322. With 'love' comes 'hatred'.

[The Godly Awakenings: Arc 15]

[Planet Earth - Innerlight City - Beach - Thursday, 11:15 a.m.]

"'Godess'.... N-no.... But..." Her memories had returned, the time her eyes had been turning silver, the moment she immediately forgot that she has ever transformed and the final time at which point, she used that ability to defeat Tsutomu, the paralysis, the connection that she felt and the reality that she never had been able to see.

Everything was clear to her...

[Planet Earth - Innerlight City - Beach - Thursday, 11:20 a.m.]

"'Godess'... You don't mean to tell me that-" However, Ayuka was quickly interrupted. "No. Ayuka, you don't understand... We-" But Ayuka immediately turned around with her tears, rubbing Tim into emotional state and shock. "You've been hiding this from me this ever since when?!"

"No. Ayuka, listen to-" But right in the moment, Ayuka rubbed in her words again. "Now I see it. The things that had been happening with my eyes... The moment I've been introduced of so many people getting slaughtered, at the blockade. The moment I lost my memories of the battle, to protect you, alongside the others. Everything is clear to me! But why- What was the reason?! Why would you hide this from me and why would you lie to me, reality that never happened! Am I just a toy to you, a lost toy that has no allowance to even know herself-"

"No, Ayu-"

"Tell me! What am I too you guys? Just somebody who is supposed to have protection?! After all of what had happened, after everything that I've accomplish with each and single one of you, and at the end I am introduced to something like that. I- Me?! Now I see what kind of friends have I found myself, a bunch of liars who had been trying to protect me just for this one event!" Her angry yellls, where making Tim upset. "Ayuka, why won't you listen to me-" But just before Tim tried to step closer, he instantly felt a strike in his left side of the face. Ayuka's palm was heard, slapping, making everyone else surprised.

"I trusted you, to tell me everything that I do wrong, or that I am... But all of those were just 'words' to you?! Do you understand how this feels, a person who I 'loved', even they lie to me! Apparently I really am not good enough for something like this, knowledge, feelings! It's a bunch of null and shitty verbs!" She yelled, when Tim held his left cheek, even making Tim confused at the word that she used a few seconds earlier.

"Wait. Ayuka, there's a reason to why we were hiding it! Please, just listen to us, or at least to Tim!" Codey called, trying to calm her down. "Reason?! As if I don't know it. You've been told by another, weren't you. You obeyed what they said, from the point to the very end! If that's your way of trying to keep me safe, then I absolutely do not intend to accept these confirmation. Even if you did want to 'protect' me, I was numb like an idiot. And to know that even my own MOTHER lied to me, that's even more unacceptable, it's stupidly dumb to be hiding this from me!" After Ayuka claimed everything, Codey became quiet as he had nothing to object.

"All this time... I thought I was your friend... But at the end, it feels as if none of you had cared about me at all!"

"But we do care about you, we just-" Codey was once again blocked from saying. "Maybe I'd believe you more if you've just been honest with me..." She stepped away from Tim, who reached with his arm forward. "Ayuka, where are you going?" Tim wondered.

She turned around when Tim's eyes immediately became surprised, as he saw her left eye shining bright silver, with tears dropping and flowing down her cheek. "I'm doing what my job is supposed to do, and on the other hand, anywhere else than dealing with liars!" With it, Ayuka ran forward. "No, Ayuka! Stop!" However, she ignored everyone.

"She's not actually planning to-" But right in that moment, Tim's sword disappeared and ran after her. "Tim, wait for-" However, as Codey tried, Kylin immediately grabbed his shoulder. "I think one person is enough..." Kylin claimed, calming him down, even making Codey upset. "But... She's right... We DID lie to her... After everything, even Zero herself said it - 'She's still a human and has feelings'.... We've mistreated her badly... I can understand how she feels. After so many months, even a year and then she randomly receives the answer... I don't think we can really apologize correctly..." Claimed Codey, when looking down at the sand.

But with it, a clap was heard in the distance and everyone looked towards the noice. "Wow, this was a drama, wasn't it... How fascinating... I didn't know such an important person would be that upset over nothing." Hitomi spoke, smiling. "Over nothing?! You don't even know how it would feel if that happened to you!" Codey yelled, with anger. "But it's true. I wouldn't feel it, you see me as heartless, correct? Well, so be it... But, honestly, did you really think that this 'secret', better a 'lie' would be hidden forever? Boys and girls, you've been mistaken." Spoke Hitomi, stopping with her claps.

"Damn you, everyone!" At Codey's command, in sync everybody drew their Ginkens when a bunch of forceful pulses flew around. "Oh? Are we having fun?" Giggled Hitomi when stepping forward. "Let it be, come at me!" She claimed, but right in that moment, Codey made a heavy step at which point a cyclone of wind supported his body when his boomerang went flying through the air over the sand, blowing it aside. "Lightning Rod!"

