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The one thing he noticed when he awoke was the smell. The scent was... metallic. Almost alien and while he felt warm, he was also distinctly wet. Sticky. Bazzite groaned and opened his eyes slowly, taking in the seeping darkness bit by bit while his consciousness returned to him in waves. Where was he?

...oh yes, the Rift.

In a last-ditch effort to evade capture by the police, the young Captain used the last of his strength to teleport himself down into the safety of the Rift. Down where other Negaverse officers were - where Benitoite was. He had to tell his General about his failure, but how close he'd come to succeeding! The boy just needed more power! Remarque had said once that Benitoite should have the power to promote others within the organization... Thoughts came swirling to his mind as Bazzite tried to stand. How long had he been asleep? Did anyone try to find him? Why wasn't he a youma snack by now?

None of that matter, he realized, attempting to steady his wobbling legs. He felt like lead Jell-o. He had to find Benitoite. Bazzite took several deep breaths, leaning over with his hands on his knees before drawing in a breath of air and by sheer force of will, sprinted through the darkened halls of the Abyss, calling out for Benitoite. Scans did nothing down here - too much showed up on the radar. Only one's eyes and ears could be trusted. He slippered feet slapped against the cold floor with streaks of blood. Bazzite looked like he'd been through a grinder and back, his body beaten and covered in crimson.

The young Captain had to pause, leaning heavily against an outcropping of Rift-rock, his breath hitched in his lungs. He'd been running for how long? There was no time in the Rift. Was he even still in the Rift? Bazzite's adrenaline had been pumping at such a white-knuckle pace; now that it was wearing off, the Captain felt more fatigued than ever before. Covered in blood both dried and still fresh, Bazzite couldn't tell how much was his own or how much of it belonged to the senshi he'd killed, perhaps the gunman he wasn't strong enough to kill?

God if only I was strong enough... I could bring back something for Beni... prove I done it!

...given him peace!

Giving peace to Alexandre and his family was the primary reasoning he'd played over and over in his mind in a loop. It was motivation, it was reason, logic, all done out of love and respect. Benitoite... no, Alexandre had done so much for him - taken him in when his mother kicked him out, taken him to Paris! Fed him and kept him safe during the war. All Bazzite wanted to do was repay his General for that kindness...

It was then that Bazzite looked up and, squinting into the pulsing darkness, thought he spotted his General. Was that really him or was this a hallucination? The Captain wasn't sure and, with a heave of willpower and the last of his real strength, he trudged forward. "Beni... Benitoite!" cried the boy, losing his balance mid stride and falling to his knees.

Bazzite's breath came in short gasps. It felt like holes had been torn in his lungs and he couldn't keep oxygen in. The blunette shook his head to clear his thoughts and clung tightly to his General. Thank the heavens it was Benitoite, but would his General be upset to find out his Captain had failed? Bazzite didn't want to think about how disappointed the blonde would be. Alex was never one for anger and sometimes that made failing him even more frightening.

"I... I'm okay." he wheezed, breath finally slowing down. His heart felt like it was beating clear up into his ears. Maybe it had evicted his brain and taken up residence in his head? The Captain had to chuckle. "It's... it's not my blood, Beni. I mean, most of it's not... I don't think..." Jesus, how long had it been? How much blood was spilled? Bazzite couldn't really remember all those gory details. He just couldn't shake the feelings of inadequacy and failure. The boy wheezed again and tried to stand. "Beni, I tried. I really did! I..."

An arm lifted to wipe his sweat-and-bloodstained brow. "I found the shooter, Beni." he started, pausing to take a breath every few sentences. It had been too long since he'd eaten - Bazzite was starting to shake. "I-I-I found him in his apartment with his girl but before that, there was this senshi an' she... she got in the way, Beni, so I had to kill 'er an' that's where alotta this blood came from..." His words were starting to slur. Bazzite shook his head. What time was it? What day was it? "...an' so I went down to the apartment an' found him in there, still wearin' the shirt he got your mom's blood on! But..."

