Epilogue – Ende:

Author's Note:

Hopefully I don't have to translate that title. This is… the end. We left off with Mother and Zim both being launched backwards in smoking piles from the explosion caused by their swords colliding. So, did they survive? And if they did… who won? Please, enjoy!

XXX

The loud boom echoed throughout the city, but the only two that were affected seemed to be Mother and Zim. They had been launched backwards, Zim towards Malakai and Mother towards the steps to the Great Hall. Malakai immediately rushed to assist Zim, who was sitting up, clutching his head.

Malakai offered his hand to Zim, who accepted the gesture and he was pulled up to his feet. Zim rubbed his head, although the apex state had protected him from the explosion and being launched nearly ten meters, his ears wouldn't stop ringing. Zim let out a breath, it was over. Without the God Slaying sword, Mother couldn't touch him.

Speaking of Mother, she too was righting herself. She sat up and struggled to her feet. Burns covered her face and scorch marks littered the front of her armor. She grimaced as she began to heal rapidly. The black and red marks on her face began to retract, skin growing back in their place, as her white hair began to grow back to its previous length. Once she was fully healed, she narrowed her amber eyes at Zim and Malakai, letting a hiss escape through clenched teeth.

Zim returned the glare as he cracked his neck, preparing to deal the death blow to Mother. But she did not attack like he thought she would. Instead, she began to unclasp her scorched armor. She started with her armored gloves, tossing them to the ground, before moving on to her blackened chest plate. She wore nothing underneath her chest plate, except a thin piece of cloth over her breasts.

Attached to that piece of cloth were two swords, which she unclasped from her back and twirled them menacingly. She was not through. Zim only chuckled, "That cannot harm me. It's over, Mother."

Mother only shook her head, "Nothing is ever hopeless, and you are not invincible." She reached down to her side and dug into a small brown pouch Zim had missed before. From the pouch, she drew a stone, which she rubbed on the edge of the dual blades. She stuffed the stone back into her pouch and struck a defensive stance. She was no longer the aggressor, not without the God Slaying sword.

"Zim…" Malakai trailed off as the apex human snarled at his mother. He charged at her, not knowing what she had rubbed on her weapons, and all Malakai could do was watch. Mother slashed at Zim's chest, managing to pierce his skin and draw his blood, but he didn't seem to care. He punished her with a vicious uppercut, slamming against her jaw and tossing her into the air.

She landed on her feet and struck at him again. He continued to make no effort blocking or dodging, despite her weapons doing damage to him. The lacerations didn't last long, as Zim's high speed regeneration would kick in mere moments after he received the wound, completely healing him until there wasn't even a scar to remember the wound by. Mother ground her teeth in frustration, continuing her assault, but was starting to slow down.

Zim stood almost mockingly still as she jammed her weapons into his heart. He only blinked at her, before wrenching them from her hands and tossing them far from her reach. He grasped one of her arms in his hand, and with a sharp twist, snapped the appendage. She dropped to the ground, hissing in pain as she cradled her broken arm against her chest.

Zim only growled and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her in the air and off the ground. Mother could only choke in pain, grabbing Zim's arm with her good hand. He ignored her attempts to free herself as he gave her a good squeeze, causing her to cough and black blood to drip from her mouth. "Is that it, Mother? Has regenerating taken that much out of you? It's time to give up!"

Amber met red as Mother choked out, "I'd… rather d-d-ie!" Zim increased pressure with a growl and a glare that clearly threatened, that can be arranged. A grin split across her face as laughter spilled out of her mouth. Zim growled and tightened his grip again, causing her laughter to turn into choking spasms. "B-b-bomb…" she managed to sputter out.

Malakai stepped closer to Zim, slapping a hand to his shoulder, causing him to nearly drop Mother. But she remained held against her will in the air, though she was no longer being strangled to death. "I'm rigged to blow, just like Isa. Only my bomb is bigger! Big enough to wipe out this entire city… you included," she hissed when she could speak freely again.

"Let's not lose our heads, Zim," Malakai warned, "Let's think this through rationally." Zim's eyes closed as he took a few deep breaths to calm down. The commander was right, he needed to clear his head. His eyes opened slowly and calmly, but he did not drop Mother.

"Your heart won't stop the moment I snap your neck, I could easily drag you to a cliff, kill you, and drop your corpse down the ravine before you detonated," Zim growled. Mother's eyes widened, she had not thought of that scenario. A grin split across Zim's features as her eyes closed seemingly in defeat.

But his eyes widened in surprise as hers popped open, determination blazing across those amber orbs like a wildfire. There was a loud cracking sound as her arm twisted back into place. Zim didn't have time to react as she punched him as hard as she could. He dropped her as he stumbled backwards from the blow, despite being unharmed.

