Aftermath

Commission from Etsy

Summary: There is one monster left and Neko feels responsible for destroying it. Even though he no longer has his powers

Neko curled his hand around Elly's, their fingers intertwined. They sat on Elly's fire escape staring up at the cloud-covered sky. They watched lightning streak through followed shortly by cracks of thunder. His back was against the wall by the window and she sat between his legs, leaning against his chest. Their entwined hands rested on his thigh. His other hand curled around her torso to hold her safely against him. Her freehand traced patterns over his arm. Their lower arms became soaked as the rain came down at an angle over the edge of the building that blacked the high winds from pushing them off their perch.

It had been months since Neko had returned to Elly's life. As happy as she had been when Neko had returned to her, it had taken time to return to the easy relaxed state their relationship had been. Neko had returned to her couch at first, and her insomnia had been as rough as it had been when she had first met him.

After a week or so though Neko was back in Elly's bed, holding her through the night and stumbling after her when she could not sleep through the night. Some nights they would walk the streets together. Their hands swung lightly between them. Other times, like tonight, they would sit on the fire escape she had first seen him from. They would talk about anything and everything they could think of to talk about. Sometimes though, they just sat silently. They had chosen not to walk tonight because of the storm.

Surprisingly this night's insomniac episode was not because of Elly's inability to sleep, it was Neko who had been unable to follow the call of sleep. Neko's sacrifice of his powers had destroyed the portals that the monsters that had been haunting their world used to enter their world. And the heroes and government had managed to round up nearly all the monsters that had not fallen victim to Blast. However, there was one still out there. It had killed the fourth hero in two weeks. The news report had included footage of the battle this time.

The monster was very feminine with long flowing locks of chocolate hair that rippled down to its knees. Four large wings, each as large as the beast's body, were covered in pristine white feathers. An unnatural light glowed from the beast's eyes. People were calling it the Avenging Angel.

Watching the fight had made Neko sick. He recognized each movement the monster made. The in-air movements from the winged flight were not quite the same as Blast's explosive flight, but it was close enough that Neko could not deny the similarities. The hand-to-hand combat was nearly identical to his own. He could not blame the media and theorists who connected the monster that was killing heroes to Blast. Just from the short clip, they had seen Neko had been able to predict how it would move based solely on the way he would have moved in the same situation.

"It's not your fault." Elly squeezed Neko's hand tightly to draw his attention back to her and where they were now, instead of the cycle of torment she could feel his mind had to be spiraling in based on the trembling as he held her close. She was sure that while she saw a storm raging over the city, Neko was seeing the mutilated bodies of the heroes who had gone against the Avenging Angel and died. She wished that the media had not posted the video, and had not shown the pictures. She was not sure how she could keep Neko from pulling away from her. She had just gotten him back, she did not want to lose him again.

"How can you say that?" Neck whispered curling tighter around Elly and burying his face into her shoulder. "You saw that thing... It did not fight like a monster... it fought like Blast... like me."

"But it hurts people." Elly twisted until she could cup Neko's face with her hands. "You would do anything not to hurt people."

"It doesn't hurt people, Elly." Neko closed his eyes and lifted his hands to cover her hands, trying to draw comfort. "It kills people."

"And you don't." Elly insisted as the wind changed and they were no longer sheltered from the rain that began soaking them.

"I can't stop it either." Neko huffed bitterly pushing himself to his feet and pulling Elly up with him, taking her inside to get out of the rain. "If I could still-"

"Then you'd be the one dead," Elly said firmly pulling Neko towards the bathroom so they could towel dry.

"Blast-"

"-is gone. He is dead." Elly pulled Neko down to her level and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "But you're not. You're just Neko the college campus janitor now. Trying to survive to the best of your abilities just like everyone else."

