Enjoy if you can.
Chapter 11 : Their Love for Each Other
(( They are late ))
( I know )
Krad raised his head to the stormy skies, filled with black clouds that signaled rain was on its way. It was nearly midnight now and Dark was still not back. The angel was on the balcony of Satoshi's hotel room.
(( Do you think they ran into a bit of trouble? ))
( Can't be. The traps I left them aren't easy to get through but I would have known if they were caught. They got past it easily ) Satoshi's voice was tense with worry.
(( Then what is taking them so long? ))
( I don't know but… ) He trailed off.
Drops of rain began to fall, splashing on the still figure hidden by the dark of night. Krad took no notice. He concentrated on the odd beating within his chest.
(( I feel it as well ))
( They're in danger )
(( I know ))
( We have to go help them )
(( I thought you promised your little lover that you would not interfere tonight? ))
( Daisuke knows as well as you do that that promise was empty. There will never be a day I would stop trying to catch Dark while he continues stealing )
(( I just wanted to hear you admit it ))
( Go )
Large magnificent wings spread and Krad flew into the air, ignoring the rain. The urge to get to Dark got stronger as the strange thumping within his chest increased.
He needed to get to Dark.
.x.
Dark's eyebrows creased when Yumiko blinked. Her pink eyes had turned red. With a start, he noticed Yukari's had turned the same color.
Yumiko raised her head. "Get ready," she hissed. She held out her hands and they were completely enclosed in black fire, licking at her skin. Yet she was not burned. An aura of controlled power surrounded her very being.
Yukari's lips thinned as she concentrated. Flames of shimmering silver suddenly erupted on her hands, dancing with wild abandon. Centuries of untapped magic crackled in the air with unrestrained fury.
Both were at an advantage and at a disadvantage. Yumiko had experience with using her power, able to manage it whilst Yukari could not. However, the lighter-haired girl had never used her power before resulting in more magic being released violently at the opponent.
Dark bit his lip.
/Can Yukari really win this?/
//I don't know. If this really is the fated battle then nothing is sure//
/Can't we help them somehow?/
//We can't. This is Yukari's fight. Only she can do this//
Yukari herself experimented with her magic, flashing lightning. She looked nervous but determined.
"Done playing?" sneered her sister.
Yukari's red eyes flashed. "I am ready," she said coldly.
//Guess Yumiko's not the only one with anger issues// Dark observed dryly.
/This can get really dangerous/
Yumiko smirked and suddenly a large fireball was rushing straight towards Yukari. Startled, the silver-haired girl instinctively raised a shimmering barrier. The fireball disintegrated the moment it hit the wall.
Without wasting even a second, Yumiko sent another, stronger lash of harmful magic at her twin. It did not reach Yukari but shattered the obstacle. The gentler sister barely managed to evade the third burst of power.
Yumiko did not give Yukari any time for a counter-attack, sending one wave after another forcing the other girl to stay in constant defense.
/This isn't doing anything!/ Daisuke said anxiously. /Yukari won't be able to avoid all those blows. She's bound to be hit again some time/
As though his words were the signal, another barrier was blasted down and her arm was hit. Yukari screamed as the magic seared and ripped her skin open. The chilling sound of bones cracking split the air. She collapsed to the floor, cradling her broken appendage as tears ran down her face. Blood seeped through the livid gash.
Yumiko laughed cruelly, ignoring the sudden clench in her heart at the sound of the shriek. "Is a little pain too much for you, dear sister?" she mocked. "That's too bad."
Yukari gritted her teeth and suppressed the agony coursing through her arm. She stood up allowing the now useless limb to fall to her side. She blinked the tears out of her eyes and faced the girl before her.
"I am far from done!" she said angrily. She raised her uninjured hand and a bolt of lightning zipped through the space between them, striking Yumiko right in the chest.
Smoke billowed around her at the impact. She did not make a sound but her tenseness conveyed how much the attack had hurt her.
"Something as small as this will not bother me," the assassin growled, shaking her head. Another lash of magic whipped forward, missing the target by a scant inch. Yukari did not even flinch.
"Let's get it on," she said and gathered her power.
Back and forth, the sisters attacked and defended. Each earned their fair share of wounds that smarted. Neither took much notice, too intent on trying to bring their significant other down.
Every spell, every lash of magic, every bolt of power gained them one or two injuries and finally, the two girls had to stop. They panted as they glared at each other.