She jumped backwards, dodging Malakai's attempt to restrain her, and pulled a knife from her boot. But she didn't point it at Zim, rather at her own heart. Zim and Malakai froze as the blade hovered over the literal detonation switch. A smirk stretched across her face as they realized what would happen if she stabbed herself in the heart. Instant detonation, nothing they could do about it.

"Well, gentlemen, it seems we're at a crossroad. I don't wish to kill myself, and surely you all don't wish to die…" she trailed off, her meaning clear. She was going to run. She hadn't won, but at least she would live to fight another day.

Zim bared his teeth at her, wanting to just leap at her and pay the price. Despite what she had said, he doubted the explosion would be able to harm him. And, if he timed it right, he might be able to contain a majority of the blast with his body, thus saving the city and the remnants of his army. Having made up his mind, he let out a growl and bunched his muscles together, preparing to jump.

Malakai, having realized what Zim was doing, held out his hand, stopping him. He gave him a look, silently reaffirming his own orders. Stay calm, keep a level head. He stepped forward, slowly, but Mother immediately began to press the blade into her chest, black blood dripping from the small incision. Malakai held up his hands, freezing in place again. "You know… I've never heard of you before. And I'm high up in the guild's ranks, as the real strongest hunter in the world, and yet… I've never heard of you," he said calmly.

She narrowed her eyes, recognizing what he was doing. He was stalling. But why? She didn't move the blade from her own heart, but answered him anyways, "I've always kept myself hidden except to those I take in and the guildmaster himself. He chooses who gets to know about me."

"Then who are you?" Malakai continued, tone even and composed.

"I am known as Mother. I am… was the head of Monster research in the guild," she hissed, pressing the blade even deeper into her chest. Less of a threat to them, more of a reminder to herself that she held all of the cards. She couldn't let classified information leak into enemy hands.

"Was?" Malakai asked carefully. Dr. Gloria Steele was the current head of monster research and headmistress of the Wycademy, that much he knew. Was Mother her predecessor? If so… why hadn't Gloria warned them about this… being?

Mother let out a laugh, "I can tell what you're thinking. Why didn't good old Dr. Steele tell me about her? My protégé has no reason to tell you about me, as was a part of our agreement."

Malakai growled, she didn't answer the question. And she only made him more confused, and now Dr. Steele was back in the fire and there was nothing he could do to help her. "You don't work for the guild, do you?" he eventually sighed. Mother only shook her head a resounding no. "Then why fight for them?"

Mother brought her eyebrows closer together at those words. She had never considered that question. Why was she here? It wasn't like she had any real ties to the guild. They left her alone so she could do research and experiments that they wouldn't allow under their supervision. They didn't bother her while she worked, and she went to them the moment she made a breakthrough, no matter how illegally she had obtained it. 'Twas how the God Slaying sword was made. She had postulated the anti-regeneration ability and designed the entire sword herself handing it off to a team of researchers to complete the design simply because she couldn't herself.

Why do I fight for them? the thought burrowed itself into her mind as she lifted the knife from her chest. The wound closed nearly instantly, the knife falling harmlessly against her side. She still gripped it tight, but no longer pointed it at anyone. "…I'm not sure. I guess… it is what I have always done," she said softly.

Zim's eyes widened, she was just like him. He had said the exact same thing to Fuun when he had met her. Why do you rope yourself with the ningen? And he had not an appropriate answer. And neither did she. Malakai immediately leapt at the opportunity she had presented him with, "You have no reason to sacrifice yourself for their cause. If anything… you should've sided with us from the beginning."

"Should I have?" Mother asked carefully, never dropping her knife.

"If all you want is the ability to keep experimenting, then we would've let you do that. That's all Dr. Steele asked for," Malakai explained. She looked down at the ground, considered her options, and then dropped the knife. He smirked, she was willing to negotiate.

"I'm afraid that's not enough anymore. My experiments have slowed down considerably since the God Slaying sword had been made. There hasn't been anything that's… caught my eye as of late," she sighed wistfully, "Until now."

There's always a catch, Zim hissed to himself, but Malakai didn't look surprised. He had expected her to ask for something more. She did hold all the cards, after all. "I want my son back. Him being alive… has changed everything. I've been reinvigorated, there's new things to research, there's new tests to run! That's my only condition," she said firmly, crossing her arms.

"You abandoned me!" Zim snarled, stepping out from behind Malakai. Mother didn't flinch, but she glanced down at the knife she had dropped. She wondered if she would be able to make it in time. Malakai looked back and forth between the two and quickly made the connection. "Why would I let you come crawling back to me?"

"That is my only condition," Mother reaffirmed stubbornly.

"No, mother. You can only have me if you cooperate," Zim growled. Both Mother's and Malakai's eyebrows rose. "Where is the guildmaster and the rest of the G-Ranks? This is only over once they're all dead."

So that's it, Malakai realized. It had crossed his mind briefly that Zim might be unfit to become the new guildmaster for the new guild. He figured that Zim would give up the role to him, and Zim must've already realized that. So it didn't matter to him if he was stuffed away in a cage forever, as long as this was all over.

