Welcome to 'Final Confrontation, Part 2'! Eee hee hee, I can feel the excitement surging through my fingers! I do hope everyone enjoyed the first half of the finale! Rest assured, I will continue to put forth my best efforts in order to make this memorable! Thank you for reading, to all of my friends!
Just an hour ago, I read 'Sweet Randomness', another fic by my dear friend Bloody-May. If you have a craving for sugary comedy, I suggest you take a look at that brilliant piece. I'm glad I have such an awesome friend at my side! THANK YOU BLOODYMAY! THANK YOU SO MUCH! That made my day! I needed it, badly!
Other masterpieces are popping up like weeds! I'm glad so many people love Miss Maki's creation! I became obsessed with it in December of last year, and I'm still going strong. LOVE TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE! WISH ME LUCK ON THIS! I HOPE I DO WELL!
Theme of 'Final Confrontation, Part.2': 'Waltz of the Damned' and 'Sanctuary' of Kingdom Hearts 2 OST. Please note that Eiri still has Sora's fighting style. His little twirls, which will occur at a turn point, were inspired by Sora's 'Drive' stances (I love how he twirls his Keyblades, woot!).
Human beings held cherished dreams close to their hearts. They kept them near and nourished them, unwilling to let them drown underneath insecurity. Dreams were nurtured within the hearts of their owners, and beliefs were born from each brush of affection. Within the hearts of every living entity, dreams produced bountiful standards and bestowed them upon the daily routine of humanity. There was an extensive menagerie of beliefs; children held precious beliefs of Santa Claus, young ones held passionate dreams of love, and others held dreams of prospering business projects.
Many had high endurance levels. Disregarding the thoughts of others, they held their dreams without hesitation. High heads and high hearts were the keys to impassable stamina. They turned away from skeptics, bearing either smugness or confidence about their faces. Unfortunately, many weren't able to ignore brutal criticism. Whenever someone launched an attack on their beloved beliefs, their heart was pierced by arrows of dejection. Children were vulnerable to dejection, for their dreams were rapidly crushed by the ongoing stream of truth. Many young ones became infuriated when others refused to support their dreams. Others unleashed their fury upon every element in their presence. They were several degrees to criticism, though; several individuals enjoyed throwing darts, others loved to unleash barricades of arrows, and others enjoyed throwing cannons.
Eiri Uesugi had been under Deus' cannons for quite some time. Tokyo's greatest novelist had spent his entire journey in Anuryn absorbing his insults, and the advent of meaningless anger followed every emotional assault. He had taken in every piece of slander unsuccessfully; he had allowed every last drop of Deus' insults to affect him in the worst way possible. At the moment he felt as if he were no bigger than an ant, for his enemy's latest attack had slaughtered his spirit. For an eternity he wandered through shock, feeling as if a stranger had sauntered up to him and whacked him in the head.
With the departure of that eternity, however, came the advent of consciousness. He noticed that he had lost everything; his uniform had returned to a form he had earned after his first transformation, which was the form of black and silver. He no longer had his loyal tridents, but his daggers had returned, which was another sign of slack. He had gone through his transformations due to the growth of his spirit; now he was a fish out of water, flopping about in a frying pan. The Lady Niha would probably have his head if she could see him.
The thought of Niha brought about the words of his devoted brother, Tatsuha, The young priest would probably skin him alive if he could see him. Back within the streets of the deformed Tokyo, the priest had endured his brother's lack of confidence with strict encouragement; he would probably erupt in fury if he could take a look at Eiri's present condition.
"Did Prince Charming mope around while Sleeping Beauty was held within the witch's castle? Did Prince Charming sulk when Snow White was placed into a deep sleep? No. The guy must've been a major player, but that's off the subject! He never dragged himself around while his princess was in danger! He got upon his horse and shouted 'I'm going to rescue my woman!'! Eiri, you need that same spirit! Don't you get it? Deus has your lover! Shuichi is YOURS, not his!"
