CHAPTER 10

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SILVER'S POV

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Mephiles/Holly struggled up from where I had kicked him/her to the ground. A smirk appeared on Holly's face, but I knew she still wasn't in control of herself.

"Bring it!" Jack shouted. "Come on! If you're really as powerful as you think you are, do something!"

Mephiles/Holly laughed and began advancing towards us, one hand out in front of him/her. A sphere of purpleish blue light was growing in his/her fist, electricity crackling around it.

A flash of movement caught my eye. From the portal came a figure dressed in a lab coat. Her short brown hair flew around her face that was contorted in rage. With a loud shout, she slammed a fist into Mephiles'/Holly's temple, throwing off his/her concentration.

It was the girl with the tortoiseshell glasses.

"Leave her alone, demon!" the girl growled. "Leave her alone!"

Mephiles'/Holly's eyes grew wide and he/she managed to choke out, "How...?! How is this possible...?!"

The girl turned back towards the portal and shut her eyes, one hand pointing towards the thing connecting the two worlds.

"No! No! NO!" Mephiles/Holly screamed, lunging towards the girl.

I saw my chance and attacked, protecting the girl and throwing Mephiles/Holly back. Jack stood by my side, unsure of what was happening.

When I turned around again, the portal was gone.

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JACK'S POV

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How did she do that?! One second, the portal's there...and the next...it's gone.

"How...?" I managed to say, but she cut me off.

"No time to explain. We need to get Mephiles away from Holly." the girl reached into one of her lab coat pockets and pulled out something that seemed to be covered in ice.

Mephiles'/Holly's eyes widened at the sight. "Put that down. You don't know what you're dealing with!"

"Leave her alone or return to the Scepter of Darkness." the girl hissed. "It's your choice."

Mephiles/Holly snarled, eyes flashing dangerously. "Fine."

Holly stumbled, the demon characteristics leaving her features. Her eyes returned to normal as the dark shadow slipped from her body, disappearing into the ground. I was the first to her, barely managing to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Holly! Holly! Speak to me!" I shouted.

"Stop yelling...Jack..." she moaned, blinking in the light. "I...I didn't close the portal...who did...?"

"I did." the girl with the tortoiseshell glasses said. "And not a moment too soon."

"Guys? He's still here..." Silver growled, whipping around to face Mephiles again.

The girl held out the Scepter in front of her, chanting some unknown language. Mephiles stood and laughed, sizing up our small and practically helpless group.

"You're bluffing. You don't know how to use it."

"Well, it was worth a good try." the girl hissed.

"I will spare you if you hand over Holly. I can guarantee her safety, but only if you act now." Mephiles continued.

"No freaking way." I shouted. "If you want her, you have to go through all of us."

"Very well." Mephiles said, heading towards us at an alarming speed.

He never reached us. A stream of fire interrupted his path, blocking us from him. He collided with the flames, darkness dissolving in the light as a terrible scream rose. But...I thought he and Iblis were one? Why was fire harming him...?

My answer came shortly. Silver glanced towards the direction of the fires, a shocked look on his face. "Blaze?!"

The violet cat ignored him, shouting, "Run! I'll catch up with you later!"

"Come on!" the girl with the tortoiseshell glasses pulled me along, Holly trying to keep up with us.

We dodged around buildings and debris until we came to a large crater in the concrete, a perfect spot to hide. We ducked down and waited. "She found us! Blaze did it!" Silver silently cheered.

He glanced at the girl with the glasses, saying, "I really never found out your name...You saved me and all...I guess I was just too busy. So what is your name?"

The girl sighed, staring down at her shoes. "You wouldn't believe me if I said."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She stared at me for a few seconds and then looked away, taking her glasses off her face and looking back to me again. "Familiar?"

It clicked... But I refused to believe it.

"You're...You're...Holly..." Silver gasped. "But...how?"

"You're me, in the future?" Holly asked.

"Yes." Future Holly said. "And I'm sorry to say that we together will never return to Earth, Jack. Not you, anyway."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because...you'll be dead." Future Holly put her glasses back on. "You died to save me. And I swore I would avenge you. I only recently found another portal to rift me back to Earth...and I must say, it was quite effective. I did all I could."

"How...how did I die?" I asked. I felt light-headed.

"Mephiles." Holly spoke up. "It has to be. Right?"

Future Holly nodded. "You nearly destroyed him. It was close...but in the end you were only fueling the fire."

With hardly a sound, Blaze the Cat dropped down in front of us and motioned for us to follow her. "I know a place where we can stay. Mephiles won't bother us anymore at the moment...but we still have to move quickly."

The next few minutes were a blur. All I could think about was my future. I would die to protect Holly...? Only when we stumbled upon an old shack did my mind clear. Future Holly glanced from her younger self to me, as if thinking.

"I could try to open the portal again...but there's no guarantee on anything."

"Yes." Holly said. "Do it."

I almost agreed. But something held me back. I could change the future by sparing my own life and sacrificing Holly's. Yet, if I did that, there's no telling what would happen. "No," I said. "No...this is the path we are on...I don't want to destroy it."

"But Jack..." Holly looked stunned.

"You heard." I said. "And besides...we know what to expect now...right?"

"I don't." Silver growled.

"There isn't much to tell." Future Holly said. "Only...I have to return to my own time before it catches up with me. I can't stay long...I've already torn holes into space and time."

"How?" I asked.

"By simply letting it take me back. This is beyond my power...I was fighting to keep myself in this time." Future Holly sighed.

"So...you're leaving now?" Silver asked.

"I have to."

"Then...Thank you. For everything." I nodded, Holly echoing her thanks.

"Jack," Future Holly glanced at me. "Take care of us."

She was surrounded in a dazzling white light that slowly engulfed her, teleporting her back to her own time.

We were left in silence.

"...Can someone explain what just happened?" Blaze asked awkwardly.

"Later, maybe." Silver said. "Right now, we need to keep moving. We need to get as far away from Mephiles as we can."

He and Blaze went up ahead, scouting the area. Holly and I stayed where we were, unsure of what to do next. Besides, if you just received news from your friend's future self that you were going to die, you'd be in a bit of shock too.

"So...no Earth anymore." Holly said at last.

"Not for me, anways." I said.

"I'm actually glad I don't have to go back there." Holly nodded. "I think if I went back, I'd be sent to live with my uncle. I hardly know him...and besides, I was at a dead end anyway. My family is dead...my cat is dead..."

"I wouldn't have been able to go back to my house." I admitted. "Besides, a change of scenery here, it's for the better."

"Even if it's on fire." Holly sighed. I nodded.

"Living your nightmare wherever you go, aren't you?"

"I've gotten used to it already."

I didn't say anything. Only when Blaze motioned for us to follow did we move. I caught Holly's hand in my own. She glanced at me with slight surprise, but didn't try to pull away. I took that as a good sign.

"No matter what will happen in the future, at least we have each other."

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THE END

It sucks.

I'm sorry, this story sort of fell apart.

Oh, hey, I wrote romance...?

Eh...it still sucks.

On the bright side, I got Sonic 06... I LOVE THAT GAME. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE HATE IT. I use fricken' cars as weapons! I'm a Jedi!

Sorry for the randomness.

Ok, now that this story is FINALLY over, I have two more FanFics to write.

One is the sequel to Rise Against. It's called Endgame.

The other is called The World is My Enemy. And you're gonna just have to read the description on that one. :D

Have a happy new years!

Hasta la Vista, Readers!

Lordoftheghostking28

PS: EvilChalkBoard, I have written SSBB stuffs!