"I don't actually know where he is," Mother admitted, uncrossing her arms. She scratched the back of her neck, almost nervously. "And I figure that the rest of the G-Ranks are with him."

Zim snarled something that neither of them could understand, but eventually sighed, "Then it looks like you're going to help us. I won't let you take anything from me until the guildmaster and the rest of the G-Ranks are dead."

Mother snorted but eventually nodded her head, "Very well, child. I shall help you hunt down the guildmaster and finish this… coup of yours. Then I will get what I want from you." Zim returned the nod and held out his hand, an informal way to seal the pact between them. She walked over to him, staring at his hand blankly.

In that short moment before she accepted the deal, doubt rose in her mind. She calculated every single possibility, even down to the probability Zim was going to stab her in the back. The risks were high, but she ground her teeth together and accepted them as fact. There was no way to completely eliminate risk. But she did not shake his hand.

Zim gave her a confused look when she closed her eyes and sighed, ignoring his outstretched hand. He very nearly pounced on her, killing her on the spot. He was still confident in his ability to contain the explosion, but he had not expected her to grab him and pull him close. His eyes widened when her form encompassed his own, arms wrapping around him, and holding him tight.

He only came up to her shoulder in height, so she had to lean down to whisper in his ear, "You're right, you know. I still love you." And she pulled him even closer, shutting her eyes tightly. He only stared out into the distance, eyes wide. Mother had surrendered… his mother.

It finally came crashing down onto him. He had ignored it when he first met her, with both of them trying to tear the other's throat out. But he had a mother. Who loved him. And not like Fuun loved him, he was more of a possession of hers. Mother loved him in a way that could not bring herself to kill him. And even if he hated her for abandoning him… a twisted, monstrous part of him understood.

"I hate to break up a loving family moment," Angel's voice cut through the silence as she stepped forward. She had been silent and still since Zim showed up, concerned for her new favorite human. And she had never had a favorite human before, so it took her time to process that once she realized it. "But Fuun and Ruby are still in critical condition."

She almost wanted Zim to wrap his arms around her like he did his mother. To be loved… she wondered what that felt like. She chuckled, she would never know. She was the One Winged Angel, a devil that had fallen from heaven. She didn't deserve anyone.

Zim broke away from his mother and hesitated, trying to decide which of his friends he would check on first. Eventually, he decided that Fuun's wound was less severe than Ruby's. Mother rolled her eyes as she watched Zim kneel to check on the injured girl, turning her onto her back and revealing the multiple lacerations down her chest.

The wounds were bleeding heavily, but he could see the subtle rising and falling of her chest. She was still breathing; thus she was still alive. He looked over at Mother to see her walking over to Fuun, muttering to herself as she did. "Well?" he asked.

She looked back over at him, "I haven't the slightest what you mean, dear," she said as she turned back to Fuun's wound. It hadn't stopped bleeding, it was deep, and wasn't healing. It wasn't supposed to. Fuun was in a worse position than Ruby, several of her organs were likely damaged while Ruby had only suffered from blood loss.

"After you beat me, you sounded like you had a way to reverse the effects," Zim explained as held his hand against Ruby's neck, checking her pulse. It was fast, too fast. The heart was pumping blood too quickly, making her lose blood at an even faster pace.

"Well…" she took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she considered all the possibilities again. Eventually she opened them, rolling her eyes and sighing, she didn't have much of a choice. As much as she wanted Fuun and Ruby to die as punishment for Zim not just surrendering to her, it no longer served any purpose. She had gotten what she wanted… even if it might take some time to get it.

"It was only supposed to work for you," she mumbled as she approached Ruby. She paused in her step, however, once again thinking of a different possibility. "You, you, you, and you, find something to patch the Fatalis up," she said, pointing to a few of the remaining Knights. They gave each other brief looks, but complied nonetheless.

Mother kneeled down next to Zim with a loud sigh, "She'll probably be fine. I don't think I hit anything vital, though she may be out for a few days." She lifted Ruby's head up and opened her shut eyes, gazing into her glassy glare.

"How does this work? Is it a shot, or something?" Zim asked, suddenly concerned as to why Mother was going through all this.

Mother placed Ruby's head back down on the ground before turning to Zim with a grin, "Oh, it's much more fun than that. You see… a while ago, I had become paranoid that anyone, namely you, could pick up the God Slaying sword and just… well, you know. So I put the serum… in my blood."

Zim gave her a blank stare, to which she returned with an expectant gleam in her eye. She had forgotten what it was like to speak to people who had no idea what she was talking about. The last person she had collaborated with was Dr. Steele, but that was years ago. Eventually, she shook her head in disappointment, "Right then. The serum basically refortifies the gene that enhances high speed regeneration. Both fortunately and unfortunately, it requires a certain amount of… well, monster DNA in order to work."