Mine?
He didn't notice it, but his silver daggers began to glow. A dart of anger pierced his eyes, filling him with strength he couldn't put his finger on. In a flash he realized that his current state was going to have a massive impact on the rest of his life; it would forever serve as a reminder that he would be able to cream anyone that pushed him around. The newborn strength consumed him, reawakened his frozen bloodstream and awakened his dulled senses (which had been stunned by Deus' cruel words).
The demon was still in front of him, talking as if he had all of the time in the universe. He was no longer in his true demon form; he had fallen back into his sophisticated, flawless appearance shortly after he had brought an interruption into their duel. At the moment, he was playing the part of a cocky bully; his blonde hair brought a confident sheen to his eyes, which were already filled with devilish triumph. His arms weren't even in a battle position; they were folded across his chest, making him appear to be a participant at a tea party. Eiri's ears had completely tuned him out, for his first attacks had removed his ability to comprehend anything but this: anger.
Two minutes.
His daggers began to mold themselves into an unidentified form. They were searching for a new form, waiting for their owner to make a decision. A tsunami of ire filled the novelist's eyes as his heart began to pound at an incomprehensible rate, making him feel as if he were being rushed through a time vortex. Claws rose from the pit of his stomach and struck every one of his veins, roaring with the urgency of an endangered feline.
A joke?
Deus had stomped on him. He had stomped on him more than once. But, there was more. Not only was he responsible for making him feel like a cockroach, he had succeeded in shaming his relationship with Shuichi Shindou. Both of them saw their relationship as a blessing, every minute of it; their nights of unbridled passion, simple conversations and embraces created an ethereal union of untouchable love.
That demon had the nerve to STEP on everything they believed in.
Tears continued to fall from Eiri's eyes, but they were no longer tears of sorrow. Fire entered the prince's eyes and flooded his entire body, which caused him to close his eyes. Ignoring every one of Deus' words, he focused every drop of his anger into the core of his soul. Many individuals weren't able to endure massive amounts of criticism, and whenever they received it, they allowed it to beat their hearts into submission. Nevertheless, some succeeded in recovering their despondent hearts. Eiri had allowed his heart to flounder for several minutes, unable to believe that any living being could laugh at something so beautiful...
...but now was the time to end EVERYTHING.
The demon before him continued to run his mouth, unaware of the distance his enemy had formed between the two of them. After the departure of five minutes, however, his enemy's scornful voice pricked his ears.
"Fuck you."
The fire within Eiri's voice surprised the sovereign. Confusion brought an end to his rapid onslaughts; his eyes widened as if he had just found out an ancient secret. "What did you say?" he asked, and received an instant answer.
"I said 'fuck you'. What's wrong? Can't hear?"
His daggers vanished within a pool of starlight. They had made a decision; all they had to do now was wait on their owner. Both of them knew that they weren't going to wait a very long time, though.
Deus kept himself within silence, unable to comprehend his enemy's words. Just a few seconds ago, his mortal friend had been on his knees, lost in tears. Now he was on his feet, emitting immoderate waves of hatred...with a lowered head. Rivers were coursing from his eyes, but they were rivers of rage. Like an astonished puppy, the demon titled his head and retrieved his weapon, which had also vanished within a pool of starlight.
"What's gotten into YOU all of a sudden?"
Silence filled the throne room for an eternity. Deus kept his eyes posted on his silent enemy, who refused to lift his head. Confusion mingled with frustration, then it erupted within the elegant entity's eyes. The silence came to an end, due to the courtesy of his opponent, but it wasn't an ending the demon had expected. His enemy's voice was unstable, shivering like an earthquake of the highest magnitude, but it held some awesome power.
"Do you really want to know? Fine. I'll tell you 'what's gotten into me'. I've had it with you, your friends AND your shitty insults!"
