Me: And finally, Akito and Rena come face to face!
SWD: Will the suspense end?
Me: Nope. Not for a few more chapter.
SWD: When you say few, you usually mean about 10 (groans)
Me: (smirk)
SWD: (sighs)
Me: Well, whether you guys want it or not, Chapter 25's coming at you fast!
SWD: ElementalGuardianProtector owns nothing but her characters and this story.
Chapter Twenty-Four
"Jeez. That Kyo... He's such a bully to poor Momiji-kun! He should really try to get along with Momiji-kun better!" Rena huffed.
"But how mean Kyo-kun can be to Momiji-kun isn't anything compared to how cruel I was to Kyo-kun... All those years ago..." Rena thought darkly.
Rena shook her shutter away. "I wonder where it could've landed... I can't find it anywhere..." Rena searched through the grass. "Ah-ha! Here it is!" Rena picked up the tiny glass bottle.
"It's a little cracked, but it's not broken! I can still return this to Momiji-kun!" Rena turned around. Before she took so much as a step, she stopped.
The nail polish bottle in her hand dropped and hit the ground, the bottle shattering and the nail polish splattering everwhere.
Rena's eye widened in fear. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. "He's... here." Rena thought. "He's really here..."
"It's been quite a while... Hasn't, Rena?" Akito smirked, crossing his arms.
--
"What's wrong, Rena? You don't look too happy about seeing me at all. Didn't you miss me?" Akito slowly walked towards the teenage girl with a smirk.
Rena tried to run away, but she was paralyzed. Her body was afraid to move. She wanted to scream for help, but her mouth became dry and refused to work.
"Ah, I see you're wearing a ribbon in your hair again. Now how long has it been since I've seen you wear one of these, huh Rena?" Akito closed his eyes, holding the end of the white ribbon up to his lips with his fingertips for a moment before letting it slip out of his hands.
"They make you look so cute."
"Aren't you going to say something to me, Rena?" Akito asked, touching Rena's face. Rena's body cringed as Akito's icy fingertips of death brushed against her cheek.
"Say something, you idiot." Akito ran his hand through Rena's long black hair. "Say something!"
"A... Akito... San?" Rena managed to whisper. "Well? Are you going to say hi or what? Don't tell me you're afraid." Akito sneered. "You're afraid of me still, aren't you? You're just a weak and pathetic wretch after all."
Rena remained silent.
"Rena... Say something to you Master!" Akito grabbed Rena by her hair. "Don't make me repeat myself! Talk, wretch! Or I'll hit you!"
Tears filled Rena's eyes. "What... What do you want?" Rena demanded as strong as she could, her demand coming out as only a pathetic murmur.
"Don't tell me I'm making you cry." Akito rolled his eyes tauntingly.
"I said, what do you want?!" Rena repeated herself, a little louder this time.
"What do I want? You know what I want. You can't escape this. You and I both know your fate is inevitable. You can't run away anymore. You are bound to me. You exist for me. You life belongs to me. Your bound to me is even stronger than that of the Juunishi members. So what makes you think you can escape me?" Akito inquired.
"Don't get conceited. Not even that damned Tohru Honda bitch can save you."
"Maybe... Maybe I can't runaway from my fate. But... I can surely try!" Rena retorted.
"You aren't going anywhere."
Rena turned around. A man with short black hair, longer than Akito's, murky grey eyes, and his height only a few inches taller than Akito's stood behind her.
The man grabbed her wrist. "You aren't going anywhere, Inami."
"I... Itachi-kamisama?" Rena looked up, watching the older man narrow his eyes at her, a cold expression over his face.
"Ah. So you've met Itachi again. Isn't it good to be reunited once again, Rena?" Akito placed his hands on Rena's back, feeling for something.
Rena winced in pain. "Ah. So it is still there. You still bare the marking. The Symbol of Collision." Akito pressed his thumb into the middle of her back.
A sharp cry of pain escaped Rena's lips.
"What's the matter Rena? Does it still hurt? Does the mark we craved into your back... Still hurt?" Akito grinned, whispering cruel things about Rena's past into her ear.
"Stop it... Please... Leave me alone." Rena whimpered. "Please... I'm begging you, Akito-kamisama."
"Then stop resisting. Give into the Darkness." Itachi said to the Guardian of Light.
"Look at me when I am speaking to you, Inami." Itachi grabbed Rena by her chin, forcing her to turn her head and look at him.
"Look into my eyes. Look into my eyes, and let the Darkness devour your soul."
"I don't... Want to... Lose my soul... To the Darkness... I..." Rena trailed off, drowning in Itachi hypnotic grey eyes.
"No... Please... Stop! I don't want to... Stop it! Please!"
--
"Rena-chan sure is taking a long time to find Momiji-kun's prize..." Tohru trailed off, worried. "We should go get her. I'm ready to crash at Hana's place right about now." Arisa stood up.
Momiji grabbed the cooler and the blanket. "Alright! Let's go and find out lost Tsuji-chan!" Momiji began to march forward. "Momiji," Kyo began, but was discontinued by a long, high pitched , ear-splitting scream filling the air.
"That... That sounded like Tsujitani-san...!" Yuki's eyes widened. As though painful pulsations at attacked their brains at full force, Hatsuharu, Momiji, Arisa, and Hanajima all fell to their knees simultaneously, each one yelling in pain and clutching their heads.