Zim's head was spinning. DNA, serum, genes… he had never heard of any of this. And he was considered well-studied among hunters. "But it looks like Ruby has mutated to a certain degree, so I think this will work," she mumbled to herself as she held up her arm and presented it to Zim. "Bite," she ordered simply.

He was hesitant, but reluctantly bit down on her arm with his mouthful of fangs, drawing blood from the wound. She pulled her arm from his maw with a gasp and immediately held it up to Ruby's mouth. Zim realized what she was doing and helped Ruby lift her head to Mother's black blood could pour down her throat.

The wound was only open for a few moments, the bleeding quickly stopped. But whatever was in her blood started to work quickly, the openings in her skin started to seal up just like they had when Zim touched the Anti-sword. But her eyes did not open, in fact, she seemed to delve deeper into her slumber.

Zim growled in frustration, but Mother didn't seem concerned. She stood with a grunt and looked over to see the soldier's progress at patching up Fuun. They had broken into one of the nearby houses and stolen the sheets from the beds, tying them together and wrapping them around Fuun like a mock bandage. Angel had helped by lifting the unconscious Elder Dragon, the sheets instantly becoming soaked in blood.

She walked over to the dragon, mumbling to herself as she did. She checked the soldiers' job at covering the wound. She sighed, it was passable. "You aren't going to do the same thing to Fuun?" Zim said, not moving from Ruby's side.

"The Fatalis is fine, she's just being dramatic. We may need to stich the wound… but she'll be fine," Mother said, nodding to herself as she did. Zim hissed a curse to himself, he had just said Fuun's name and Mother had clearly heard him.

While Mother and Zim had been taking care of Ruby and Fuun, Malakai had been checking on each of the slain soldiers, praying to himself that at least a few of them were still alive. "Some of my Knights are still alive! What should we do?" Malakai called out, not looking away at the one still breathing Knight he had found.

Mother took a deep breath as she closed her eyes once more, trying to think of a way to deal with the injured soldiers. Malakai continued to check on his Knights as she thought, finding only a handful had survived. "I doubt the serum will work on them, but there should be a hospital a few blocks in that direction," Mother explained, pointing towards where she thought the hospital was.

Malakai only rolled his eyes and motioned for his soldiers to follow him, grabbing the barely alive Knights as they went. "And what about you?" Zim hissed. In his eyes, even if the serum wouldn't work, the Knights needed an experienced doctor to look after them.

"You and I are going home."

Zim snarled through bared fangs, "We are not. We still have work to do!"

"I need to put on something… well, more. And I need a good needle to sew the Fatalis' wound closed," she explained with a huff, more than a bit annoyed that he didn't trust her. He only rolled his eyes and motioned for her to lead the way.

Zim made to follow, but a loud groan gave him pause. And when he stopped moving, Mother stopped moving. They both turned to see Fuun's eyes flicker open, groaning again, "What happened?" She lifted her head off the ground slowly, still blinking her crystalline eyes, as she tried to make sense of the muddied forms before her.

"You were struck by the God Slaying sword, and the cut is fairly deep. You passed out from the pain," Mother said just as Fuun's vision began to sharpen. She regarded the ancient human with bleary eyes before realization dawned on her. Mother was still alive.

"Teme!" she hissed as she began to lift her whole body off the ground, beating her bat wings, and standing up on her hind legs. Fire flickered in her mouth as she prepared to launch a fireball at Mother.

"No, wait, don't try and…" Mother tried to say, but was too late. Immense pain rippled through Fuun's side, causing her to cry out. She collapsed back to the ground with another loud groan. She managed to make it onto all four, but blood was starting to leak out of the makeshift bandage, black spots descending on her vision.

Mother let out a sigh, she had clearly dealt with difficult patients before. "You stay here with her and get her up to speed, I'll go get the needle," she ordered, turning to walk away before Zim could complain. He didn't trust her alone, but he agreed that staying with Fuun was a higher priority.

So he remained by Fuun's side, watching her walk away. "I'm missing something, aren't I?" she hissed softly, tongue flicking out. He had sat down on the hard ground, her resting her head next to him. Zim nodded absently before launching into what had happened to him. She was informed of his first confrontation with Mother, but he also told her of how Mother… sort of surrendered.

"Is that really wise? Giving yourself up like that?" Fuun asked, concerned for Zim's well-being but mostly concerned about her claim over him. The way he phrased it sounded like Mother would lock him up in a cell, experimenting on him until her desire for knowledge was satisfied. To which, she would not stand for.

"Whatever I have to do to end this, I will do," Zim said softly, watching as Malakai came back from the hospital, flanked by the remaining soldiers, and picking up the next few that were still alive.

"I don't want her to take you from me… I don't want anyone to take you from me," Fuun growled.

Zim snorted, "When it comes to that, I'll make sure the accommodations are fair, for all of us." He knew that it would be difficult for her to let him go, he had promised himself to her, but it was the only way to keep Mother on their side.