Neko sighed again and nodded his head, following Elly as they went to change into their night clothes. He knew that Elly was right on some level. Blast was gone. He no longer had the powers that should have killed him when they destroyed the portals. But he did still have his knowledge of fighting, and it was not as if all his fighting abilities came from the powers he once had. He had been trained in hand-to-hand combat. He knew how to fight without his powers. But he was just a janitor now. He had a steady job, one that actually paid, and a girlfriend he loved. He had a home. All he had to do for his happily ever after was keep living. And the four funerals in less than half a month proved that staying alive was easier for those who did not take up the mantel of hero.

But on the other hand, could one really ever stop being a hero? Yes, Blast was dead. Neko did not have the powers any longer. But did they have to stay gone? What if he could find a way to get them back?

If Blast came back, people could stop claiming that the Avenging Angel was some revenge quest from him. That the spirit of the fallen hero was so distraught at never being known before his death he had come back to hunt down and kill those who had rejected him. Never mind that three of the four heroes who had been killed were people Neko had never met. Or that none of the fights Blast had ever done involved any kind of statement beyond protecting those who needed it.

Neko thought if he was ever given the chance, becoming Blast again may be something he would like to do.

Neko looked down at Elly as she snuggled against his chest while they lay in their bed. She had told him she could not stand by his side while he let himself die once before. Neko knew he could not ask her to do it again. Taking a deep breath he cuddled closer to her and told himself he would choose her.

Nearly a month later Elly watched Neko walk towards the front door. He claimed that he had to work again. He had been working late for weeks now. She chewed on her nail. There was no reason for Neko to lie, she really had very little reason not to trust him. But she had overheard other janitors talking about their night shifts. Shifts that they said they had never worked with Neko. And if he was not working the night shift, Elly was not sure what he could be doing instead.

Elly waited for the count of thirty before sneaking out to follow Neko. Her heartbeat fluttered as she thought about how much it reminded her of when he had first moved in with her. When she would sneak out and follow him to his fights in the hope of helping him when he was hurt. Silently cheering him on from the shadows and being prepared to help him get home when exhaustion was too deep for him to do more than crawl to the nearest ally and drop behind a dumpster.

Neko slid through the darkening streets, making his way through the narrow paths of the city underground with his shoulders hunched and hood pulled low over his face. He had grown up on these secret paths, learned to use his powers in the shadows, learned to hold his own against the worst odds in the darkened alcoves. They were more home to him than anywhere else had ever been. Hearing the sound of foot steps Neko stopped and pushed himself against the wall and let the shadows embrace him. When a man stepped around the corner, Neko's hand darted out and the two engaged in a quick confrontation. The end result was a few new bruises for Neko and a bloodied nose for the man he had pinned down.

"Start talking." Neko reached up and wiped the trail of blood from the corner of his mouth while glaring down at the man beneath him.

"No one's ever heard of anything like what you're snooping for." The man wheezed when he talked, a whistling sound escaping from broken teeth. "There's a few out there willing to try to help bring your powers back, but no one has ever heard of someone losing their natural born powers, much less getting them back again after."

Neko sighed. It was what he expected but it did not make the news hurt any less. He had hoped the seedy underbelly of the city would have answers. They were often more forthcoming with information if one knew how to ask for it. He doubted the heroes association would have better information, if a hero ever lost their powers, without dying, it would have been global news. He could not remember ever having heard of such a thing. Just like his mole said.

"Set up a meeting with one." Neko glared at the man, passing a wad of cash into his hands. If someone was willing to experiment and try to get his powers back Neko decided he really did not have much to lose. He would have to give them a shot. Three more heroes had died in the last week to the Avenging Angel.

Elly could feel her heart pounding in her throat. Neko was going to try and get his powers back. The powers that had nearly killed him. She had nearly lost him once already because of those powers, and she knew if they were given the chance to take him again she would not get him back. She followed Neko numbly, more out of habit and muscle memory than any thought to do so on her part. Elly's mind just kept circling the one thought, that she had to find a way to stop him. Find some way to keep her lover with her. Though she was not sure if she could stop him from regaining his powers or die trying, without losing him.

