a few petals float down, which was just a beautiful sight for Taffy. She plopped down and buried her head in her knees. She cried.

Footsteps could be heard approaching, but Taffy didn't care. A body sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay Taffy?" It was Yoko. Taffy lifted her head, then rested it on Yoko's shoulder, "Why are you crying? Did something happen?"

"I'm... I'm useless to them. I can't keep up. I can't do anything. I can't-" Yoko wrapped her arms around Taffy and hugged her tightly

She smiled, "You can do everything. I know you can. I believe in you, and I'll always be here by your side."

Taffy stopped crying when she said that. Tears were still in her eyes, but she no longer felt it necessary to let them fall to the ground. She looked up into Yoko's eyes. They were big and bright, and soothed Taffy. A gentle breeze knocked some petals off of the tree and they floated down right in between the two. The sweet aroma of flowers filled the air. Taffy leaned in, as did Yoko.