He noticed Malakai walking over to him, Ruby in his arms. He planned on taking her to the hospital as well, at least until she woke up. "Hey," he said, drawing Zim's attention from Fuun onto him, "We need to have a serious conversation once she gets back."

XXX

Fuun hissed in pain once more as Mother drove the large needle through her scales. "Stop writhing, you're making this more difficult than it needs to be," Mother admonished, halting again as Fuun flinched when the needle pierced her again.

"I'm not used to having to close wounds like this… they usually just heal on their own," Fuun growled as Mother tied off the thread. She had used some type of super thread she claimed was the lightest and strongest thread on the market. Zim had no idea what market she was talking about, but he had just nodded along.

Mother stepped back, wiping her hands against each other, and admired her work. The wound was sealed shut and would eventually start to heal. The God Slaying sword disrupted the ability to regenerate completely, but there were ways around that. As Zim discovered, monsters consuming flesh could restart the healing process, though not as effective as Mother's serum.

Angel had long since left. She had claimed that she had been away from her home for long enough, she needed to keep out intruders. Namely other Alatreons who believed they could take the Sacred Lands from her. Zim had bade her farewell, though the blazing black dragon did promise to make contact every once and awhile. And she had expected a visit from Zim himself occasionally.

"Now then, since that's over with, how about we have a little chat," Mother said, walking around to face Fuun directly. Zim and Malakai had disappeared into the Great Hall, but she didn't bother following. If they wanted her, they would ask for her.

"I don't want to talk to you," Fuun hissed, trying to walk away from her.

"Now don't stress yourself, dear, you'll open up the wound. And I won't be as willing to patch you up again," Mother glared, causing Fuun to freeze and turn back to her. She was trapped. "I think I deserve to have a word with you, I did seal that wound, didn't I?"

"You were the one to put it in me in the first place!" Fuun growled. But she couldn't go anywhere, and it wasn't like she could just kill Mother. The human… if she even was human, was nearly as strong as Zim. And nearly as unbreakable.

"Now, now, let's not argue over semantics," Mother urged. "All I want to know is how you met my son." Fuun only growled and turned away again. If Mother wanted to know, she could go and ask Zim. Mother noted her hesitation, and decided to try a different approach. "Or would you rather talk about how you believe you have claim over him?"

She let out a growl, "He gave himself to me. He is mine." Mother only smirked at Fuun's enraged expression, new ideas and thoughts ravaged her mind. "And I will not let you take him from me!"

Mother only narrowed her eyes, though the smirk didn't fall from her face, and laid her right hand on Fuun's jaws. Confusion sprung up in the emerald eyes, but realization quickly flooded them when Mother forced the Fatalis' head to the ground. Fuun struggled the best she could, but Mother was strong enough to keep her pinned with only a single arm. "Stop struggling, you'll only open your wounds if you struggle," Mother warned again, her voice calm and even, void of any sense of exertion on her part.

Fuun lied still, smoke billowing from her nostrils, and contempt filling her crystalline eyes. Mother's smirk vanished as she became completely serious, "I know that it's a habit for dragons to be possessive, but they also respect strength. And I, much like Zim, am stronger than you, I don't need a weapon to end you. When the time comes, you will not interfere."

The two remained in deadlock for a moment longer, glaring at each other before she let the dragon go. "What do you want with him?" Fuun asked. She didn't move from her lying position, not wanting to seem threatening. Though Mother was correct that dragons respected strength, she knew that Zim would defend her to the ends of the Earth.

I am yours.

Mother only smirked, not answering the question. She watched as Fuun lifted her head to see Zim walking down the steps from the Great Hall, causing Mother to turn and greet them. Zim walked right past Mother to check on Fuun. He went around her side and looked at the stitching. "We were discussing our next course of action," Malakai said, noticing Mother's questioning glance.

"Alright then," Mother sighed, slightly peeved that they had not included her in their discussions. But she supposed they figured that she had been busy. "What's next?" She wanted to finish this as quickly as possible, the sooner this was over, the sooner she would have the right to research her son once again.

"We've decided to contact Dr. Steele and have her and whatever forces she can gather come here. We'll spend some time rounding up citizens that were spared, repairing Dundorma, and gathering up the few hunters that remain," Malakai explained.

Mother nodded in understanding, "What of the guild? You said you were going to replace it?" In truth, she could care less about what happened to the guild or what they were going to replace it with. As long as they didn't bother her studies, she wouldn't have any objections.

Malakai nodded in confirmation and began to tell of Zim's new system. It was remarkably similar to the guild she knew, Malakai would take the guildmaster position and Zim would be his right-hand man. They would regulate hunters differently, however. The huge number of hunters the guild had previously would be lowered significantly, only an elite few were actually needed to deal with the occasional threat.