Neko made sure to keep the fights he found quick with as little damage done to his person as possible. He could not explain to Elly that the bruises down his ribs were from a purse thief punching back at him when Neko had stepped in to stop him. The fact that he was stopping petty crimes at the moment instead of the murderous creature killing heroes hurt his pride a bit. Killing the monsters had been his goal. It had been his M.O. But, until he was sure he could go against it and hold his own well enough not to worry about Elly, Neko could not draw that kind of attention to himself.

When Elly was sure that Neko would be heading home, she took the shortcuts she knew to beat him home. She lay in their bed and closed her eyes when Neko came in, doing her best to pretend to be asleep. She heard Neko moving around the room and focused on her breathing. She felt fingers brush against her forehead and tuck her hair hind her ear.

"I love you so much, Elly." Neko whispered while leaning down to press a light kiss to her cheek, not wanting to wake her up when she managed to fall asleep without him.

Elly held her tears back until she felt the bed dip and Neko's arms settle around her. She choked her breathing into an even movement until he fell asleep, then she let her tears fall. Neko claimed to love her, but all Elly could think of was that he loved being a hero more. And he did not love her enough to talk to her about it.

Elly continued to sneak out and follow Neko, it was soothing in the familiarity. She could not deny that following Neko out nearly nightly helped her sleep. She enjoyed the feeling of the knowledge that if something did go horribly wrong, she would be there to help him. She would be able to offer medical assistance or get him to the hospital if need be. He would know she had been following then but at least he would be alive. She still was not sure how to convince him not to get his powers. That even with the monster rampaging and removing heroes, five more and three sidekicks, they could have a happily ever after. She only had a year left of school, then they could move away. Just the two of them. Some small town that never saw or heard of the portals and monsters.

The fantasy danced through Elly's dreams every night when she drifted to sleep.

Neko was becoming worried about Elly. He noticed she was managing to sleep more. And that was something he found positive, but he had also checked her meds, she was barely taking them. It was closer to when she had followed him when they first met than any other time in their relationship. And then there was the stiff fog that seemed to have built up in their relationship. He thought that may be more his own guilt than anything. He was keeping a massive secret from Elly, and it was eating him up inside.

Neko felt like he was suffocating under his own feelings of guilt and regret. He knew he was putting an expiration date on his relationship, as soon as he got his powers back Elly would be gone from his life again. But each time he thought about giving up, just accepting the normal life he and Elly could make together there would be another hero's death on the news. Or a sidekick. The last one had not even been out of high school when their secret identity had been revealed.

And that was new.

Now the Avenging Angel was making sure that the heroes and sidekicks it killed were revealed so their secret identity would be out. The result was chaos for anyone who knew the heroes and sidekicks, whether they knew the person was a hero or sidekick or not. It had risen the casualty rate as petty villains had begun targeting the families of fallen heroes and sidekicks who had wronged them.

Neko could not just give up his quest to get his powers back. There was more and more at stake each time he turned his back and he was starting to lose sleep as he pictured dead body after dead body laid at his feet. He was beginning to think the name, Avenging Angel, was a good name for the monster. Only it was not punishing the world for his death as the tabloids claimed. It was punishing him. He was not sure if the creature knew he was alive or not but he felt more and more like the creature was targeting him and attempting to draw him out.

The thought was terrifying to Neko. If the creature was set on exposing heroes so villains could harm their loved ones what did that spell out for him and Elly when he did get his powers back? Neko already knew their relationship would not survive him resuming hero work but he did not want anything to happen to Elly. Especially not something that no one would be able to deny as being his fault.

Neko laid awake at night, exhausted from his nightly patrols, and stared out at nothing. He would imagine the world after he no longer had monsters to fight or Elly to love. It was a dark world Neko was not sure he would survive. He would tighten his grip on Elly and decide as long as she survived it did not really matter too much what became of him.

