**Rotten Fruit**

[The Jolly Victini]

"And where is he now?" S.M. quickly shot back.
"Bickering with my guardian. The thought of where you are or why you've yet to return is probably lowest on his priority list! And what of your other daughter? The one that you do love? She was in my castle for how long? Not once did he even wonder where she was!"
S.M. could argue like this for a while. All his information was coming straight from Fenikkusu, the one he's connected to spiritually. His eyes are S.M.'s and vice versa.

Fenikkusu left the area and soon returned with a small vial of blood from Dex's lab. It was filled with a small sample of S.M.'s blood that Dex had used for testing on better cures for the flu. Since he didn't need it anymore, Fenikkusu was allowed to take it.
"Here. Now hurry." Fenikkusu said.  

[WritingWithLove]

Fae's face turned white. What he was saying made sense, but there was no way Rim could really be that... bad...
When was the last time he hurt her?
Only a few minutes ago.
That guardian... Did he mean to protect her?

All she wanted was a simple "I love you" now and then, but that seemed to be too much to ask for. She lay flat on the ground and looked up at the sky. She raised her final argument, and her last hope of staying the same: "Even if I leave, I have nowhere to go."
***
Rim poured the blood on the gem, and it fizzled as its once-pure color reddened into that of Sin.
"Brilliant," said Rim, "We just need the person who this blood belongs to to go in and save Rose."  

[Fenrir Shade]

Fenrir wraps his arms around Briar and holds her close, "It's okay. She's gone. Don't worry." He fealt really bad. He wanted to do everything he could to keep her safe.  

[The Jolly Victini]

"Very well. I'll get him." Fenikkusu said, disappearing in a flash of fire.

"That's not true." S.M. said with a smile. "If you'll let me, I can give you a house, here, in the Ice Kingdom."
S.M. wanted to continue, but fenikkusu showed up in a magnificant flare.

"Swift, we need you. Only you can Save Rose now." Fenikkusu said.

"Alright, but we're taking Fae." S.M. demanded.

Fenikkusu looked over to Fae, a fire already lit in his chest, but the second he saw her state, his anger died. She had the look of recognition.
"Looks like Swift, as usual, told her exactly what she needed to hear."
Fenikkusu nodded.
"Very well then. Let's go." He said. The all let off a flare of heat and arrived back at the castle, right next to Rim.
"Now what must Swift do?" He asked.  

[WritingWithLove]

Briar felt herself fall apart in Fenrir's arms. She thought that she would be done with her mother when she ran away, but no, the witch had somehow found her.
"Sh-she'll take you away from me! She'll make you realize I'm not good enough! Sh-she's back! She'll... She'll..."
A memory came to her; the one from the night when she left.
"I hate you, Mother!"
"I hate you more, you worthless waste of space!"
"I hope you die!"
"Go back to Hell where you belong, demon!"
Slam!

"She's gonna hurt me... She's gonna hurt me again..."
***
Why the hell is he being so nice to me?!

Fae's mind was spinning. After what he had told her, S.M. wasn't as bad as she had come to believe he was. Why... Why?
She suddenly got the urge to help him, to tell him everything, to explain the plan down to the last detail.
But she couldn't. Not in front of Rim.
She knew one thing for sure: S.M. could not touch that gem.

"Are you sure it's ready, darling?" she asked Rim. He glaced at her and said with an obvious hint of small frustration, "Why yes, everything's in order. The king just needs to touch it-"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. I know what I'm doing. Now please, don't interrupt-"
"But I just-"
"Don't interrput."  

[The Jolly Victini]

Fenikkusu glared at Rim once more. He wanted so much to wipe him from existence, but he couldn't while Fae was still clung to him.

S.M. eyed Rim a bit cynically. After he glanced at the gem, he reached out to touch it.  

[WritingWithLove]

Daniel and Sawyer sat next to one another, and Yuki had Rose resting in her arms. "I know it's hard, Sawyer," said Daniel, "but I know you can do it." Sawyer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The light filled him, and he began to hear the voices and see the faces again.
He could only take so much pain, and he needed encouragement now more than ever.
He focused on Rose. He heard her say, "I think I love you!" He repeated it to himself over and over, and the light got larger and larger. Yuki and Daniel winced in pain, but they tried not to show it.
A little boy, crying.
"I don't wanna die!"
A young woman, burning alive.
"I'm not a witch!"
An older man, laying on his bed.
"I've lived a good life."
A girl, running across the street.
"I got it!"
A young man, chuckling to himself.
"Born in a hotel room- and, dammit- died in a hotel room!"
His... His mother.
"No, please! Don't hurt my son!"

The light faded and grew stronger as he repeated, "'I think I love you.' 'I think I love you.'"
Yuki placed Rose in Sawyer's lap, and Daniel and she stood back as the light surrounded the two children.
"Don't forget, we're in your echoes."
"And say hello to a girl named Briar for me. Tell her Daniel said that he's-"

That was all Sawyer caught before he and Rose were swept away.
***
Crash!

