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Takeshi asked, "Would you feel better if I were alive instead of Akira, Hotaru?"

(Akira)

That's when it hit me. There was something very, very wrong with Takeshi. I used my powers and what I realized was bad. Very bad.

My 'partner' said,

I muttered, 'We just had to fall for a trap, didn't we?'

My partner replied,

I replied, 'Then we'd be screwed. It's time I fulfilled my duty.'

(Akira)

I decided to play along for a while. I sighed, "You seem to trust Takeshi more than me... And besides, if there is no future, there is no past. But wouldn't that screw up the time-space continuim? And wouldn't that make Pluto's job a little harder?"

(Akira)

I turned to face Hotaru. I sighed, "I know that there are some things in your past that you don't want to talk about, and I understand. But sometimes it's better that you talk it out with people that you trust. I know for some reason you don't trust me fully. I really want to be your friend, and I want to ease your pain."

That's when the strange light began to glow again. I said, "But there's a reason the past exists. It's not to cause us misery. It's to give hope that the future can be brighter, and better than what the past is." That's when my eyes narrowed, and I suddenly became serious. Saturn-level seriousness. "And right now, the evils of the universe are threatening the future... And I will not let the future be threatened... As a knight, I will not let the future be threatened. For the sake of my friends and the people I care for, the future will be better than the past."

(Akira)

I replied, while looking at Hotaru. "It's ovbious you don't trust me. But I know that you're pained by the past. I want to help you heal that wound, but how can I truly be your friend if you keep pushing me away?"

That's when Takeshi said, "Hotaru, when I said to trust Akira, I didn't mean it as a joke. I meant it in the most sincere way possible. He has trusted you with almost everything about him. All he wants to do is to help you."

That's when a large amount of zombies and the zombie king showed up. Not surprisingly, they had the aura of the Dark Zodiac.

That's when I turned my Saturnesque focus on Hotaru. I said, "I'll do what I can to protect you and Takeshi."

That's when one eye shed a tear. I sighed, "While it pains both of us to lose a loved one, it pains me even more to not be trusted. Like I said before, I'm a knight. I never go back on my word."

(Akira)

I looked at the zombies. I snarled, "You will pay for harming my friend."

That's when I twirled the glaive around my head. The light grew even brighter than ever before.

Takeshi thought, 'You've truly changed, Akira. Or should I call you Sagitta Knight?'

I smirked, "Say hi to the shinigami for me, will you, you zombies?"

The zombie king asked, "Why?"

The symbol of Sagittarius appeared on my forehead. I grinned, "Because I am about to kick your butts."

That's when I screamed, "EAT THIS, YOU DARK ZODIAC SCUM! DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!"

I let the glaive hit the ground hard, and it produced an arrow that headed toward the zombies.

I thought, 'I thought that this attack would...'

My 'partner' grinned,

I grinned inwardly, 'The life force of the target. Nice.'

(Akira)

The attack struck the zombies head-on, and created a vortex that sucked everything of the Dark Zodiac's presence. Even the Dark Spores that were planted in Takeshi before they had a chance to sprout were sucked in. The darkness was being destroyed by my light.

That's when I saw Hotaru crying. I wiped the tears off her face. I smiled, "Do not worry about anything. My duty is to hande life. Lady Saturn will not be replaced. I will handle life. She will remain to handle death and rebirth. Because we are two sides of the coin of life. One.. Side can't live without the other."

That's when I collapsed on the ground, lying on my back, while the symbol of Sagittarius glowed brighter than ever.

(Akira)

Takeshi walked up to me. He looked at Hotaru. He said, "He's fine. He doesn't know."

He knelt down and replied, "Akira, I'm very proud of you. You've overcome many challenges. Well done, my former apprentice. You have surpassed me."

Takeshi turned to Hotaru and smiled, "He wasn't bragging. He was very modest about his abilites, which speak for themselves. His 'Will of Fire' has been magnified. He has truly become the 'Samurai of Justice' indeed."