Kaori glared hard at Ash. The half-demon couldn't move her sword. She couldn't move anything, actually. Even thinking about lifting her weapon to fight her felt wrong.
"... Is this actually her?" Ash muttered. "This isn't some illusion?"
"Yes," a voice replied in her thoughts. One of the Higher Powers. "This is Kaori as she is right now. The outcome of this battle will decide whether she remains in this form or not. If you win, however, when she awakes, she will not remember this fight at all."
Uh... I guess that makes it a little better.
At the same time, however, it had been confirmed that this was no trick. This was her girlfriend, in the flesh. And, of course, that meant that whatever Ash did to her, she was actually doing to Kaori. Even if she wasn't going to remember it, it still felt bad. That said, she was absolutely glad that the Higher Powers were taking that step.
