"FREEZE! DONT MOVE- OR ILL SLIT HER THROAT!"

The lights turned on abruptly, Pauline holding a sword to Daisy's throat. Daisy gasped, confused as she tried to pry the sword away from her, but it was pointless. Pauline was much stronger than she appeared.

"Put your hands up, drop your weapons," Mario appeared, in a much more calm fashion. Daisy realized with a dreading feeling that they must've snuck up while they were talking. "Now!"

Rosalina was staring at Mario, rage in her eyes as her power continued to grow, aimed still at the grand star.

"Rosalina, please, stop!" Luigi begged. "You can't let them kill Daisy!"

"He's right. You better stop that, or I'll kill her," Pauline taunted, pressing it slightly against her neck. "Oh, I've been dreaming of this moment."

"Ugh...!"

Rosalina's teeth grit and looked away, as she reluctantly put her hands up, her power fading.

Everyone dropped their weapons, Permafrost clattering to the ground loudly.

"To think you guys would try to sneak away," Pauline sneered. "There's no way it would've happened. I don't know why you guys tried..."

"Wh-what-?"

"You know, you can stop the act now," Pauline told them. "There's no need for you to pretend."

"Pauline-"

"Why don't you show everyone?"

The girl sighed deeply. Kaira slowly lowered her hands, placing them back onto her katanas that she drew. She pointed it at the orange girl. Daisy stared at her in horror as she realized her friend had never dropped her weapons in the first place..

"Wh-what!?"

"Sorry," Kaira told her. "But your friend is gone."

"K-kaira-!?" Daisy gasped. "No, I can't believe this..."

"S-Satsuki-?" Saiko looked at Kaira desperately, trying to think she was wrong. "N-no..."

"Aw, Saiko," Kaira smirked, watching everyone surrender. "Yes, you're right. 'Kaira' has been gone for quite awhile now."

"She's Satsuki," Toadette stiffened. "Fucking shit..."

"No!"

Saiko grabbed Permafrost, her eyes filled with rage and despair as she aimed for Kaira's-Satsuki's- throat. Satsuki easily blocked it, the bluenette continuing to aim blows that Satsuki countered.

"Saiko!" Pauline yelled sharply. "Don't you-"

"Stop," Satsuki replied calmly as Saiko continued her rage. While there was remorse in her eyes, Daisy knew it was only from having to hurt Saiko and not from betraying them. "Don't worry about me."

"Saiko never should've created Kaira..." Saiko snapped as ice barraged Satsuki quickly, Tentetsutou blocking each hit while Muramasa blocked the scythe. "If Saiko has just dealt with Satsuki's rage.."

"I should've known..." Rosalina muttered. "All my children... do this.."

"K-Kaira-!" Daisy stammered. "All along..!"

"I'm so excited to get out!" Daisy smiled. "What about you, Kaira?"

"I'm... excited, I suppose," Kaira looked away. "...yeah."

"The whole time... you..."

"What do you think you'll do out there?" Daisy asked.

"I...I'm not sure," Kaira replied. "I don't think I'll ever know."

"Oh, come on! I'm sure you will. It'll take some time. Just look out- and see."

"Satsuki!!!" Saiko yelled out in frustration as her blows were continuously blocked. "Saiko's sorry for the past, but you didn't have to-"

"Whats done is done!" Satsuki knocked Saiko back with her sword. "You sealed me inside my own body. I will seal all of you here. I will have to subdue you if you don't stop this."

"Kaira-" Tears we're streaming down Saiko's face. "We trusted you..! Saiko trusted Kaira... why... why..."

"Don't call me Kaira!"

Satsuki's blunt side of the blade slammed down onto Saiko's head, swiftly knocking the girl out.

An empty look filled the redhead's face, sadness clouding her pupil-less eyes.

"Hope you guys are excited for some nice, long, torture... how dare you try to escape," Pauline sneered. "We'll make good examples of you all."

"I can't believe this..." Daisy whimpered as she was cuffed by Mario. "Kaira.."

Daisy looked at the girl, and knew Satsuki's only regret was hurting Saiko. She wondered if Kaira was stashed inside of her body right now, or if she'd just been erased as Satsuki took full control.

"Your dreams were stupid."

