Dieselpunk entered the portal with the rest, stretching and raising her arms above her head, popping her neck from side to side; a quick and dirty job with a few hiccups, but overall, it seems everything had turned out well. Or so she thought. Upon returning to the Stray Sheep, she was greeted by a sight of horror, with Shade Walker, more than happy to explain the current situation.

[color=a187be]"No...it can't be true..."[/color] Kyouran said, as she headed towards the slightly limp Karma. Grabbing his face in her palms, she looked into his eyes, saying, [color=a187be]"You called me Big Sis!"[/color] But she could see from his vacant expression that he probably couldn't even hear her. Kyouran pulled back and looked at Shade Walker expecting to find some sort of misunderstanding on his face, but there was none. It might seem quite silly to the others that Kyouran would have formed a bond of trust so quickly with an absolute stranger, but that was just the kind of (stupid) person she was. Part of her wanted to believe Shade Walker was wrong, that he had made a mistake, or that this was some underhanded plot, but she had to rule out the first two options because she trusted The Black Tree to be professional enough not make mistakes of this magnitude, and she had to rule out the last option because it was too wild a suggestion. [color=a187be][i]He's one of us![/i][/color] Kyouran thought to herself, but that thought was immediately followed by [color=a187be][i]But he was planning to betray us. Snitches get stitches.[/i][/color] The euphoria of their recent success and her desire to celebrate turned into pent-up, frustrated energy. She began pacing, balling and unballing her fists. She was angry. Angry at Shade Walker for presenting her with such a conundrum, angry at Aya who seemed to show no camaraderie for their ephemeral ally, angry at all the other callous bastards who stood by as Shade Walker acted as judge, jury, and possibly executioner if no one else decided to take him up on his offer. But mostly she was mad at Karma, who was already beyond her reach, even though she had vowed to protect him. She wanted answers. She wanted to ask him why, why, why until he made a repentant and tearful confession and a brotherly vow to atone for his mistake. She wanted Shade Walker to suddenly show a more compassionate side, to accept Karma's reformation and bring him back into the fold. But that wasn't going to happen. The Black Tree was too professional. This wasn't some two-bit hoodlum gang where loyalty and respect was gained through bro-hugs and drinking contests. Here they were playing for keeps and the operation had to be water-tight. [color=a187be]"I can't do it,"[/color] Kyouran declared weakly, [color=a187be]"Even though it was only for a short time, he was my brother, as are all of you. Call me old-fashioned, call me a yankee or a yakuza, but this is my conviction. I won't hurt a brother unless he has caused harm to another member of my family."[/color] With that she turned her back on Shade Walker and Karma, heading towards the door to the stairs leading to the basement. Unless stopped, she would go and vent in the underground training room. She couldn't bring herself to watch the ending.