That's when Bazzite, cheerful and happy-go-lucky as he usually was, broke down and started to sob. He clutched Benitoite's coat and shook the blonde as hard as his malnourished form could manage. "...I'm not strong enough, Beni! I couldn't kill 'im and he was callin' the cops and there was so much screamin', Beni an' I tried so hard but..." Suddenly blue eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. What had the Dark Mirror senshi say? "...but you can help, Beni! Remarque said you can promote me so I need you to do that so I can go back an' finish the job and... and... and..."

The Captain nodded profusely, a smile ghosting to his lips. "Yeah, I found him! I listened to the police radio an'... an' they put out a description to the patrol cars so other police could find him an' he was behind this big building, still had the jacket on an' everything..." Bazzite's eyes glazed over, trying to recall the sights and smells of the past... how long had it been? How many hours? He wasn't sure anymore. "...an' his wife or his girlfriend or somethin' came by and found him drinkin' an' picked him up in the car... I followed him. He lives in this apartment complex... Spring... Spring-something... 205. He lives in 205."

Bazzite took a deep breath and steadied himself. "I was gonna go in right away but this senshi... she just showed up outta nowhere and was all like, stop right there blah blah blah an'... an' I thought... well what if she knows? What if she's tryin' to stop me?! An' I told her, I said, there's a murderer down there an' he shot my friend's mom and ruined his life! and she wasn't listening, Beni."

The Captain sniffed, rubbing his nose with the back of his sleeve, smearing the blood present on his face. "...so I jumped her an' stabbed her til she wasn't moving anymore... then I went down into the apartment but I didn't have the strength... I couldn't do it..."

Grabbing onto Benitoite's coat again, Bazzite shook him. The blonde needed to understand the gravity of the situation! How much was at stake! How much time they were wasting! The shooter's girl probably already called an ambulance and if they take the shooter away, how could he be found again? Time was of the essence! They didn't have the luxury of waiting for someone else!

"You can!" insisted the Captain, urgency bleeding into his voice. "Remarque even said you could - he asked me if you promoted me to Captain an' why would he say that if you couldn't do it? I know you can, Beni! You have to! I need more power so I can go back an' finish the job! I gotta, Beni! You've already done so much for me so please lemme repay you somehow!"

"You don't understand, Beni!" cried the Captain, a look of shame crossing his features for a moment. He respected his General, loved him like a brother would so why didn't Benitoite think he could do it? "I found him! All on my own! I know a lotta people don't think I'm real smart or that I can do stuff like this but I can!"

When his General's voice raised in volume, so did Bazzite's to match it. He had to stand his ground and get his promotion and prove he was good enough to be called Benitoite's friend. To be called his General. Tears started to stream down his face but the blunette did his best to ignore them. "You have to let me do this, Beni! I just need more power and I know you can do it! I believe in you! Remarque wouldn't have said you could if you couldn't! I bet you lotsa Generals promote their officers an' I know you're the best General there is! So you gotta let me do this! You gotta promote me, Beni!"

Why wasn't the blonde going to do it? Bazzite knew, deep in his soul that the blonde was capable of making him into a General. He just knew it!

"You'll get more power...but I can't. If every General could do it than why didn't Painite promote me? Why didn't she make me a Captain or a General?"

Logic, it was frustrating Bazzite in his frazzled state. The Captain shook his head and bit his lower lip to keep from screaming. "No, Beni, you don't get it!" The boy was about ready to tear his hair out. He'd gone through stalking, tracking down, finding and nearly killing the person responsible for the blonde's suffering and now Benitoite wouldn't allow him a promotion. "I'm not tired, I'm just fine!" What hadn't he done right? What was he missing?!

