Breathing had already been a bit difficult for Fuu, for the sharp pain and weakness from loss of blood, but it was even more difficult now. She was shocked, terrified. She had fought in battle before, but nothing like this. She had just watched two people die. Die. Forever. At Presea's hand.

And as Hikaru ran at the blond woman, rage floating around her invisibly, Presea was smirking. She was pleased, somehow. Oh, Presea, what have they done to you?

A light laughter, barely audible even though the loud wind was gone, distracted Fuu. She glanced over, seeing a girl with limp black hair standing a ways away from the fight, arms folded, smiling. Beside her stood---

Fuu's eyes widened. That girl, that girl that had spoken to Presea. The pale, chocolate-haired girl, crimson eyes wide, was clutching a fold of the older girl's skirt, looking upset and frightened as they watched the fight unfolding. What was going on?

Her attention was called back to Hikaru as Presea swore, wincing in pain, a gash along her thigh beginning to bleed, bright red against the black material of her pants. The woman swung her sword up in counterattack. The tip stuck in the armor over Hikaru's shoulder, and Presea angrily swung the blade up into the air over her head, pulling Hikaru along with it and causing the redhead to go flying past Presea.

Fuu covered her mouth with her hand as Hikaru landed flat on her back with a small cry. Presea stood over the fallen Knight, raising her sword above her head---

"Water Dragon!"

A fierce jet of rushing water slammed into the small of Presea's back, shoving the blond woman forward past Hikaru. In a flash, Umi was by her friend's side, helping her to her feet. "Umi-chan..."

"You were losing, Hikaru. You were too angry to fight her." There was a slight quiver of fear, or something similar, in Umi's voice. "Hikaru... I've never seen you so... so violent and... enraged." She wrapped her arms around the petite girl's shoulders comfortingly. "I'm so sorry."

Hikaru gently pushed Umi away. "Don't worry about it right now," she insisted, although her friend could see the pain she was fighting down behind her cranberry eyes. "We have a fight to finish."

The marine-eyed Knight nodded, sighing deeply as she glanced over at Presea, who was getting to her feet. "We do." She reached out, taking Hikaru's hand and intertwining their fingers. "Let's do our best, all right?"

"Hn," Hikaru agreed, nodding, as Presea stood to face them.

"I won't let you live," Presea insisted in a low voice full of violent menace.

"Don't make us... don't make us kill you, Presea," Hikaru begged. "We don't want to do that."

"Liar! Filthy liar, killing is your only satisfaction!" Presea's eyes were hard and blazing with rage. "You're as terrible as I am!" she cried.

Umi balked, then retaliated: "What are you talking about?!"

"Just shut up!" Presea screamed, snapping a mass of lightning into her palms and hurling it at the two Knights that remained standing.

Umi grabbed her friend's arm, dragging Hikaru to one side with her to avoid the lightning. Then, once she had released the redhead, Umi bounded forward, smoothly drawing her sword as she ran.

But the blond woman, her chocolate-colored eyes dead of emotion now, save for violent anger, had an arrow nocked, aimed it at Umi, released. The Magic Knight of Water knocked the arrow away with her sword, leaping forward to attack the woman who had once been her friend.

Presea shifted her weight to the other foot, leaning out of Umi's way as the sapphire-eyed girl thrust her sword. Then the woman aimed another arrow, letting it fly for its target.

The brown eyes of the troubled woman were dull as dark blood spattered against her cheek. Umi collapsed to the ground, Presea's arrow protruding from the back of her neck, having pierced clear through her throat.

A choked kind of scream shattered the frightened silence; Hikaru's hands were over her mouth, her chest heaving with uneven breaths. Fuu, lying in pain a short distance away, couldn't bear to lift her face to the scene.

Presea stared in contempt as the tall, thin, brown-haired boy on the stairs flew across the grass, stumbling and falling to his knees in the grass beside the fallen Knight. He lifted Umi in his arms, his lower lip trembling with tears beginning to form. "Oh, God, Umi..."

Her lips moved slightly, but no words came out. Her eyes were squinting, tears leaking from the corners. She lifted a heavily shaking hand, weakly brushing his long bangs out of his face, exposing frightened emerald eyes. Her lips formed a tiny smile.

Ascot felt as though he were paralyzed as Umi's face twisted with pain, a strange sound escaping her as blood found its way unnaturally into her throat. A thin stream of dark crimson slipped from the corner of her pale lips, and Ascot hurriedly wiped it away with the end of his sleeve.

"Please, please don't, Umi," he begged weakly, hot tears making their way down his cheeks. "Please don't leave..."

Again, she raised one trembling hand, this time touching his cheek lightly. Her fingertips quivered so terribly against his skin; Ascot put his hand over hers, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb until the trembling subsided.

"No..." He shook his head so slightly, still holding her hand against his face. "Umi, no!" The young palu wrapped his arms around her lifeless body, holding her close and stroking her powder-blue hair. Her blood stained his clothing; he didn't care. He didn't care.

Presea, standing over them, coldly raised one hand, hot electricity crackling beneath it, preparing to bolt out and---

"Presea, no!" The black-haired girl was running towards them, her gold eyes wide. She grabbed the tall woman's arm. "Presea, you can't kill him!"

"Why?" she hissed in response, her voice chilling but unaffecting to Meline.

"Because," she insisted, her gaze quickly shifting from Presea to Ascot and back, "he's my brother."