His daggers returned to his hands, but they had taken on new forms; they were no longer daggers, and they had thrown off their trident form as well. They were now in the fashion of flames, evidently crafted in the hands of ethereal craftsmen. They were long, silver blades, tipped in the black essence of night and drenched in the quintessence of fire. He placed a firm grip on both of them, then assumed another fighter's stance. His eyes were even stronger than his blades, surprisingly; they were powerful enough to challenge ten gods.
"Everything you said is true; I won't argue with that! I know I'm a lowdown, dirty piece of shit, but I'm NOT going to let you trample over my heart anymore! WHAT I'VE SHARED WITH SHUICHI ISN'T MEANINGLESS! HE LOVES ME AND ACCEPTS EVERYTHING I AM, DAMMIT! WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT HIM ISN'T TRUE; HE ISN'T THAT CRUEL! WHAT WE SHARE IS REAL! DON'T LIKE IT, THEN FUCK OFF!"
Whenever a rock struck a crystallized window, it produced an ear-shattering effect. The eruption of white light within the throne room created a similar effect; it pierced both warriors brutally, but it only managed to blind one. As soon as it disappeared, it left Eiri in new attire; his body was now tied to a black uniform, which was wondrously complemented by an elegant shade of...
...pink.
However, the alterations in his uniform were the smallest of changes. Within a flash, he noticed something; he was no longer in the throne room. His feet were rooted upon a rock, which was floating aimlessly in the midst of space. The ability to take in oxygen told him that he wasn't drifting through the 'average' outer space, though. Something was horrendously different about his current location, and that 'something' burned through him like a stake. He was in the midst of a cold, soulless black void, one that consisted of floating rocks and frosty gales. Stars were soaring throughout the black skies, but they weren't ordinary either.
Deus answered his confusion, standing several feet before him. The novelist kept his place, feeling as if he would fall through an eternal chasm if he even lifted his feet. Deus was standing upon a similar platform, but he seemed to be familiar with his new battlefield. He seemed to be quite pleased with it.
"This is 'Ala'kumer', the End of to all Ends. To you outsiders, it is 'Perpetuity'."
Eiri's silent description had been dangerously close. The novelist felt as if he were standing at the edge of the earth; Deus' words failed to bring any doubt to that assumption. The demon grinned at him, speaking as if he had created Perpetuity himself. The entire place seemed to be very dear to him; he looked like a proud father that had raised a demon. Eiri kept a firm grip on his trusty weapons, who would have released a cavalcade of barks if they had been canines. The demon, who had reassumed his true form with the arrival of Perpetuity, continued his enthusiastic explanation, enjoying the anger on his opponent's face.
"Here is where all demon souls come to rest! This is where they find their only comfort, their own solace and relief. Before you are the broken souls of humans and deities alike, my friend. They made an attempt to alter their fate, but their attempts ended in bitter failure. If you don't bring an end to your charade, I'm afraid you'll end up in the same stream!"
The demon's words failed to intimidate him. As a matter of fact, they only succeeded in completing one mission; they encouraged him. The anger within his eyes grew as he clenched his weapons, evidently ready to slice his opponent's head off his shoulders. The boundaries of the endless chasm no longer hindered his will to fight; he was ready and willing to conclude their final dance. He kept his eyes on the demon before him, as his black wings blossomed in the everlasting confinements of darkness. The personification of evil smiled through blood-red fangs as his elegant eyes took on a monstrous sheen, filled with the thirst of an obsessed vampire.
"YOU'RE IN FOR A TREAT, MY DEAR FRIEND! NO LIVING HUMAN HAS EVER WITNESSED THE GRANDEUR OF 'PERPETUITY' BEFORE, AND OTHER HUMAN WILL! I'VE LEAD YOU HERE, THROGH THE POWER OF THE KEY, AND HERE I SHALL END YOUR PITIFUL EXISTENCE!"