Kylin and Codey both reached with their hands near their hips when charging out a purple and yellow bolt at which point, both of them swung with it and with it formed it into a massive thunder strike which flew at Hitomi and even destroyed the ground at once. "Icicle Brigade!" Yukito swung with his katana at which point a massive ice wall began to grow. "Furious Shock!" Kanji swung with his spear, spinning it when immediately stabbing it into the ground, when a powerful blue voltage beserked through the beach toward Hitomi. "Angel's Divine!" Shion moved both of her hands behind her back near her hip height when awakening massive wings of angelic power, which were unleashed through the field.

"Sound Tone!" Ume screeched when a powerful shockwave of music flew through the field. "Fury Rush!" Sakami claimed when spinning with her blades and unleashing a powerful purple aura. "Ash Dust!" Asuka released a thinner current of smoke which flew through the air, and in that instant, Kylin, Codey and Kanji all appeared behind Hitomi's back when pointing their palms at her. "You bitch! You're going to pay for your cause!" Codey shouted, when unleashing another powerful Wind Blast. "Speed of Light!" Kylin casted out an electrical orb which flew through the air at the back of Hitomi. "Rising Voltage!" Kanji raised his spear when surrounding it with a massive charge of electricity, forming it into larger shape and then throwing it like a spear, but right in that moment, Hitomi smiled.

"You're all a bunch of fools..." Hitomi raised her right hand and prepared to snap with fingers. "Time Breaker..." At that instant, when snapping with her fingers a massive glow of grey energy flew through the air which created a time bubble in which moment a crack was seen in the air, and with it, when every attack and every attacker froze on the spot. "Outrage..." Immediately she swooped when a massive explosion appeared and absorbed the attacks at which point the time bubble immediately exploded through the area and with it it disappeared like a black hole, but right in that moment. "Chrono Dash." Instantly, Hitomi's body glowed grey at which point she leaned forward and immediately, multiple bodies of copies of the time appeared in front of every duelist alongside the few that were in midair, Codey, Kylin and Kanji.

"Beserk of Time." With that, Hitomu made her legs spread when raising her hand and immediately shining her arm with the glow, when a massive swipe of greyish energy slammed into the frozen bodies and with it the time began to play again. when all of the Duelists's eyes became widely opened, and each of them lost oxygien when their bodes were injured and blown aside, alongside splitting the beginning of the ocean in half, alongside destroying the bars and even reaching multiple buildings, and with that, all of the Duelists were bleeding, lying on the floor.

"D-Damn you... Wh-what is this ability?" Codey wondered, when trying to stand up, however on the moment, he heard voices. "Chrono Dash." Instantly another copy appeared above Codey when the glowing body smashed him at the back of the head and fully dug him into the sand, even creating a gigantic crack in the ground. "Time Bombs." Hitomi raised her hand, snapped with fingers when a bunch of time symbols appeared in the air, casting out massive bombs which began to rain down on the Duelists, smashing them and on the contact exploding, while even messing up the Time around them, but at the end, a massive bubble of explosion appeared at which point, the Duelists were near death.

Hitomu closed her eyes and smiled. "Now, I shall leave you around, enjoy your lives while you can." Hitomu disappeared in a Time Bubble alongside Feng, when there were no sign of them. But right in that moment, Codey's eyes turned red, however, instantly they shut off, when his body gave in, nobody was moving and even the Captains were overpowered.

[Planet Earth - Innerlight City - Rocky Highs - Thursday, 11:30 a.m.]

Ayuka was standing at the top of the rocky hill, looking down at the ocean, with her eyes silver. "Ayuka! Please, hold on!" But when she heard Tim's voice, she immediately turned around. "What do you want? Laugh at my face for acting this way, go ahead. I suppose that is the only reason to why I was your 'friend' so that you would lie to me!" She called, upset and angry. "N-No! Just listen to me. We didn't want to lie to you! We were told because of the possible sacrifices! I promise, I didn't want to lie to you!" Tim called, standing down at the hill. "And you still did... You know, you may as well throw those promises away. They were more than dumb enough to make me look stupid, so get lost, I'm not going to waste time with you and your 'friends'..." Ayuka claimed, turning around. "Ayuka, just listen!" As soon as Tim made a step, Ayuka's voice echoed when she swung her left arm behind. "Shut up!" Instantly a powerful energy flew through the air at which point Tim crossed his arms and was pushed backward into a rock, forcing is spine to almost break, when the water in the ocean splashed upward.