But he wanted Elly to have good memories of him too. While he was convinced the fog separating them was in his head, caused by his own conscious, not mutual secrets being kept, Neko did not want her last memories of them to be coated by the strange foggy sheen he tried to dismiss. He wanted them to be warm and make her smile fondly. Memories that would help her sleep until she could find someone who could chase away the sleepless nights for good.

Neko just wished it could be him.

"Do you have to work tonight?" Elly asked when she finished her shower and came Neko was not wearing what she had begun to think of as his new hero costume. She still had no idea how to broach the subject with him and the guilt ate at her. She did not want to confront him until either he had his powers, or she had some way to convince him to give them up.

"Not tonight." Neko shook his head and walked towards Elly, reaching up to help her dry her hair with a soft smile. "I thought we could go out."

"I'd love that." Elly smiled at Neko and reached out to gently brush her fingers against the bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep. "But maybe you should rest?"

Neko caught Elly's wrist gently and slid his hands up to gently clasp her fingers and bring her knuckles up to his lips with a soft kiss. Neko held Elly's gaze though he wanted to trace her blush with his gaze.

"I'll be fine," Neko whispered against Elly's knuckles. "Promise. There's that carnival that's advertised all over campus."

Elly chewed her lip for a moment, thinking about the offer and whether or not she should insist on Neko resting. She reasoned he had not been hit very hard in a few nights so maybe he really did not need the rest as much as she thought he did. Maybe she could find the courage to convince him to give up on the idea of getting his powers back.

"Alright." Elly stood on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss against Neko's lips before bolting towards the bedroom. "Just let me get dressed!"

Neko held Elly's hand tightly, letting it swing between them as they walked along the aisles of booths. She was eating an ice cream cone, attempting to keep it from melting over her hand. The bright lights circled them and cast a strange fluctuating halo around them. Neko could not stop himself from leaning over and licking a drip of ice cream from her cheek. Elly blushed and then choked out a protest when he turned his head to steal a bite from her ice cream.

Neko laughed at the pout Elly gave him beneath glaring eyes. She reached out her cone and left a dollop of the dessert on Neko's nose in retaliation. Neko went cross eyed to catch a look at the substance freezing the tip of his nose tip. The two stood in silence for a moment before bursting into laughter. Neko released Elly's hand to wrap his arm around her waist and hold her close. The two walked side by side examining the booths again.

Neko noticed a giant purple gorilla stuffed animal prize caught Elly's attention. He did not think about what she may choose to do to it once she realized his betrayal, instead, he stepped forward and focused on the goal at hand. Popping as many balloons as possible in as few darts as possible. The small red ones were more points. He tested the weight of the dart in his hand and then threw it, popping the first red balloon. He let Elly's cheering wash over him in soothing waves while ignoring the booth attendant's taunts and comments. The second balloon popped the same as the first.

One more red balloon and he would have the gorilla for Elly. Neko felt a strange tingle in his arm. Strange but familiar. He dismissed the feeling until he threw the dart. The red balloon popped. But so did the balloons around it as if there had been a small explosion on the tip of the dart. It did not imbed into the backboard, bouncing back as if a force had pushed it away.

"Wow! Haven't seen that happen before!" The attendant pushed his hat askew scratching at his temple before turning a smile onto Neko. "So young man, which will be the prize?"

Neko jerked from staring at his hand in shock. "Oh... er... the Gorilla. Purple one."

"For the lady I presume." The attendant grinned pulling the desired stuffed animal down and handing it to Elly who wrapped it into a tight hug and eyed Neko carefully. Her smile was a bit forced, but the strangers around them would never notice as she hooked her arm through Neko's and started walking again.