Hovering above Earth and the heavens, the two combatants began the final half of their dance. Equipped with the ability of flight, both took to the skies and struck each other, faces bearing heavy exertion, hearts bearing heavy anger. Hearing the cries of eternally lost souls, Eiri Uesugi launched a barricade of attacks at his opponent, all of which were met with phenomenal speed and power. The demon had tossed off his normal exterior of sophistication; he was no longer the sneering, suave entity he had presented himself as. He was now a wrathful demon, one that had been mocked by a mere mortal, one that was towers beneath his status.
Five minutes elapsed between the two of them, but time really had no meaning. Their blades clashed against each other, and the impact created a white beam of golden light. The two warriors broke away from each other, heaving from the birth of countless gashes. For a moment they glowered at each other, emitting dynamic hatred at each other, but then...for some reason...Eiri Uesugi smiled. His eyes fell on a certain place, which was located between his enemy's thighs. With the mischief of a fun loving child, he transformed his smile into a cheeky grin, then placed it on Deus' livid face. He looked like a cat that had finally found a cocky mouse.
"What are you looking at, insect?"
"Oh..." Eiri replied, grinning within a blanket of refreshing ecstasy. His eyes returned to their chosen target, and he performed an elegant twirl with his newborn blades.
"Nothing."
In mere seconds, Deus realized that his opponent had been looking at more than 'nothing'. Time whipped at his eyes and left him in excruciating pain; his enemy had whipped by him, grinning...a pair of blades had struck him, and before he knew it, he was upon the ground, almost sobbing from intolerable distress.
Eiri's grin became even brighter. He looked like a poverty-stricken individual that had just won a casino game.
"Right! Score one heavy point for me!"
That'll teach him.
That fit of childish triumph was exactly the right ingredient to drive him even further. Eiri playfully twirled his blades, which were glimmering with the light of merriment.
"Ha ha. Looks like I showed you, pal. Too bad you won't be able to play around anymore."
He planted merry kisses on his blades, very proud of the attack he had just delivered. His show of merriment didn't last long, though; Deus unleashed a new fit of anger, one that consumed the entire world beneath them. With a flash of intolerable apprehension, Eiri realized something; both of them were hovering above Earth...where all of his friends were, waiting for him...and for Shuichi. Something else became clear though, and it pleased him.
The key to immortality had given Deus amazing power.
Luckily, the Gateway to Immortality refused to open for him.
That small fact increased his fire. The demon wasn't speaking of his inability to access immortality, but then again, why would an enemy expose his weakness, especially since he had planned on using that weakness for his greatest strength? The demon wasn't able to become omnipotent; if he had been able to do so, the entire world would have been deleted in seconds, and the prince's journey would have been brought to a tragic end. Thank goodness the gods still had some strength left, even after their haven had been tampered with.
Five seconds elapsed between them. The two of the became dangerously close to each other; Eiri was only a few centimeters away from Deus, and Deus was only a few centimeters away from him. Blades clashed against blades in perilous restraints, threatening to decapitate their targets in seconds, but fatal attacks were avoided. However, many assaults created even more gashes within their bodies, ones that sapped immense strength from both of them. The demon allowed his injuries to affect him; his opponent, on the other hand, didn't. The prince seemed to be enjoying the massive rushes of adrenaline, even though his body was heaving from fatal exhaustion.
"You're doing very well, for a mortal."
"Thanks." Eiri said happily, happily twirling one of his fiery blades. "I can't cut you anymore slack. Someone's watching me."
Right then and there, a flash of childlike embarrassment erupted within his heart. If he hadn't been in front of Deus, he would have allowed himself to blush. One question went through his mind, and it caused his heart to capture the embarrassment that would have displayed itself on his face.
You ARE watching me...aren't you?
Who would have thought...that the two of us would come so far?
But then again, I didn't expect an angel to fall in love with a mortal.
I guess fairy tales aren't that silly, now that I think about them.
