AN: First chapter of 2018! We're back guys! Enjoy.

ARC Nine: Infinite Crisis

Chapter Eighty Three: Ourselves

Now accompanying Emilia through the deserted streets of Central City, having long been evacuated by the government, Captain Cold layed out the info he was given. They received word that some of the Rogues were causing trouble in the city, so Captain Cold hoped he could talk some sense into them and maybe even get their help in battling the Society.

"They might not go for it, but it's worth a shot."

"Well, I only hope that they are as understanding as you."

"Oh no Emilia, I'm not that much of a good guy. Batman promised to pay me when this is all over."

Emilia made a skeptical expression.

"Hmph! Just like Otto-kun and Deathstroke-sensei, is money so important?"

"It's what keeps people alive doesn't it? Besides, I only just started helping the good guys out."

"Oh...right…"

Emilia held the crystal she had, the one that housed her friend Puck.

"They told me...you were a Rogue too, that...um, you were a thief."

"...I went down the path I thought was the most appropriate at the time."

"...Still, Barry-san told me that you were quite the approachable one."

Leonard seemed confused about what on earth she meant by that. A quick smile made him understand a little better.

"He said you never tried to hurt people, only if you needed to, and would go out of your way to leave children be."

"...I…"

"And even though you were bad guys, you took care of each other like friends, that also means something."

"...Sure…"

"Hehe, I also heard you would never commit crimes on Christmas and...Oh, I even heard you donated some money with Barry-san to some orphanages."

"Ah, that was a one time thing!"

Emilia giggled at his responses, making him sigh as he holstered his Frost Gun. Still, Emilia stepped up her pace, taking in the wonder of the modern city around her.

Captain Cold, Leonard Snart didn't know what to think.

Watching Emilia frolicking around in her white sweater and black pants, her silver hair flowing around. He had to hold his breath.

He looked away for a moment as he went to catch up to her. He just silently watched her gaze around at the windows, cars and more. Her smiling was enchanting to say the least.

Snart had never met someone like her, and he's encountered various beings before. Still, an elf...sure a half-elf, but an elf nonetheless. Something out of a fairy tail or action packed film was smiling at him.

To him, she was one of the kindest individuals he had ever met, in way too good for the world he was from.

He had no way of expressing what sort of feelings he had...one of which was probably jealousy.

"I...wonder what would have happened if we met before all this?"

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"Huh? Nah, just talking to myself is all."

As they reached the corner of an alleyway they saw Pied Piper on the ground covered in blood, his hypnotic flute shattered into pieces.

"H-HARTLEY!"

"Leonard…?"

He ran over to him and picked up his head, the injuries throughout his body as clear as day.

"Hang on! We're going to help!"

Emilia got to work healing him, but he put on a panicked look as he grabbed his collar.

"SNART! YOU HAVE TO RUN!"

"What the-"

"-THIS IS A FUCKING TRAP!"

Just then a wall nearby collapsed, and out emerged Reese, her eyes staring out to them. Behind her the corpses of Mirror Master, Weather Wizard and Trickster were strewn across the floor.

"No…"

"We...We were trying to stop her...we just…"

Then, Pied Piper could feel the danger and he shoved Cold and Emilia out of the way. A large black form made of wind shot out and ripped his upper half away and leaving a hole in the wall beside him. Leonard and Emilia could only stare in utter shock at what they had seen.

Reese charged at them, a vicious cyclone flew behind her, Cold summoned Coolio, the spirit fired beams at her, but she effortlessly dodged them...just as Leonard thought she would. He fired an ice beam to the side of her, causing icicles to shoot out and launched her through a window. Snart took his chance and grabbed Emilia by the hand.

"We got to go!"

Captain Cold was about to get the amulet ready...only for it to shot out of his hand by a sudden wind shot.

He shot his eyes open and saw Spica smiling at him.

"S-Shit!"

Emilia aimed her palms at them and summoned a plethora of ice weapons at her, firing them at the girl. She didn't move an inch, just as Rigel came out of nowhere and sliced them all away. Cold tossed an ice grenade at them as he held Emilia away.