<><><>

The wardens were nice enough to put them all in the same room. There was no difference- guns were pointed at them from every direction, so might as well clump it all in one.

Each were tied hands and feet with those damn handcuffs that just numbed their power. Saiko had finally woken up from her knockout, and she was angry.

Kaira-Satsuki was gone, and everyone was furious. Saiko had been cursing and crying silently in the corner, while Toadette and Rosalina stared at the floor in shock. Daisy was just trying to think- trying to think of how to find a way out now...

"Saiko fucking can't believe it!" Saiko finally said angrily. "Saiko trusted Kaira... for forever... since Saiko first came here. And now... now...! It's all Saiko's fault," Saiko muttered, feeling defeated. "If Saiko hadn't asked to seal Satsuki away, she wouldn't have done this... she would've escaped with Saiko like we'd tried..."

Saiko shook her head as more tears slid down her face, and was unable to wipe them away.

"...I know you're angry..and upset... or whatever," Rosalina said. "I am too... but we have to think rationally in order to get out of here... they're planning a lot of torture for us."

"Saiko's got an idea. How about Saiko just murders all of them-"

"You can't," Toadette spoke. "And even if you did, would you really be able to kill Satsuki?"

Regardless of what she'd done, Saiko still loved Satsuki. Despite Kaira being the one she'd been with for awhile, it had always been Satsuki she'd really cared about. Murderous or not, Saiko still loved Satsuki, and understood her motivation.

But that didn't make it okay.

"Saiko- Saiko-" Saiko hesitated. "Saiko... would..."

"That's not convincing..." Luigi murmured. "At all."

"Saiko doesn't care. Saiko just wants to-"

The door swung open, and revealed the red head. Immediately, Saiko looked away, trying to hide her tears.

"Be careful in there," they heard Mario say as he closed the door behind her. Apparently since his beloved Satsuki had been restored, Mario actually had feelings.

Daisy was the first to talk.

"How could you?"

"I-"

"How could you betray us..?"

"Don't be so mean," Satsuki pouted, her red eyes glinting in the bright lights of the room, making sure the captives didn't try anything. "I didn't betray you all. I never agreed to this plan. Kaira did."

"And who were you to take over her body?" Daisy said the words before she could stop herself, and immediately Satsuki growled at her. While Satsuki didn't bear ill feelings towards Daisy, she wasn't going to let that go.

"It's not her body!" Satsuki shrieked, instantly obliterating any idea that the group had of having Satsuki help them escape. "It's mine! I got sealed away inside of it. You know, it's actually your fault. You all helped me take control. With every Grand Star broken, it's released Kaira's control over me. With only one star, she can't control me anymore! Although I've had control since three out of the seven Grand Stars broken, ahah. I get to live a life now."

"Satsuki, this isn't living," Luigi reminded her, and while they'd never gotten along, it certainly wasn't helping them now. "This is hell."

"No, you know what isn't living?" While Kaira was more cold and calculating about how she got revenge most of the time, Satsuki was explosive and violent, as well as extremely bitter. Looking back on it, she'd noticed her more violent approach.. "Watching everything through your own eyes, but being unable to do anything about it! You know how many times all I've wanted to do is just touch the girl I love, but Kaira prevented me from everything!"

"Saiko's sorry!" Saiko burst finally, her blue eyes finally landed on the redhead, who faltered momentarily under her gaze. "Saiko... Saiko thought it was for the best. Satsuki... Satsuki was going through so many rampages, killing everyone, and Saiko suggested that- something be done...Mario took it too far, but he's happy to have you back! Saiko missed Satsuki all this time, it's not just you! Ka- Kaira's n-not you."

"...I appreciate it," Satsuki looked away, and it was at that moment that Daisy realized that the murderous side of the redhead actually had other emotions. "But it's too late. I've been locked away for too long. I've got some killing to get all this off of my mind."

"Satsuki," Saiko's voice broke multiple times, and Rosalina, Luigi, Daisy, and Toadette stared in pity at the two. "D-don't do it."

"...never forget the importance of freedom," Satsuki shook her head. "...I love you Saiko... but maybe it's time to give you all a taste of what I've gone through."

She left the room, leaving a conflicted Saiko and an angered Daisy.

"This is unfair."

Hey everyone... hi.

Question of the chapter: how do you feel about what just happened?

Thanks for reading!