And threats were classified differently, now. Instead of immediately sending hunters to kill monsters in the vicinity, the new guild would investigate claims of dangerous monster activity, usually with a Knight who could speak to the monsters. Those few situations where the monster was actually a threat and couldn't be communicated with would then be dealt with by hunters.

"You and Zim will be busy finding the old guildmaster and the rest of the G-Rank hunters, after we have Dundorma firmly under our control and the rest of the hunters rounded up. Once they are gone, we can start to reclaim guild territory, Val Harbor, Moga, Loc Lac, etcetera," Malakai finished.

"And after we find and eliminate the remaining threats to this new system, you'll leave me alone?" Mother asked, crossing her arms.

"If that's what you want, we will do so," he sighed. Mother nodded in agreement, shutting her eyes to think once more. Malakai only shook his head, wondering what it was she was calculating. A part of him wanted to believe that she was considering joining the new guild and working with Dr. Steele to advance their science and technology, but another part of him cynically screamed that she was likely calculating her odds of betraying all of them.

Malakai took a deep breath before letting out a long sigh. "What's your name?" he couldn't contain the outburst any longer. Both Ruby, Zim, and Isa only referred to her as Mother. Surely she has a real name, he thought to himself as her eyes snapped open.

She regarded him with confusion, "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, what is your real name?" Malakai said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It just doesn't feel right calling you Mother," he mumbled halfheartedly, tacking on that additional complaint.

She looked up, as if trying to recall what her real name was, but her eyebrows only drew closer together in bewilderment. "It's been nearly four centuries since anyone had called me anything but Mother. Except one…" she explained, "One had refused to call me anything but Captain."

"Yeah, that's not going to work either," Malakai muttered. "Your real name, what is it?" he said firmly.

She looked up at him, her amber eyes meeting his red ones, "I don't remember," she said seriously. Malakai gave her his best don't bullshit me look, but she didn't crack. "It's never been a concern of mine! I just let them call me whatever they want. They deemed me mother, thus I became Mother," she hissed.

"Then we shall call you Shiro," Zim said, walking up behind her. Mother gave him a strange look, but he ignored it.

"You can just call me Mother, Zim, dear," she said with false sweetness. Zim only gave her a hard look, glaring into her soul as he did.

"You've lost the right to be called Mother. You are now Shiro, and that's that," Zim hissed.

"Seconded," Malakai said, backing up Zim's decision. He didn't care what they called her, just as long as it wasn't Mother.

"It means white," Fuun spoke up, managing to lift her head up off the ground, before it dropped right back down. She had suddenly become exhausted, she assumed it must be blood loss.

Mother, now deemed Shiro, threw her hands up into the air, "Fine, whatever. I guess it doesn't matter what you all call me." She watched as they all exchanged glances, but none of them commented again on the name.

"Alright, we've wasted enough time, we're going to the hospital to see what we can do about the surviving Knights," Malakai said. Mother nodded and followed him to the hospital, leaving just Zim and Fuun alone.

XXX

Time passed and the city of Dundorma was slowly repaired. The surviving citizens had immediately surrendered to the new guild, it only took a single look at Fuun for them to make up their minds. The few hunters that had survived only surrendered once Wolf, Rose, and Eve had done so. Then it was a domino effect after that.

The fires were put out first, Fuun being immensely helpful by carrying water in a large trough from a nearby lake. She was the one who started those fires, she figured it was the least she could do. The bodies were taken care of next. Concerns of what to do with the deceased floated around the city, but Zim coldly suggested that they burn them. To which, Shiro agreed. So, the corpses were tossed into a large hole, that Fuun had dug herself, and lit on fire.

There was only a single insurgency in the few weeks it took to rebuild the city. It was a group of citizens aided by a few hunters who believed that Fuun was in charge of the entire operation. That she was using Malakai and Zim as puppets to control the human race. The rebellion didn't get far, Zim personally stopping them before they reached the Great Hall, ripping them to shreds without mercy.

Fear set in even deeper after the incident. No one dared stand up against Zim, some even called him The Enforcer as his job was to keep everyone in line. And they knew well enough that he could snap at the drop of a zenny, slaughtering everyone who dared defy him. So, they never tested his patience, and he was hardly ever forced to make a display of strength.

Malakai spent his time developing rules and regulations for the new guild and the hunters that would be joining it. Shiro had also helped him create a new curriculum that would be replacing the current one in every single academy in the old guild's territories the moment the new guild took them. At the moment, the only academy that had the new curriculum was the Wycademy.

Speaking of the Wycademy, Dr. Steele had made it to Dundorma just a few days after they had taken the city. She brought with her what little reinforcements she had, plus a large amount of her top engineers to help take hold of the city and immediately begin working towards repairs. She had spent her time helping Shiro heal the surviving soldiers.

Very few of the soldiers actually ended up surviving. Only three that had been struck with the God Slaying sword were still alive, and one of them was Ruby. Though, she was still asleep. Shiro had calculated that Ruby would be awaking today, however, which was why she and Dr. Steele were both waiting patiently by her bedside.