Rigel could sense the danger, so he flung himself back and grabbed Spica. The resulting explosion sent ice and mist everywhere. Captain Cold kicked down a door and rushed Emilia inside the convenience store. He made sure to hide themselves away from the danger, but soon saw that Rigel and Spica went to a neighboring building, while Reese entered the store. Cold tried to come up with anything, Emilia saw she was being held tightly by Cold. Coolio hovering around them.

She narrowed her eyes as Reese was lurking around the aisles trying to find them...then she saw her flinch and growl at the ground. Both of them looked down and saw what it was, a bottle of whiskey that fell to the ground, leaking its contents out to the floor.

Emilia and Cold furrowed their brows, so Leonard had Coolio hover around and knock over another bottle next to Reese. Some of the liquid got on her hand and she let out a scream.

Cold whispered to Emilia…

"Here's the plan."

Subaru was walking through the halls as he let Rem sleep away her fatigue. Then, he met with Batman.

"Subaru, you look lost."

"Oh, hey...it's just I can't find Emilia."

"Hm, let me see if we can't track her."

Batman pushed a button on his forearm and it showed a small map hologram, there he saw where they were.

"Central City?"

"Wait...didn't Cold get sent over there?"

"Yeah, you're right..."

Subaru grabbed his helmet and put it on.

"Bruce, I have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too, let me get something and we'll head out!"

Batman raced off as Subaru took a deep breath to calm himeslf doiwn, but he was nervous about the whole thing regardless...a few minutes went by, before Batman came back.

"Let's go."

"W-Whoa."

"I've informed Frederica to let everyone know where we are going."

Subaru nodded as they left through the portal, Batman adorning something he felt he needed at the moment...

Reese was slinking her body forward trying to find her adversaries, when she caught Emilia running past an adjacent aisle.

She fired a windblade at her, but Emilia decided now was the perfect time. Though it was her first time saying the oath, she felt comfortable with it.

"Tor lorek san, bor nakka mur, Natromo faan tornek wot ur, Ter lantern ker lo Abin Sur, Taan lek lek nok - Formorrow Sur!"

She became a Indigo Lantern, she aimed her staff at the windblade and fired a beam at it, breaking it apart. Emilia flew forward as Reese did the same-

"OKAY DO IT!"

Snart flung himself forward with his ice beam, while Coolio increased his speed considerably, then he slid on the ground and froze Reese's legs in place. She snarled at him, but failed to notice Emilia grab several bottles of alcohol with her ring's abilities and fling them at the girl.

Reese's eyes widened but before she could even do anything, Snart had Coolio fire a beam at her frozen legs, shattering them like glass.

"AUGGGH!"

"Serves you right bitch!"

The alcohol spilled all over her body and she screamed bloody murder over it, she clawed at her skin and coiled around onto the floor. Emilia summoned and ice javelin and fired it out, Reese sliced it in half...but Emilia had a feeling that would be the case and she spun into the air landed a gigantic fist construct on her, crushing her and the ground underneath. As Reese lost control of her form, Leonard rolled around her before shooting an icicle blast at her chest. She flinched from the pain before Emilia landed a vicious axe kick on the top of her head and she spat blood.

Captain Cold then coldcocked the rest of her form away and saw what her form looked like. An innocent tired looking girl…

"Unfair…"

"Huh?"

"...Their worlds...so happy...yet...in all of them..."

Reese fell over and clutched herself tightly.

"Even...when I killed the blue...haired oni...and her….husband…"

"...Eh."

"...Other worlds...they lived...happy...unfair…"

She glared up at the two of them with tears mixing with the alcohol on the ground.

"UNFAIR. UNFAIR!"

"Life ain't fair...doesn't mean you should go around killin' people."

"ERRRR."

"I ain't got nothing left to say to you."

Cold froze her head solid before he had Coolio fire a beam at the frozen mass, shattering it into pieces...her body began to glow and it disappeared.

Before they could even take a breather, Rigel and Spica broke through the adjacent wall, he was aiming a windstrike at them. Emilia made a shield construct but it actually broke apart before Emilia aimed her staff and made a beam shoot out towards him. Spica used her spirits to break it apart.

Cold made a slide of ice and rode it so that he could shoot ice beams at them. Rigel grew his horn and glared at him. He threw several explosive shurikens. The resulting explosion sent him shooting out of the store windows, with Rigel not far behind.

"Leonard!"