Ten minutes scorched through the waves of non-existent time. The heavens held an undying vigil over the two of them, as they battled for their own aspirations above their known world. Blades struck flesh, which increased the drive for victory within both hearts. Only one combatant allowed himself to cry out in pain, though, and that was none other than Deus. Whenever the angel's prince received a blow, the only reaction he gave to the demon was a flash of fiery determination. His body wouldn't be able to take much more damage, but his heart could endure the fury of a millennia.
He thought.
He thought of everything he had witnessed, everything that he had believed in, everything he had heard and absorbed...
...everything he loved, everything he cherished...
The demon's words had been true. He knew he was nothing more than a horrendous waste of air, something that deserved to be squashed underneath someone's foot. He wasn't perfect, wasn't flawless or even beautiful, unlike the angel he loved deeply. But the angel loved him, and it wasn't because of pity. Shuichi Shindou...the vocalist of Bad Luck, the High Angel of Anuryn's Heavens...it didn't matter. The gentle soul loved him, accepted him and cherished him...as much as he loved him.
They had sought each other for an eternity.
Now it was time to reunite.
Several yards in front of him, the High Lord of Perpetuity was before him, glowing with immoderate evil. Both of them were perilously close to falling; that was evident. Neither of their bodies could take too much more, even though their spirits were ready for everything. One thing was definitely clear; the duel was either going to end in a draw, or with the prince as the victor.
Eiri had been willing to sacrifice his life before. He had been willing to give everything up, in order to ensure the safe return of his Shu-chan. Now, things were different. He no longer wanted to throw anything away; if he did...
...his heart couldn't expose itself...to his beautiful angel.
He lowered his head once again, his eyes planted on his blades. He gazed upon them for a moment, waiting for some kind of answer to his silent question...and then they glimmered with a tiny beam of light, which was their way of nodding. With a bright smile, he gripped both of them and returned his eyes to Deus, who had transformed himself the true father of evil. He had twisted the key's power in order to access his current form. He was no longer a being that resembled an elegant gentlemen; he was a true demon, one that possessed a bulky body, fiery red eyes and enormous wolf-like claws. He had become the direct opposite of Shuichi; pure evil.
Eiri Uesugi stood in his place, waiting for his opponent's next move with the anticipation of a brave soldier, one that was about to have his life cut short at the end of a firing squad. His eyes zoned in on his enemy, ripe with the vigilance of a belligerent falcon and filled with the fiery courage of a cheetah. His eyes silently invited Deus to make a move, and the demon gladly took the invitation...
...which led right to a TRAP.
Eiri placed his blades over his heart.
"This one's for us."
The Dark Sovereign of Evil rushed out at him, piercing the endless skies with a turbulent roar of vengeance. The novelist held his ground and waited until the very last second, which was when the demon was no more than an inch away from him. With a firm grasp upon his weapons, he made an elegant leap into the air, which carried him several stories above his enemy. During his flight, which was accompanied by a flash of angelic pink light, he performed a back flip...which gave him the chance to bring himself down on his enemy. An immortal, high-pitched roar threatened to deafen him as he brought his blades into his enemy's pulsating body...and shredded his hated enemy into three halves.
Two events happened at once.
The stream of time brought itself to a halt.
An incalculable beam of yellow light blinded the prince and sent him hurdling through the eternal chasm known as 'Perpetuity'.
In mere seconds, though, the beam of light vanished...and left the prince in waves of blue radiance. Translucent blue waves carried him through frozen time, bestowing familiar warmth upon his weary heart. Even though he had been placed into slumber, his heart knew the waves well. He had seen them before, and trusted his soul to them. For an eternity he was slept within the swift tide of time, feeling each wave of cool water caress his weary body. His blades were no longer at his side; they too had fallen asleep, wanting to take a good rest after their last ordeal.
Before he struck the surface of a new world, a gentle voice echoed throughout his heart.
"Now I'll finally be able to see you again."