Dark took an assessment of their injuries. He could not tell who looked worse off.
Yumiko had a long cut on one side of her face that was still bleeding. Her lips were as well. Bruises littered her arms and legs and she was limping slightly. Yukari, along with her broken and bleeding arm, had several other cuts adorning her whole body. There were scratches on her other arm and she looked slightly dazed due to blood loss.
Unexpectedly, she gasped in pain as her hand gave a horrid throbbing. She fell to her knees. Dark, growing alarmed, moved to help her but she stopped him with a sharp look. With visible strain, she stood back up.
"This is my fight," she said softly. "None may interfere even to help."
Yumiko spat blood out of her mouth. "Let's finish this!" she growled as her hands performed a complex weaving. Yukari, despite her dizziness, watched her movements carefully and warily.
Behind the black-haired girl, a flickering disturbed the air and a giant shape began to take form. Long gorilla-like hands hung down to the floor ending in large saber-sharp claws on thick, meaty fingers. Short hairy legs protruded underneath the forming chest. A large, grayish-black muscular body hardened and a nebulous head scraped the ceiling.
The monster's features were distorted and ugly. A big hole on its face that could be taken for a mouth opened and an ear-shattering roar cut through the whole room.
/What on earth is that?/ Daisuke exclaimed in alarm.
//I'm…not exactly sure// was the uncertain answer. //But I think that everything just turned from bad to worse//
Yukari's eyes widened with incredulity as she stared at the creature behind her twin. Her red eyes, previously dulled, flashed back to life as they traveled to Yumiko, who was smiling in triumph.
"Are you serious?" the silver-haired girl said in disbelief. "You would go this far? Do you hate me this much?" There was a desperate pleading tone in her voice.
Once again ignoring the sudden wrenching of her heart, Yumiko tossed her head high. "I would go this far and farther if I could," she sneered. "As to answer that last question, yes. I despise you more than I myself could imagine."
She threw her hands into the air. "Come then, sister!" she snarled. "I am tired of this little game. The time has come for us to decide who is the worthy one to live!"
Tears streamed down Yukari's face but her mouth set into a hard and resolute line. "So be it." Her tone of voice was emotionless and it looked like she had finally realized the gravity of the situation.
She did exactly what her sister had done with her hands. One traveled left sharply while the other went down. Both went the opposite ways before suddenly zigzagging in the air. A white, vivid symbol of the path could clearly be seen before it disappeared. She repeated the moves twice in rapid succession without faltering even once before pushing them straight into the air.
A minute later, an identical creature to her sister's had formed behind her, with the skin tone being whitish-silver instead.
Dark blinked when he finally figured out what those beasts were.
//The Ceamists// he said with a mental snap of fingers. Oh damn, this was definitely not good.
.x.
Krad stopped in front of the room where the 'Iridescent Crystal' was thought to be held. In truth it was in a lower chamber but no one but Satoshi and his father knew that.
( Did you feel that? ) asked Satoshi edgily.
(( Yes. And I recognize it. But what are they doing here? ))
( We'll figure that out later. Concentrate and tell me what that sudden burst of power is )
Krad did so and his eyes widened.
(( That cannot be! )) he exclaimed in consternation. (( They're fighting against each other! Their fated time has not yet arrived! ))
( Or has been long overdue. It's been several centuries since that prediction was made. Now, come on. Get through the traps and get to Dark and Daisuke )
(( I don't think we will be able to ))
( What? )
(( Dark was in their range before the fight had begun and so he can do nothing but stay of harm's way. None may come near the battle ground during the fight and we are no exception ))
( Why not? )
(( The Turpis have been summoned ))
( The what? )
.x.
/The what?/
//The Turpis// Dark repeated. //They're monsters made by pooling all of one's magic into its creation. The stronger the power, the more dangerous it is. This is the foulest form of solid magic. Turpis feed off magic. We can't attract its attention or it'll try to suck our magic dry. Besides, there'll be enough trouble as it is//
/What does that mean?/
//It means// The thief's tone was somber and serious. //That unless they're called back before the fight is ended, whichever of these creatures looses, the person who created it will be destroyed//
/And that will be the end of it/ Daisuke realized.
With another roar, Yumiko's beast lunged forward and bowled over the second. They rolled over each other, looking almost playful. But nothing about the fight was remotely good-humored.