Emilia tried to get to him, but Spica summoned more spirits, which Emilia was forced to block off. The attacks bounced off her constructs-

"-HUH?"

Then she was back to her normal clothing and the staff was devoid of light.

"W-What the?!"

Emilia then remembered what she warned about several minutes ago from Subaru…

"They told me though these rings are powerful, but new ones...they can lose their energy quickly so they need to recharge. So let's try and limit using these, okay?"

The silver haired beauty had her eyes widened as she understood her mistake...

"No…"

Emilia realized she used up too much energy and it needed to recharge. She had no time to do so.

She charged forward as she summoned a massive amount of ice weapons, sending axes against her. The two attacks colliding inside the store.

"Please Spica-chan! Stop this! You don't need to do this!"

"You are such an adorable child, a good girl...you can't be-"

"-We do."

She narrowed her brows, even as her eyes were wrapped by bandages.

"Onii-chan and me need to get rid of the fakes...so we can live again."

"Fakes?"

"Fakes...not real...our parents...the real ones…"

She slightly trembled as Emilia blocked a shot with an ice shield.

"OUR PARENTS ARE DEAD."

"...Subaru and Rem are?"

Emilia shuddered at the thought of her friends being gone and the pain Spica and Rigel had to go through, now being alone in the world.

"But how?"

"Simple…"

Spica summoned a vast amount of spirits around herself as she weeped openly.

"Au…"

"Huh?"

"My Aunt...RAM...She KILLED THEM!"

The world seemed to freeze as she learned the truth of the matter.

Cold tossed a grenade at Rigel forcing him to dodge, but the half-oni saw that it only sent out mist. He bared his fangs as he finally made it over to Cold slicing him in two...only to see it was mirage.

"COLD!"

Captain Cold had Coolio fire a beam, which Rigel deflected with his sword, but Captain Cold...made it around his corner and froze his entire left arm, before using his frost gun to break it into pieces.

Rigel simply watched as his entire arm simply shattered away into nothing…

"BASTARD!"

Cold watched as Rigel's horn shined brilliantly and he was stabbed through the chest.

"AUGH!"

"DIE!"

Cold headbutted him with his helmet, striking the horn, making Rigel lose his balance a bit...so Cold fired an icicle shot at him, but it only cut his cheek.

"...Getting old."

Rigel bit his lips as he sliced Cold twice, before punching him through the abdomen. Cold winced in pain as he felt the windblade fire through his spine and made him fly back and through the store once again.

Emilia watched as Cold's body tumbled to the floor next to her.

Her eyes wavered as she the damage he took…

"LEONARD!"

Rigel made it over as Spica ran to him seeing his injuries.

"Onii-chan…"

"I'm okay...hopefully the Ferris we have can heal me…"

"How dare he…"

Spica summoned more and more spirits as she summoned her horn now, turning back to glare at them, only to see the entire room begin to freeze as Emilia was blind with fury.

"NO, HOW DARE YOU?!"

Ice spears shot out of the ground as Rigel grabbed Spica and they escaped. Emilia aimed her palms at them and a literal ice dragon fired out of the ground and charged at them, the siblings escaped, even as the dragon shot through several blocks worth of buildings and froze them solid.

Emilia was ready to freeze the two…

"E...milia…"

She snapped back to reality by Cold's voice, she rushed to him, giving Rigel a chance to-

"EMILIA! COLD!"



From above, they saw Subaru and Batman, descend from a portal in the sky. Subaru had his helmet on while Batman finally put on his Hellbat armor.

Rigel let go of Spica and used his wind magic to charge...only to eat a punch by Batman, his body sent flying several blocks down the road before crashing into an abandoned truck. Rigel coughed blood and spit out one of his teeth as he saw Batman summon large wings on his back as fly to him. Rigel fired wind magic at him, but it was fruitless as Batman dodged them all before making it over to him. He grabbed his face and slammed him to the ground, causing the entire corner of the street break under the pressure. Rigel nearly lost consciousness right then and there, but he managed to bite his tongue and break free of his grasp. Rigel summoned a cyclone around himself as he stared wildly at Batman...then Batman pointed his finger at him.

"Jiwlad."