It was an eternal world, one that was as spacious as Perpetuity. However, it didn't carry that world's darkness. It was unbearably cold and ugly, filled with the immortal death of a million souls. It was something grand and beautiful, radiant with empyrean fields and beauteous starlight. It was a world that could have only been formed in a child's heart...but at the same time...it was a world that had been formed in the hands of an angel. Eiri Uesugi found himself standing upon its surface, unaffected by his travels through the time stream...and also unaffected by his battle with the Demon Sovereign. His body was no longer prepared for battle; his blades had returned to slumber, ready to meet a new owner. Their departure left him with a pang of sadness, for he had become deeply fond of his 'little friends'. Now he understood why K was so close to 'Ebony and Ivory', his 'beloved friends'.
Within his last duel, his body had suffered massive wounds. He feared that if he had gone on any longer, he would have lost his life under the intolerable pressure. Thankfully, the stream of time had healed his burdensome wounds, and left him only with his new uniform. It had also left him within a field of clouds, ones that were overlooking an immortal field of golden stars. The clouds weren't as important as the being standing in front of him, though.
"Well done, my child. I see you've managed to overcome that enormous struggle."
A gasp of disbelief tore itself from Eiri's lips. The dignified manner of speech brought the being's identity to vibrant light; he was the one he had encountered within the dream pool. As soon as the being turned to face the prince, everything became all too clear. He was truly a sovereign, one that possessed a magnificent robe of burgundy and a head of golden brown hair. His pristine, soft eyes were a heavenly shade of blue, a shade that easily shamed every man-made object in existence. His voice was the way it had been during the dream pool journey; warm, melodious and graceful.
"I see that you remember me, dear Eiri." he said in a way that brought tears to Eiri's eyes. The sovereign reminded the prince of his departed father. "Come. Take a place by my side. My heart wishes to share a few things."
With sweet, puppy-like apprehension, the prince shyly made his way to the sovereign's side. As soon as he did, a gentle arm was placed about his shoulders. The being was the personification of warmth; it was as if he had been born as the creator of serenity. "Before you begin," the prince said softly, his timid eyes scanning the environment. Without even noticing it, he had taken on Shuichi's cuteness.
"Where are we?"
"Why, my child, we're in 'Ellea'. In other words, we're in the womb of time. The very origin of life, the beginning of eternity. Here is where every heart embarks on its journey, filled with the dreams of eternity. I do believe that a certain singer began his journey here."
The mere mention of the angel brought waterfalls of Eiri's eyes, and he had no desire to restrain them. He had finally eliminated Deus, the one that had ignited their separation, but the angel was still nowhere in sight. He realized that he had been away from Shuichi for far too long...
"What do you mean?" he asked, noticing that his voice was hoarse. The softhearted sovereign chuckled warmly at him, which brought even more tears to his eyes. He was truly someone that could earn the loyalty of any human in mere seconds, just by smiling at them. "What I meant was..." he began gently, brushing some of Eiri's tears away. "your Shuichi was born here, among these very clouds."
Those words smacked him like BRICKS.
"Yes, it's true. The one named 'Shuichi Shindou' was born here, among us angels."
Eiri took the angel's hand and squeezed it, barely able to comprehend human speech. "But..." he began, shock pouring from his fragile tears. "...then...why..."
Right then and there, everything overwhelmed him.
The distance, the emotions that had been born within the duel, the last night of passion, the dreams...
Everything united within his heart...and caused him to fall to his knees.
-Sorry! I was supposed to finish this, but someone's knocking on the door (and he goes by the name of Dinner)! Me sowwees! Waaah! I'll be back soon...to post the chapter you've ALL been waiting for! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CONCLUSION BETWEEN DEUS AND EIRI, NYAH HA!
Fun fact; the new angel was inspired by 'Ansem the Wise', who was elegantly voiced by the great Christopher Lee (who plays the part of Magneto in X3, for those of you that aren't familiar with King Mickey's pal). He has a lot to reveal...and two special people are going to make their return in the next installment...
NYAH HA!