Fae knocked the gem to the floor, and it burned her hand the brief moment she touched it. Rim glared daggers at her as she said, "O-oops. Sorry."  

[The Jolly Victini]

S.M. rushed over to Rose and Sawyer immediately.

Fenikkusu grinned as he saw this a chance to strike. He flapped his wings and flew into Rim hard, slamming him against the wall.  

[WritingWithLove]

While their bodies were breathing again, Sawyer and Rose's souls stilll hovered above. The air burned them, and Sawyer cried out in pain, wanting nothing more than to go back to the darkness, where his mother would care for him for Eternity.
He cried and screamed, unable to control the movement of his bodiless being. He shredded into pieces and came together again, and the air continued to bear down on him like acid.
Everything hurt.
He needed to get back to his body.
But first, Rose.
He bore throught the pain long enough to grab her hands and thrust her back into her body.
Sawyer's body gasped for air, and his heart beat faster than it should have.
He was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it.
***
Rim cried out in pain as he was taken by suprise. He gnashed his teeth and pushed Fenikkusu off of him. He glared at Fae and screamed, "I ALMOST HAD HIM!"
He rushed at her and tackled her, letting his rage control his every movement. He didn't even know where or what he was hitting, and he didn't care; he just wanted to hear her scream in pure agony and beg for mercy.
Fae more than happily obliged.  

[The Jolly Victini]

Fenikkusu flew over and ripped Rim from Fae. He threw him down to the ground and flew upwards. He changed to his phoenix form and bolted down to Rim. He bore his talons in front of his strike and they entered Rim's chest with a sickening slash. Rim's chest then began to glow orange as Fenikkusu was burning him from the inside.  

[WritingWithLove]

"NO!" Fae screamed. Blood stained her clothes, and she had several scratches on her face, but she didn't care.
She felt like she was about to die.
Rim cried out in extreme agony, not being able to bear the pain. His rage consumed him completely, and he lost all hope of logical thought.
"FAE! HELP ME!"
Fae looked over to him, then to Fenikkusu, then back to him. She pulled the gun she kept in her skirt pocket.
Locked and loaded.
But... She looked to S.M.
"When someone's in love, they don't put the one they love in mental or physical anguish. If he truly loved you, you wouldn't have that black eye..."
"No mental or physical anguish?" Fine, I'll shoot the damn bird and be done with it.
She aimed.
"There are a million better ways to let someone know they've done something wrong! Beating someone is absolutely the worst! Stop convincing yourself that everything he does is helping you!"
But... Rim loves me...
The image of him crossed her mind.
"You worthless woman! I knew I couldn't trust you to do the job right! You're too stupid and kind to get anything done! No wonder I cheated on you, you w***! Worthless, worthless, worthless!"
She breathed heavily. Her heart was going to give any second; she just knew it.
But... But...
"Don't listen to me as a damn king, listen to me as a person who wants to help!"
What was going to happen once she took Queen Frost's place?
Would Rim be happy then, and would they have fairy-tale marriage she had always wanted?
Or would he continue to beat her senseless?
He... He'd...

Fae crawled over to get a better aiming point. Rim felt as though he was being ripped apart, and he looked to Fae and whispered, "Please... help..."
She chuckled.
"See you in Hell, you b******. Save me a seat next to Satan."
Ca-chick.
BOOM!

Fae chuckled as blood spattered across the floor, and she fell back onto the tile and passed out with a smile to rival the Cheshire Cat.  

[The Jolly Victini]

Fenikkusu pulled his talons out of Rim's chest and flapped over to Fae.
"Brave woman... That took a toll on her. It's best to let her rest for now."
Fenikkusu draped a wing over the woman.  

[WritingWithLove]

Fae could feel her soul lift up, and the light and air burned her.
Sawyer, still screaming in agony, was frozen in his spot.
His body was ready to give.
If I'm going, then I might as well save a life in exchange for taking one.
She reached over to Sawyer and smiled at him. He looked at her with confusion before being thrusted back into his body.
Fae was surrounded by darkness, and a familiar face greeted her.
"Greetings, Fae."
"D-Daniel?"
"Nice to see you. Last time we spoke, I have to say it killed me."
She laughed nervously.
"Do you... forgive me?"
"Do you love our daughter?"
"N-no, but-"
"Then I don't forgive you. Not in the least."
"I'm not that woman anymore!"
"Okay then. Prove it."

The darkness was consumed by light, and her eyes fluttered open back inside her body. She was too weak to move, or to speak, or to even think, so she lay there protected by Fenikkusu's wing.
***
Sawyer gasped and shot up. He took in heaps of air as his heart went back to its normal beat, and he looked p at S.M. and said, "I-I'm... alive?"  

[The Jolly Victini]

S.M. hugged Rose and Sawyer. "Yes... You're both alive. Thank god." he said through tears.  

[WritingWithLove]

Briar held Fenrir's hand as she rushed up to the commotion. She gasped as she analyzed the scene, and she asked to no one in particular, "Wh-what... happened?"