"Are you sure you ran the numbers right?" Dr. Steele asked for what felt like the millionth time.

Shiro only sighed and said, "You checked over them yourself, did I make a mistake?" Dr. Steele shook her head slowly, not taking her eyes off Ruby. "That's what I thought," Shiro hissed.

"I know… just what if she doesn't wake up, Captain," Gloria asked, concerned for Ruby's safety. In her eyes, it was her fault she was still in a coma. She was the one who gave Ruby the Anti-sword, implanting false hopes in her head that she had the necessary amount of frenzy to activate its abilities. Those false hopes had driven Ruby to fight Shiro head-to-head, a huge mistake.

"That's not my name," Shiro hissed. She had taken quite well to the name, it rolled off the tongue fluidly and it sounded like she was younger than she actually was. She wasn't vain in any way; it was just nice not to be reminded that you were nearly four hundred years old.

"Right, sorry, I keep forgetting," Dr. Steele apologized before growing distant. She mumbled, "I just can't remember how long you let me call you that, it's what I'm used to, you know?"

Ruby let out a groan as she began to come to. Dr. Steele and Shiro immediately halted speaking and scooted to the edge of their seats to watch Ruby wake. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of their voices going silent. She blankly regarded the two blobs that made up their shapes as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room.

"What happened?" she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. Eventually, the picture sharpened and she could make out the two shapes in the room with her. She was glad to see Dr. Steele, but slightly confused as it implied she was back at the Wycademy. But she was not expecting the white hair and amber eyes of Mother.

She nearly leapt out of the bed, eyes wide as she sat up, despite her pounding head. "What are you doing here?!" she snarled, pointing accusingly at Shiro. The two scientists shared a look as Ruby glared at them. "Why isn't she chained up or, better yet, dead?" she hissed, directing her question towards Dr. Steele.

"If you would please leave the room, Captain," Dr. Steele said, gesturing towards the door. If her presence was stressing Ruby, Shiro would have to leave. And she left without so much as a huff, though she did send a glare at Dr. Steele for forgetting.

"I don't need to tell you that Mother is dangerous, do I? I surely hope Malakai at least told you that she killed him!" Ruby growled. She had been conscious long enough to see Zim bring Malakai back from the brink of death. Although he was not technically dead, he was nearly there.

"He did not fill me in on that little factoid, but I assure you, Shiro has stood down. She surrendered," she asserted. "She's harmless, and has been quite helpful, really."

Ruby shook her head, "That monster is not harmless. It doesn't matter how much it seems like she's helping, she's just waiting until the right time to betray you all!"

Dr. Steele only gave her an unimpressed look, "There is no right moment, I ran the numbers. She's not going to betray us, there's no reason to. She'd have to detonate the bomb in her chest, which would kill her, by the way." Gloria crossed her arms, resolute in her statement.

Ruby only let out a sigh, laying back down on the bed. This made no sense, but if Zim wasn't complaining, then she had no right to. Maybe I should at least see what he thinks about all of this, perhaps there's something I'm missing, she thought to herself. "Shiro?" she asked after an indefinite amount of time just thinking about the future.

"Zim named her that."

"And I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to call her Mother either in his position," she mumbled to herself. She waited a few minutes as the headache began to fade. Once it was just a dull throbbing in the back of her head, she sat up, and swiveled her legs off the bed.

"Where do you think you're going? You need to stay here for at least another day," Dr. Steele urged. Ruby only ignored her, standing up from the bed. "Why is it always that patients ignore their doctors?" Gloria mumbled to herself as Ruby tried to walk.

She didn't stumble nor wobble in her step, she was perfectly fine. "My wounds have healed, I don't see any reason to stay here," she explained, taking further steps towards the door.

"Wait," was all Gloria said, halting Ruby's movements. She turned around to see the doctor reach into her lab coat and pull out a needle filled with blue liquid. The nulberry serum. "From what I've heard, you're still suffering from the mark. I think this will help."

Ruby thought for a moment, but shook her head a resounding no. "It's too late, Dr. Steele, I think. I'm too far gone," she all but whispered, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

She headed directly towards the Great Hall, figuring that Zim, or at least Malakai, would be stationed there. "Other direction," she heard Dr. Steele say from the doorway to the hospital. Ruby turned to see the woman giving her a bored look, clearly unimpressed by her ability to navigate the city.

Ruby nodded, mostly to herself, and turned around, heading towards the Great Hall. She walked through alleyways and passed scorched houses, the people giving her sinister looks as she walked. What has life been like while I was out? she wondered. She couldn't have been out that long… they couldn't have messed this all up that quickly, right?

She halted when the clearing in front of the Great Hall came into view. She spotted Zim, but he wasn't alone. Fuun was with him. She could see the stitching down her side, and she could see the pain on her face every time she moved. Ruby stood just out of sight, trying to overhear what the two were saying to each other.