The beam shot Rigel's leg, giving Batman the chance to kick him through another building. But before he could continue the Justice Buster landed nearby and charged at him. Batman turned as his fist collided with hers...the resulting shockwave caused a MASSIVE crater to form underneath them and several buildings nearby broke apart.

The Justice Buster was about use a plasma infused fist but Batman pulled out a small device and pushed a button, a boom tube opened up in front of him, making her fist go through it, he went around it and chopped the arm in two. She roared at him as he blasted to her and began ripping apart the suit...seeing the dilemma she was in Rem leaped out of her suit and got her hands on the morningstar. She was wearing a skin tight blue suit with a bat symbol on her shoulder. She charged at him, just as Rigel was doing the same thing behind him.

Subaru was blocking Spica's attacks with barriers, as he looked at her furious face.

"Spica."

"SHUT UP! You are not dad!"

"Listen to me-"

She screamed as she tried to fire away at them grasping the sides of her head.

"WHY?! WHY IS IT LIKE THIS?! WHY?!"

"Spica…"

"WHY DID MY PAPA HAVE TO DIE AND SOMEONE LIKE YOU GET TO LIVE?!"

Spica began to float as more spirits surrounded her.

"I won't allow it! This 'multiverse' is not right. NOT RIGHT! How is it fair to suffer just because another was able to live so happily?! I...I…!"

"...ah."

"I HATE YOU!"

Emilia grabbed Cold and tried to begin healing him...but saw that his injuries were too severe.

"Subaru! He's hurt, please!"

"OKAY! Batman-san! We have to leave!"

Batman heard the commotion and summoned a an army of bats to get him away from his two opponents. He flew past the two and around Spica, making it to his allies he used the boom tube to get them out of there…

"NOOOOOO!"

Rigel charged at them, even as bats were scratching and biting him...only for him to watch them escape. He skidded on the ground and slammed his fist on the ground, sending blood high into the air.

"Pieces of shit…"

"Onii-chan."

Spica put a hand on his shoulder, calming him down enough to think. Justice Executioner Rem landed nearby, making the siblings want to attack her as well, but refrained from doing so.

Rigel looked around, then noticing something on the ground a few feet away from them…

"Nice."

He smiled.

Now backat the mansion, Emilia had Cold resting his head on his shoulder as he carried him over to try and make it to a bed.

"Hang on, I'm getting Ferris here!"

Batman dashed off as Emilia continued forward with Subaru close by as he removed his hemet to wipe away some sweat…

"E...milia…"

"Don't talk, we're getting you help!"

"...Can you do me a favor?"

Emilia then felt herself being pulled down, seeing this she braced herself, they saw Cold had taken off his helmet and tossed it to the ground. Subaru tried to help him up, but he shook his head. Still, Subaru got him to his feet and helped lean him on his shoulder. As they tried to move into the room…

"Pray tomorrow gets me higher...Pressure on people people on streets"

Emilia saw what he was doing, so decided to join him, hoping it would make him more comfortable…

"Turned away from it all like a blind man...Sat on a fence but it don't work."

"Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking...Can't we give ourselves one more chance...Why can't we give love that one more chance?"

They continued singing as they laid him down on the bed, not getting a full view of the hideous wounds he had, even noting Emilia had blood all over her sweater...Emilia took his hand, making him grip it further…

"So...soft."

Cold continued the song...even as they noticed his eyes were closing.

"Caring about ourselves...This is our last dance."

"This is our last dance...This is ourselves…"

Emilia and Subaru saw it then and there...he was gone.

"Leonard?"

"Cold…"

They saw he had a small smile on his face, his eyes looking at Emilia, she went and softly closed them. His spirit Coolio hovered around him for a while, before it too faded away. Subaru held her shoulder as she began to cry, she rested herself on Subaru, but never let go of Leonard's hand. Batman and Ferris were outside the room as they both realized they were too late.

Ferris lowered his shoulders and his ears drooped down a bit.

"Ferri-chyan...is really sick of this."

"We all are."

Ferris slid to the ground and rested his back on the wall nearby.

"When does all this dying end?"

"...I don't have an answer for that."

Then, a portal opened down the hall where they were, making them jump up to action. From the portal they saw Rigel, Spica and Rem walk through it.

"Assholes...shouldn't be dropping important items y'know?"