Tim had his arm in front of his nose and mouth when looking at her, standing up. "Ayuka! This is not you. Please, just stop with whatever you're doing! You're still important to us! I never said I only promised you to keep you safe because of the stupid 'Godess' title. Besides, what kind of a human would I be if I had done that!" Tim wondered, bleeding from both of his arms. "Stop being so irritating and just leave me alone! I'll listen to my own mind, and as I told you. Your stupidity is worse than being called a slut! Especially your dumb friends, all they see in me is stupid girl. If my job was to keep the World Protected and take on the next title of the 'Godess' then that's what I should do. Not waste time on liars who only see a poor girl, lost in definitive stupidity. Now leave and go chat with your lovely friends, but don't you dare count me in. The first time I met you, I at least saw a bright light, not another liar who's there just to keep me alive... I may as well be dead if necessary, definitely not under your protection, but my own..." She claimed, when Tim's mouth shook.

"You're right. I am a liar! But you gotta trust me! If I wasn't your friend, I would keep the promise so deep in my heart! I don't protect you because of the stupid title, but because I can see a human who was once - no, is my friend. And if you plan on killing me with your power, I couldn't care less. I'll at least die with somebody who I care about. I don't care about anything else than being your friend. Understand me! I'm protecting you due to my own decision. I didn't even know that you had that title before I was told in the 'Spiritual Realm'. Remember, I promised you right at the first few months we've met! And I love you as a friend, I don't care what you see in me, and I don't care what you think of me. I couldn't hate you, not even if you've killed me! Do you understand that! I always liked you more when you were acting normally, not in the state you are in now!!!" Tim yelled, swinging with his arms, and making Ayuka's upper body to back away, when her eyes twitched. "Say whatever you want! But that won't change my mind, do you understand how it-" But right in that moment, Tim's body disappeared and immediately forced Ayuka to squirt out a sweat and back away, when swinging with her left arm and unleashing a powerful white energy, however, Tim instantly opened his arm when swinging through the force and taking the hit dead on, when getting pushed back, but ignoring the broken bones, he immediately dashed for her, when she quickly swooped with her arm, however, Tim quickly twisted his left foot when quickly making a hopping wheel and landing on the floor, when unleashing fire with full force from his back, jumping in front when Ayuka immediately swooped with her arm forward and grabbed her sword, swinging forward, however, before that, Tim crossed the broken arm in front of him when allowing him to take the cut into his arm and letting the blood to erupt.

Tim quickly shocked Ayuka, when he grabbed her by the hip and instantly jumped with her into the ocean. "What are you doing?! You're going to get yourself killed!" Shouted Ayuka, when trying to stop him. "Then that's what I'll do! I've died once, I'll die the second time! But I won't let you see me as a person who doesn't care about you! If you're planning on going through the pain, I'll do that as well!" Tim shouted, when looking at her. "I don't care! You've gotta get lost!"

"You don't care? Then why did you just warn me about getting killed!!" That forced Ayuka's eyes to widely open. "That's right! Because you know you would never kill me! Because you can sense, deep in your heart that I'm not here to lie! I'm here to love you as a friend, to keep you alive for as long as I live! And not just because one stupid human told me about it! Remember that for once!" Tim shouted, when both of them fell into the ocean.

Ayuka's face was harmingly sad while she tried to cover it, even through the water, when Tim quickly grabbed Ayuka's head which made her feel extremely surprised and heated. Tim opened his palm when unleashing a powerful burst of pressure through the ocean when splitting it in half. "Do you understand that! I won't let you take that path, no way! For as long as I am alive, you will stay alive, you will stay a human, nothing else. You will stay under my protection!!" Tim shouted, while the ocean continued to wave at them, preparing to squeeze them. "Please! Just stop pushing at me like that! Even I myself know that I'm not ready for such responsibility! But there's no other choice!" Ayuka shouted, when Tim immediately pulled held her.

"THEN LISTEN TO ME AND BE A PERSON THAT I WANT YOU TO BE!!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!!" At that, Tim's voice echoed and roared through the surroundings, when Ayuka's eyes shook harder. "I'm sorry.... But I can't do that..." She spoke, which made Tim surprised, she reached behind his head. "Forgive me for this..." When pulling Tim's head near her own, she softly leaned her lips onto Tim's own when kissing him with the ocean immediately covering them, but right in that moment, when Tim's eyes shook, he noticed when his 'Spiritual Symbolism' was shut down, and with it his body fell into unconsciousness.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you keep your 'Spiritual Symbolism'. I don't want anyone to follow me.... I'm so sorry..." At that, Tim's sword disappeared into sparkles when his eyes body became soft and hung down, when the ocean fully covered them, at last, Ayuka grabbed Tim when jumping from the ocean and landing on top of the rocky hill. "Just know this... I will never forgive myself, and you don't need too, either... I'm thankful for everything..." When she gently laid Tim on the floor, she softly gave him a kiss on the forehead, when standing up straight.

"I'll see you, again.... Tim..."

And with it, Ayuka's body disappeared into fresh air.

To be continued...