"I'm a big boy, I can do this and I think I earned a promotion! I don't wanna wait around for somebody else to promote me! I want it to be you! Remarque knows about this stuff I bet cuz he an' the other Dark Mirrors are our buddies and I bet they just figured it out or somethin'! I dunno!" In that moment, to Bazzite, it didn't matter where Remarque had heard or come up with the thought that Benitoite could promote him. All that mattered now was that Bazzite firmly believed it could, and should be done. If Painite didn't promote any of her underlings, well, that was her problem and she was the least of Bazzite's concern at the moment. "I'm gonna finish this like I promised! This is my first big mission an'..."

"...an' I'm not gonna ******** this up!"

The blunette, sweet like sugar as he normally was, never swore. The curse cut through the dismal Rift like a white-hot flare. Bazzite was losing his patience. Finally, he spat dried blood near his shoe. "We don't have time for this, Beni! If you're not gonna promote me then I'm gonna go back there an' finish the job even if it kills me! I don't even care if you don't believe in me anymore! My mom didn't! My dad sure as hell didn't! And if this guy gets away then I'm never gonna forgive myself!"

With a frustrated growl, Bazzite turned heel and started to walk away.

The Captain visibly relaxed when he felt his General's arms wrap around him. Still shaking still from hunger and anger, Bazzite allowed himself to smile, his shoulders rolling back into a relaxed position. "...really?" came a quiet reply, the Captain turning around with more gratitude in his eyes than words could really express. Bazzite locked his arms around his General and sobbed gratefully into Benitoite's shoulder. "...this means so much to me, Beni..." he said between sobs, his whole form sagging with relief. "...an', once it's all done I can go back an' you guys can finally feel better about all this."

With a sniff, Bazzite withdrew. "Jus' think about it - the police can't find us cuzza the magic when we, you know, transform into this." He gestured to both of their forms. "They can't find the guy and he got what he deserved... everybody wins, right?"

Almost tenderly did Bazzite pluck his General's hand from his side and placed it on his own chest with a smile. "I'm ready, Beni."

The smile Bazzite gave his General reflected all the love, respect and splendor he'd held in his heart for the blonde. Alex, Benitoite, had been there for him when everyone else wrote the blunette off as stupid or childish, too impulsive for his own good. Too slow on the uptake, too brash in his decision making. Not Negaverse material in the slightest and only by accident was he ever recruited in the first place. Many had come and gone but Benitoite? The blonde really did believe in his Captain, really did think he had the potential to be a General alongside him. All those thoughts swelled in Bazzite's breast as the pain overtook him, sharp daggers carving a path through his chest and to his starseed, the very core of his being.

His soul.

The pain was like molten magma poured through his veins, needles forced into every pore, salt and lemon juice pumped through his wounds only to have the cycle repeat itself with every beat of his heart. Bazzite struggled to stay upright and latched onto Benitoite's arm for support. His knees threatened to buckle but the little ninja had to hold on even though his vision was starting to tunnel, everything skewed and blurring and twisting in on itself. Was this the fabric of the universe, unraveling right before his eyes? Bazzite couldn't recall this much pain during his promotion to Captain. Why was this different?

Something felt wrong. And then Bazzite knew.

There was a loud crack sound from deep within the Captain's body and the boy buckled beneath the weight of something greater than himself. Darkness was seeping into him too hot and too fast. Something wasn't right thoughts were streaming together why can't I see Beni anymore whyiseverythingsopainful... Back arching, Bazzite let loose a scream, the skin on his face peeling back in an unholy cacophony of blood and pain. The General could not retrieve his hand for a few moments and when he could, the damage had already been dealt. Bazzite collapse to the floor, writhing and shrieking in blasphemous tongues as the Rift flowed into him like a river to the sea.

Something curled and twisted on the outskirts of Bazzite's vision - plants, plants from somewhere? Vines? Something was wrapping around his leg. Did he still have legs? Another arc of the back and a loud, sharp snap as the Captain's spine nearly tore in two, fingers broken and bloody from slamming them into the cold ground of the Rift. Plants soon overtook the Captain, forming a cocoon of unliving matter, sickly sweet flowers and broad leaves. A scent not unlike death wafted from the biomass and soon, a deep and throaty sigh was heard.

A youma had emerged.