Rigel spun around Cold's amulet by the chain as he glared at them. Batman got ready to fight, just Subaru rushed out as well, he put his helmet on prepared to fight. Emilia rushed out and summoned her own ice spears.

"APOCATASTASIS SOCIETY. Haven't you done enough?! All this death and destruction you have caused?! WHEN DOES IT END?!"

Rem dragged her morningstar and stared at her, unamusingly.

"When the multiverse is destroyed...and we have a world free of the causality of time and space. Free to make our choices and live in peace."

"What?"

"With one world...there will be no more alternate realities...in other words…"

Rigel unsheathed his sword and pointed it at them.

"In other words, everything becomes fair and nobody has to suffer like us anymore! Peace for everyone!"

Emilia and the others stared at them like they were all utterly insane.

"R...Rigel…?"

A voice echoed behind Subaru and when he turned around he saw Rem, the one he knew ran away with him to Kararagi and had a family with him. She shook her head as she stepped closer.

"No, Rem! Get away from here!"

"But…"

Rigel's hand trembled and his eyes widened at the sight...for some reason, she smiled at him. It was the kind of smile he saw many times over the entirety of his life. So why? Why?

A single tear fell from his eye.

"Why?"

Why did it have to be taken away from him?

So he tried thinking back….

Rigel yawned loudly as he helped his mother with the groceries, they were making their way back from the store as Rem held Spica's hand. This was a memory, from when he was ten years old and his sister was at least three. Or maybe older, he couldn't recall.

Another ordinary day in Banan, one would say it had been a bit boring without another event sponsored by his father on the horizon. Though there were rumors that Subaru was indeed trying to organize something special…

"Didn't dad say he was working on something?"

"Yes, your father was saying he was going to introduce Valen...Uum, Valentine's Day."

"The heck is that? It sounds like a disease."

"Don't say crude things like that Rigel!"

Rem made a sour face at him, making him apologize. Still she smiled at him, making him relax and smile back.

"Soooo, what' the deal with this holiday? Does it involve me...AGAIN?"

"No no, your father says it involves me this time."

Rigel tilted his head as he wondered what that could mean.

"Your father says that on that day, where he is from, girls give chocolates to the boys they like...so he wants to create a romantic atmosphere with this holiday for everyone in the village."

"But...we already get that feeling at home!"

"Yes, yes we do."

Rem blushed a bit, making Rigel turn away in embarrassment.

"If that's the case, you seem excited about it."

"Of course, Rem hasn't made any sweets in a while, so the thought of doing so seemed fun. Maybe I'll even let Spica help."

Spica smiled up at her mother, making all three of them happy. Rigel was thus unconcerned about the holiday, especially since it really didn't involve him. And he was quite content seeing his mother excited and his sister innocently curious about the day.

He was just at peace.

As they entered the door to get inside, Rem stopped dead in her tracks…

"Mom? What's wrong?"

Rem's eyes widened as she smelled something in the air...something that made her let go of Spica's hand and cover her mouth.

"No…"

"Mom, knock it off...you're freaking me out."

"It can't be…"

Rem walked a bit further ahead and sure enough, there sitting on a chair, looking out the window was someone who wore white cloak with pink lines…

Rem fell to her knees as she struggled to keep herself from muttering. Her entire world was shattering before her very eyes...the figure got up from their seat and removed their hood. Rigel and Spica made it over to their mother, her daughter hugged her shoulder tightly while Rigel got in front of her. He had to protect them from this stranger...and yet...what he was looking made evn him lose focus.

"Wh…"

Staring down at them, was pink haired woman, with slightly long hair and a red eyepatch covering her left eye.

"Hello Rem."

Rem had tears fall from her eyes...and she muttered those broken words.

"N-Nee-sama…"

Rigel and Spica, finally got to meet their aunt...because in this world, countless ones in the vast existences of time and space...was the only one, where she was alive.

Subaru was slowly returning home, but made a quick stop to pick up something.

"Hope they like it."

Subaru got a cake for his family, hoping to celebrate the fact he was able to get the city's approval in celebrating Valentine's Day.

"Man, what a day."

He said this, unaware of what was waiting for him back home...

The secrets of Rigel and Spica's past would be answered...as their aunt Ram was in their home, intentions unknown.

AN: Next time...Chapter Eighty Four, "Rigel and Spica"...till next time.