"Are you sure you have to go?" Zim said softly, nearly too quiet for her to hear. Although Fuun was standing up on her hind legs, she bent over so her head was on level with his.

"I am afraid that I must. I helped to the best of my abilities… but I am not needed anymore," she said equally as hesitant as he was.

"That's not true…" Zim started, but she interrupted him.

"No, I'm afraid that I've been away from the Tower for too long. My wounds are great and everything hurts, being here is not helping me recover. I must go home, rest, recover, and heal from the losses we suffered in this fight," she hissed, tongue flicking out.

Zim couldn't help but smirk, "I thought that you were going to take me wherever you went. I thought I was yours." Despite his teasing tone, Ruby could tell he was immensely disappointed.

Fuun snorted, "You are mine… but you belong here. With your kind, fixing what you promised you would. When I am healed, and when everything here is stable, I will come for you again."

"Go rest and recover, I will be here when you wish to return. And we shall welcome you with open arms," Zim claimed.

"I know you will," Fuun nodded slowly. The two stared at each other for some time, his blood-red eyes into her emerald, crystalline ones. She brought her head closer to his, tongue flicking out again, this time swiping against his cheek. "Farewell, Zim. Never forget who you belong to."

Massive bat wing flapped, lifting her off the ground. She let out a loud roar, a reminder to all that she was only leaving for a time, she would be back. Zim echoed that roar, a promise to never forget her. And just like that, she was gone.

Zim let out a deep breath, the apex state finally leaving his form. He had not slept in all the weeks spent repairing Dundorma so that he could remain in his apex form and help to the best of his abilities. But he finally let go and returned to being just a normal human for the first time in weeks.

He vaguely noted Ruby walking up beside him. He didn't even acknowledge that she was now awake, his eyes never leaving Fuun's fleeting form. Ruby stood and watched with him until Fuun vanished. "She's gone," was his simple observation when it finally dawned on him. He had known she would have to leave eventually… but she had always made it sound like she would be taking him with him. He wasn't sure if he was elated that he was free for the time being, or depressed that he had lost his one true companion.

"She's not dead, she'll be back," Ruby stated firmly. In truth, she had no idea how the relationship between Zim and Fuun developed, but the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

It seemed impossible by nature. A human, even if he was an apex monster, and an Elder Dragon, even if she was the younger sister to a literal God. But somehow, the two had grown attached to one another, and she couldn't help but feel… jealous? the thought ran through her mind.

Was she jealous? How was that possible? But she couldn't help but feel like she had missed out on something great. Or had she? If Fuun was gone… perhaps she still had a chance. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to take it. "I'll be here with you until then," she said softly, trying to comfort him.

He hardly registered her words, just a slow nod. He turned and walked up the stairs to the Great Hall, she followed behind him. She still had questions and she at least wanted to keep her promise, even if he didn't acknowledge it. He didn't turn back to stare at the last place he had seen Fuun, but she did. She glared at Fuun's last known position, a snarl forming on her lips, though she was careful not to make a sound.

Progress to Ruby's explosion: 95%

XXX

And that's a wrap! Man, I had fun writing this story. Normally, I would tell you all that I have a final author's note and that I would post that separately to this chapter, but I decided that this note was short enough that I didn't need to do that. Because I don't have much to say about this story. I had started writing it the moment I heard Monster Hunter Generations was going to be released in America, and I put out the first chapter after I had bought the game. And this has been an interesting story, with an even more interesting ending. That's the beauty of a Monster Hunter fic, I could make a cast of characters that were completely OC's and I could do whatever I wanted with them. So I wrote this story, trying to instill a simple lesson… that all monsters are redeemable (yes, even the human ones). Now, I know that you all are unlikely to think of these things as you play the games, but it was a moral quandary that I had come across while speaking to someone else about the games. And after an intense amount of research and preparation… this story was spawned.

Now, I didn't want to drag this story out. I thought that 20 chapters was plenty and started to divide the ideas in my mind to get to that even 20 number (plus epilogue). That 11k chapter was actually 2 chapter combined, though I don't doubt you all figured that out. Anyways, my point is that I knew I wouldn't be able to actually solve this problem in a mere 20 chapters. Sure, Zim took Dundorma, but the guildmaster is still out there. And this story ended a bit ambiguously. So my single question is… do you all want a sequel? I had written this ending considering the idea of a sequel, but if you all think that this ending speaks for itself and it's better to leave the ending ambiguous, feel free to tell me that.

I just have one last thing to say. I recently put my profile down as a beta. Interestingly, as I have been helping one of you with a story recently (unrelated to Monster Hunter), I'm enjoying helping others writing more than I am actually writing myself. So, if you need (and/or want) help, feel free to send me a PM requesting help and I will do my best to assist you. I can do just about anything, and I'm willing to help with just about anything (not just Monster Hunter). Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed this little story. Vellichor29 signing off.