The two monsters clawed at each other, growling and spitting. Yukari's threw Yumiko's off, returning to its feet quick as a cat. It jumped onto it and began punching its face, causing the black thing to howl out in pain. No matter how many times it yelled and screamed, Yukari's Turpis did not give any mercy, raining blow after blow on it.
Finally, the dark beast managed to escape the silver's clutches and darted back to Yumiko, roaring furiously. Caught of guard, the weakened assassin screamed in terror as it nearly stepped on her.
(A/ N: I will call them by their colors, kay? It's not as confusing.)
Silver chased after Black, trying to tear at it. Black yowled in anger and attacked it savagely. It bit the arm of the other. Silver shook it off vigorously, rumbling in rage. The dark Turpis crashed into the wall.
Black's maw was frothing as it seethed. It released another thunderous shriek, causing the floor to shake with the force. The two Turpis rushed at each other.
The impact of them colliding into each other was staggering and they flew back, landing hard on their bottoms next to their creators. Both howled in anger, unable to stand up at the moment.
Gritting her teeth, Yukari lifted her hands above her and called for her magic to return to her. The monster dissolved into nothingness, unable to resist. Yumiko attempted to do the same.
Unfortunately, her beast did not cooperate.
In rage that its opponent had disappeared before their fight had come to an end, Black turned on its maker. Yumiko growled as she tried to call her power back for the second time, yet again failing. Black roared and swiped at her. She dodged.
"Return to me, you foul creature!" she screamed in anger. She tried to attack it but all her magic had been used to create the thing and so she could do nothing.
Another howl was her only answer as the Turpis clouted her. Yumiko shrieked and crumpled to the ground, pain coursing through her whole system. The creature advanced on her, mouth wide open and hungry.
"Stop, filthy Turpis!"
Black stilled and turned to the source of the strong voice. Yukari's eyes were smoldering as she curled her fist.
She thrust her hand forward and the creature was thrown backwards against the wall by a powerful invisible force.
"You dare hurt my sister!" snarled the girl, practically simmering. "None are allowed to even touch Yumiko!"
Yumiko blinked her head swimming as she looked up at the figure of her twin. Her sight was a trifle hazy. Yukari turned her head to her. For a split second, the red eyes flashed into pink and the girl whispered softly, "I'm sorry, sister. I cannot finish this fight with you."
Dark's eyes widened in horror as he realized what she was about to do. "Yukari!" he called, panicking. "Don't!"
And Yukari screamed, her ethereal voice literally cracking the ceiling. The monster yowled as something began to tear and rip it apart. Bits and pieces of its skin and grey meat flew everywhere. Their voices blended together; creating such a commotion that Dark had to clap his hands to his ears trying to block the ear-deafening sound.
Yukari tossed her head back as she began to radiate a sharp, blinding light causing both Yumiko and Dark to shield their eyes. They heard the Turpis howl again, a single terrible shriek. The horrifying sound was drowned out by the rumble beneath the floor as the walls cracked and pieces of the ceiling fell down.
Dark growled when he felt something hit him. He kicked the slab of rock away, hissing in pain and closed his eyes. The chaos finally ended leaving behind total silence. Nothing could be heard, not even the amethyst-eyed youth's own breathing.
Then the unsettling quiet was broken by soft, heart-broken sobs. Dark's eyes opened to see Yumiko clutching herself as tears rolled down her smooth, blood-smeared cheeks. She was shaking badly. She kept repeating her sister's name.
//I guess she finally realized how much just how much Yukari loved her// said Dark.
/I think she just realized just how much she loved Yukari/ said Daisuke sadly.
The thief did not move from his place, leaning against the wall. He hissed slightly when a sharp throb revealed that he hadn't gone through the whole episode unharmed. He could guess that a few of his ribs had been broken or dislocated at the least.
Clasping his side, he collapsed onto his backside, thinking to recover some of his energy before he returned home. 'Krad must be going crazy,' he thought. 'Wonder what he'll say when I tell him what happened.'
A few minutes passed and still Yumiko's crying did not cease. And it did not look like it would anytime soon.
/What are we going to do with her?/
//I don't know really. We can't seal her if Yukari's not here//
/Should we bring her along?/
//Even if she lets us touch her, it'll be hell trying to hide her//
A sudden peculiar feeling permeated through Dark's body stopping any reply.