The two continued walking around the carnival, neither mentioning the balloon booth incident. They got pictures taken in a picture booth. One picture of them sitting together, Neko's arm around Elly's shoulders as she leaned against him. The gorilla sitting on her lap facing the camera. In the second picture, Neko twisted around to press a kiss firmly to Elly's cheek. She was snuggling into his embrace and holding the gorilla tighter. In the third picture, Elly had wide eyes and the gorilla was slipping from her grasp. Neko was licking her cheek with mischief dancing in his eyes. In the fourth picture, most of the frame was the bottom of Neko's foot. Beyond it though, Elly could be seen attempting to smother Neko with the Gorilla while he tried in vain to fend her off while laughing.

The two of them played games. Neko won Elly a picture of twisting wildflowers with bees and butterflies that when one tilted would shift to a picture of coral with fish instead of bugs. They won a goldfish as well. Neither was quite sure what they were going to do with that prize and had only accepted it reluctantly.

And they rode rides. Neko leaned across the gap between their carousel horses to press a warm kiss against Elly's cheek. They went on a spinning ride that left them both stumbling. Neko fell backward onto a bench pulling Elly with him, both laughing while the world continued to tilt and spin around them. His arms were the only thing that kept Elly anchored to the ground she was sure. Elly said she won bumper boats. Neko said there were no points and no way to determine who won or loss in such a game. Elly smiled and kissed his cheek, telling him he was a sore loser, the winner was clearly the one who was not soaked to the bone. They ended up buying matching hoodies. Neko so he could change out of his soaked shirt. Elly threatened to steal the hoodie so Neko said she may as well get her own. They shared a long kiss atop the Ferris wheel. The purple gorilla sitting at their feet holding the other prizes in his lap as a silent guard.

When they finally stumbled their way home, they were both breathless from laughing. They tripped over each other as they set up a fishbowl with the supplies they had gotten from Walmart on the kitchen table they never ate at. The purple gorilla took Neko's chair as his own. Neko wrapped his arms around Elly's waist and held her up while she hung the picture above the window, the little strip of pictures getting tapped to the cardboard frame.

When they finished hanging the picture Neko stumbled backward until he fell onto the couch. Elly laughed as she landed on him. He grinned up at her before sitting up and hugging her close, peppering her face with soft kisses.

Elly wanted to ask him if the balloon incident was related to his powers or not. It seemed similar enough it might have been. But she was not ready for the happy bubble of their world to pop open yet. She wanted it to last just a bit longer. And Neko did not seem in a hurry to discuss it either, though Elly thought that may be because he did not know she knew about his quest to get his powers back.

Neko slept well for the first night in months that night. He nearly forgot about the small flicker of his powers they had witnessed in the wake of having a wonderful date with Elly. He did not want to think about his powers coming back and the end of his relationship that would bring. Not when they had just added the newest decorations to their home.

However, the world and all its problems came crashing back the next morning. Neko and Elly had settled down to watch the news and eat breakfast. The Avenging Angel had struck again. This time it had attacked a headquarters. Six heroes and four sidekicks were dead from the attack. The families were in hiding. One had already been found by a villain. This time they had audio they had never gotten before. Audio of the Avenging Angel speaking.

"Having a Blast. Blast come out and play." The voice was nearly mechanical, sounding like a blender with things dropped into the milkshake that had no business in something like that. Things like nuts and bolts. Maybe a screwdriver or two. And it just kept repeating the same thing over and over, no change in infection even as it strained to rip the heroes and sidekicks apart.

"I can't just sit back and do nothing." Neko was shaking when he spoke. "It wants me."

"It wants Blast." Elly tried putting her breakfast aside and reaching to hold Neko who stared at her with the same flat emotionless eyes he had possessed when he knew he was going to die. Elly hated them. It meant she was losing him.

"Last night-"

"Don't say it." Elly felt panic rising in her throat and she placed her hand over Neko's mouth. Shaking her head in denial and hating that she could feel tears stinging her eyes. "It was... something else. Anything else."

"They're coming back," Neko said carefully pulling Elly's hand from his mouth. He could not maintain eye contact. He stared at the couch cushion in the small gap between them. Neko rubbed his thumb gently against her wrist. "I'm sorry. Blast isn't dead and even if he was I can't sit back and do nothing."

Elly choked on a sob. She struggled to grab Neko's shirt into her shaking fists while she pressed her face into his chest.

"No, aren't I enough? We could have last night forever!" She knew she was being selfish. Neko knew the monsters better than anyone else did. He was the closest thing they had to an expert the world had. And this one in particular was obviously connected to Blast. Its fighting style and dogged determination were both from Blast. But she wanted Blast to stay away. Wanted him to stay dead so she could keep Neko for that much longer. So they could stay in their own happy little bubble. Let everyone else burn.

Neko hated himself for making Elly cry, but he could not sit back and let innocent people suffer because he was afraid. Because he did not want to give up his world. He could not bring himself to make that sacrifice. He could not sacrifice the world no matter how cruel it had been to him. He could only wrap his arms around his world and hold her a bit closer.

"I'm sorry." Neko pressed a kiss to the top of Elly's head. "I'll never love anyone else, but I can't walk away from my duty either."

"You don't have a duty to fight anymore." Elly pulled away to stare into Neko's eyes. She wanted to shake him until something he said made sense to her. "Your duty ended. You don't even have your powers all the way back yet."

"As long as there is one monster from the portals out there, Elly, I have to fight." Neko reluctantly pulled away from Elly. She still sitting on the couch while he leaned over her and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. His eyes stung with the urge to cry in return. "Even if my powers were not coming back I can't let it continue doing what it is doing."

"Please. Please Neko. Don't go." Elly tried to remember any of the half formed arguments she had made and discarded but nothing came to mind. "Please don't leave me. I can't lose you again."

"If I could spare you the pain I would."

"Is that all last night was? A hat tip? A thank you ma'am?" Elly could feel her control over her temper slipping. "You knew your powers were coming back and were just going to toss me aside?"

"Last night was for us. It had nothing to do with anything or anyone else." Neko's voice was hard as stone. "I didn't know anything about their return until the balloon."

"Then let your powers come back. At least give yourself a fighting chance."

"I'm sorry Elly. Good bye." Neko turned and started to walk away. "I do love you."

Elly felt a scream rising in her throat as she watched him walk out the door again. She did not know what she could do to stop him. She did not know if she could survive him walking away. She did not know if she could follow him.

Elly watched the news religiously after that. Her grades started slipping again. She had no idea how to pull herself back together. The circles under her eyes were darker than ever. She watched as the news speculated on if it was really Blast back or not. The hero was showing up and protecting the deceased heroes' families. The costume was right and expert annalists claimed the fighting was the same. However, no one had seen him use his powers once. Many were claiming he was a clever fake. Someone who was being used as bait to lure the Avenging Angel into a trap. Because he was clearly trying to lure the monster out.

Elly felt panic rising the more she watched. If Blast was not using his namesake powers then it meant Neko had not gotten his powers back. And Elly felt her stomach drop every time she thought about him facing off against the Avenging Angel without them.

Elly decided she could not sit back and watch as the love of her life died again. determined she began stalking Neko. Elly's lips curled slightly while she thought that stalking him seemed to be the most consistent thing about their relationship. It was harder this time, the first time she knew the areas the monsters were to start her tracking from. Then she had just been able to follow him from home. Now though she had no idea where he was staying, she hoped it was not the streets again. Some questions around campus let her know he had quit his job. And his appearances, other than the hero victims' families, were random. The villains were too unpredictable for her to predict when they were going to attack the families. And not all the families were even targeted. Elly decided that route was a dead end so had begun charting his other appearances on a map to try and get an idea of his general area. She was glad he stayed in the city, she was not sure how she would have left town much less the country if he had gone somewhere else.