/…Do you feel that?/
//Yeah…// Feeling not a little anxious, the thief closed his eyes and focused on it. He did not like it. It felt like something was being forcefully drained out of him.
/Dark!/
The violet-haired youth snapped his eyes open. The 'Iridescent Crystal' was hovering right in front of his face. It was shining with life in contrast with earlier when, though beautiful, it had looked dead and dull.
Before his amethyst eyes, the art piece shimmered even as the strange feeling increased. It was very uncomfortable.
A dull light began to glow somewhere at the corner of his vision and Dark was distracted from the Hikari relic. Yumiko had stopped crying, abandoning it in favor of staring at the strange luminosity that was gradually growing brighter in intensity before her. There was a welcoming warmth about it.
Watery pink eyes widened in total shock and disbelief when the light solidified into a transparent figure. Dark just stared, stunned.
Yukari smiled tenderly at her beloved twin sister.
"Join me?" she invited gently. "Come with me, sister? A Hikari artifact cannot be sealed until it is whole."
She extended a see-through hand.
Yumiko stared first at her and then at the hand. Doubt was evident in her eyes. Was this really Yukari, the sister she had seen destroyed?
On Dark's part, he was certain that that was really Yukari. How he knew, he would never find out.
"That's her," he said out loud, conviction in his voice. The black-haired girl glanced at him and he could clearly see that, at hearing his statement, she had lost her uncertainty.
"Yukari…" Yumiko whispered and rose, taking the hand. For the first time since her creation, a true smile split her face. When their fingers made contact, the glow encompassing her sister spread across her own body, connecting them.
Yukari's smile broadened and she drew the other to her in a tight hug. Both turned to Dark.
"Thank you," they chorused together. At a loss at what to say, the thief merely nodded.
They returned their attention to each other. Without warning, they began to fade at a rapid pace and before Dark knew it, they were gone.
With a clink, a coin the size of a large cookie fell to the floor where they had been standing. Heaving himself to his feet, Dark walked towards it and picked it up. He smiled gently at the illustration; two girls facing each other holding both hands held in the other's grip with their eyes closed. Smiles were evident on their turned faces.
The Twin Polar Coin was finally sealed.
Pocketing the coin, the Phantom thief pursed his lips as he stared at the other Hikari artwork hanging around his neck. The 'Iridescent Crystal' had calmed down after the appearance of Yukari.
/What did it do?/ asked Daisuke curiously.
//The Crystal's power is that it can bring magic back to life. The only condition is that it uses the user's magic to do so. It had been dormant for decades and it needed a little boost before activating. So it took a little too much, including from you. That's why we feel so drained//
/But you didn't activate it and I know I definitely didn't. So?/
//There's a theory saying that this particular artifact sometimes work on its own accord. I guess this just proved that true//
/Isn't that a little dangerous?/
//Most of the Hikari artworks are, Dai// said Dark wearily. He tucked the artifact under his shirt. //Time to get back//
He had only gone a quarter of the way down the tunnel when he caught a glimpse of white. "Krad?" he mumbled. Really, he was getting tired of surprises. He had had too much tonight.
"Dark!" Yep, that was Krad all right.
"Heya," Dark smiled up at the taller blond. "What brings you here?"
"Maybe the fact that you were unbelievably late and that I found you were within the boundaries of the battle between the Twin Polar Coin sisters!" was the hot reply.
"Heh, don't worry. I'm fine. Dai's fine too, you can tell Creepy-boy," said the thief as he yawned. Then he turned into Daisuke who promptly collapsed into Krad's arms.
"Daisuke!" Satoshi's voice burst from the angel's mouth.
"I'm okay," murmured the little red-head. "Just tired. I don't think I can stay awake any longer. Dark's already unconscious." Just as he as he finished saying this, he fell asleep.
Shaking his head, Krad adjusted the boy in his arms into a comfortable position. He spread his wings and flew out of the tunnel and museum.
(( I think it's a good idea of we don't question them until they wake up tomorrow )) he said to his Tamer as he flew in the direction of the Ala Moana Hotel.
( That's probably for the best )
Not even once were they aware of the green eyes watching them from the shadows of the doorway of the museum. The eyes blinked once and they were gone.
And here is the end of the Twin Polar Coin. Is their story truly at an end? And when will we find out just who these eyes belong to? To find out you'll just have to keep on reading!
Turpis – foul (Latin)
Review please!