Elly's persistence paid off and she was finally able to find Neko. He was in the middle of a fight when she finally tracked him down. She stayed in the shadows, just as she had always done. A first aid kit was tucked against her side. Watching Neko, Elly realized the news was right, despite fighting as well as he ever had he was not using his powers. Elly let her shoulders slump, if Neko was willing to fight without his powers, she had no hope of getting him to give up the fights. Elly wrapped her arms around her torso watching him. She flinched each time he got hit and sighed with relief each time he got back up.

Elly could see the fight was winding down, Neko would be the one walking away victoriously. And Elly had come to the conclusion, having already lost him once, that she would rather have Neko with vigilante Blast than no Neko at all.

Neko was facing the villain, ready to finish this fight and find somewhere to nurse his bruises when the man's eyes widened in horror. He took a stumbling step back with a frightened choked sound that confused Neko before turning and bolting away. Before giving chase to his opponent Neko spun around to see what had frightened him so much.

The blood drained from Neko's face and he swore he stopped breathing for a moment.

The Avenging Angel had finally decided to come to him.

And it had Elly in its grasps.

Elly had been focused on the fight in front of her when she realized the shadow she was hiding in was disappearing. She tried to move back into it but large arms wrapped around her and crushed her against a wall of steel. One hand clamped over her mouth muffling any chance she had to scream. She dropped her first aid kit as wings beat around her and lifted her into the air.

Elly's eyes widened in fright as the ground drifted further away. She kicked her feet out and pounded her fists against the band of steel around her waist. All she got was a tightened grip around her that forced the air from her lungs. She lifted her gaze to meet Blast's gaze and saw her own horror reflected in his gaze.

Neko rushed forward but the Avenging Angel was already too high in the air for him to reach. Even if he managed to make it up one of the buildings he would have no hope of reaching them. Neko cursed his lack of powers. He had not felt even a tickle of them since the balloon incident. His sources that were testing them said it must have been a figment of his imagination.

"Let her go!" Neko shouted at the giant being. "Fight me! You want to fight me!"

The beast grinned down at Neko, the teeth terrifyingly close to Elly's face. When it opened its jaws a horrendous sound escaped that Neko could only assume was laughing echoed out.

And then it released Elly.

Elly screamed as she was suddenly plummeting to the ground.

Neko screamed in return and rushed towards where she was falling to.

He felt a tickle.

And then a blast.

Neko was air born in a familiar blast of energy before he realized what he was doing. He caught Elly midair before they went back to the ground at a choked pace. Neko stumbled his landing, turning to cushion Elly's fall with his own body.

"What are you doing here?" Neko shouted, rolling them away from an attack from the Avenging Angel that seemed to be more angry than avenging at the moment. Neko raised his hand and sent a blast at the beast. He was not sure how he had his powers again, but if he could use them to keep Elly safe a little longer then he would.

"I love you." Elly ducked behind Neko. She curled against his back, she had never wanted to be in the middle of any of his fights. She yelped as the ground near her exploded, whether it was Blast's powers or the beast's powers she could not say for sure.

The longer the fight went on the more Elly was in danger. The more danger she was in, Neko noticed, the stronger his powers came back. He was limited in his movements because he refused to give the beast a chance to get to Elly again and had to stay between them.

Luckily his blasts proved to be more than enough to keep the beast at arms' length but Neko also knew he could not keep this up for an extended amount of time. He would tire long before the beast would.

Turning his back towards the beast Neko brought Elly into a tight embrace and held her close. He whispered in her ear for her to trust him. Elly closed her eyes and fisted her hands into his shirt. Neko felt the beast's attack approaching his exposed back. He closed his eyes and held Elly tighter, hoping his half thought out plan worked. He saw a blinding light through his eyelids and felt the pain of his powers ripping through him. Heard the beast scream.

And another crater was left where the three had been. Just like when Neko had destroyed the portals.

half-thought-out