"Hatsuharu-kun? Uo-chan? Momiji-kun? Hana-chan? What's the matter?" Tohru asked, panicking. "It's the darkness... The Angel of Death... Is being... Disturbed..." Hatsuharu managed to say through gritted teeth.
"So much pain... So much darkness... So much hatred... And sorrow..." Hanajima clutched her head even tighter. "I can feel it... The Dark Collision... Is about... To begin..." Arisa gasped for air, breathing heavily and unable to move.
"Someone, please... Stop it... Stop the three powers from colliding... Please, somebody help her...! Rena-chan!... I can't see... I can't breathe... I can't..." Momiji exhaled, passing out.
"Momiji-kun!" Tohru kneeled down to the Rabbit of the Juunishi. "Yuki-kun, can you carry Momiji? He's... Unconscious." Yuki nodded, picking up Momiji and the cooler he had.
"Yuki... Take everyone home. Get everyone away from here, right now." Hatsuharu struggled to his feet. "Take everyone to Sensei's house."
"Why? What's going on?" Yuki inquired. "The Dark Collision is about to begin. None of you could ever hope of being able to withstand something as powerful as Dark Collision in the condition you're in. You'll all just get hurt and in the way." Hatsuharu leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath.
"But what about you, Hatsuharu-kun?" Tohru asked. "I'm stronger than Momiji, Uotani, and Hanajima. I can stand up to it. At least, I have to try. She's my responsiblity as well." Hatsuharu replied.
"...Kyo, help Uotani-san, and Kagura, you help Hanajima-san." Yuki ordered. "I ain't about to help that damn yankee." Kyo sneered. "Please, Kyo-kun. She needs help, and I'm not strong enough to carry her." Tohru tried to reason with Kyo.
"Can't Kagura help her? Can't I help the OTHER one instead? Hanajima?" Kyo groaned. "Kyo, please." Tohru begged. "Please Kyo-kun. Please help Uo-chan. Please."
Kyo stared at Tohru for a minute.
"...Damn it all to hell..." Kyo sighed, helping Arisa up and held her arm around his shoulders. "Know that Im only doing this because you asked me to, Tohru. I'm doing it for your sake, not hers." Kyo told Tohru before running towards Shigure's house.
"Even still... Uotani needs help... She might really be hurt..." Kyo thought. "Dammit... Why the hell do I care about this damn yankee anyway?! I'm too damn soft for my own good!"
"Come on, Hanajima-san." Kagura helped Hanajima up, running towards Shigure's house after Kyo. Tohru picked up the folded blanket.
Before she and Yuki followed, Tohru turned back to Hatsuharu. "Hatsuharu-kun... Be careful, please. Don't get yourself hurt... Okay?" Tohru looked at the Ox.
Hatsuharu nodded. "I'll be okay, Tohru. You can be sure of it." Hatsuharu assured the onigiri. "We'll see you later then." Yuki took Tohru's hand and ran off with her behind him.
"I won't get hurt. It will be nothing, compared to Rena's pain." Hatsuharu thought, running towards the source of pain. "I have to protect her. I have to save Rena and stop the Dark Collision. Before it's too late. Even if I costs me my life."
"Naginata of Densetsu!" Hatsuharu shouted, his legendary naginata appearing in his hamds as he ran.
"I'm coming for you, Princess. Just hold on. I'm coming!"
--
Rena's black eyes became empty, losing their warmth and humanity, the emotion and life being sucked out of them. She stared into space, her eyes acting as though they've lost the ability to blink.
Rena began to fall back, but Itachi caught her by her waist with one arm. "Akito-tono... It's been done. Her heart and soul... Are gone. She won't be able to resist the Darkness now." Itachi told Akito.
"You know what to do now... Right, Itachi." Akito grinned evilly. Tears formed in Rena's emotionless, lifeless eyes. "I guess... This is it. I couldn't protect..." Rena thought before everything went blank
Akito formed a medium-sized sphere of darkness, as well as Itachi. The two combined their spheres of darkness, creating a larger one.
Itachi held the sphere up to Rena's heart. Slowly, the Dark Spere seeped into Rena's body. "The Dark Collision will take place in a matter of minutes, now that the Spere of Darkness has entered her body." Itachi informed Akito.
"So you really are behind this."
Itachi and Akito turned to see Hatsuharu, angirly clutching her naginata. His eyes were fierce, dark and grey.
Oh yeah, Black Haru has come out to play... (lol, that rhymes! )
"Itachi..." Hatsuharu growled, raising his naginata and pointing it at the Dark Lord. The Ox got into a fighting stance, prepared to battle. "We're gonna settle our score today, here and now!"
"Oh? You dare raise your weapon at me, weakling?" Itachi scoffed. "Do you not favor you life? Or are you just an idiot?" "You're the idiot for ever messing with Rena like that and thinking you could get away with it! Bastard!" Hatsuharu charged at Itachi, swinging his naginata crazily at him.
"What's wrong, Demon Slayer? Can you not manage to put even a scratch one me? Has the Dark Collision effected you and your skills to this point?" Itachi sneered.
"Or are you just really this weak?"
"The weak one here must be you, if you resort yourself to abusing a defenseless girl that has done nothing to you in all of her life!" Hatsuharu swung his nagainata with all of his strength.
Itachi grabbed the blade of the naginata, stopping it in midair. Blood trickled down his hand, but he did not let go. Itachi kicked the surprised Ox in his stomach, sending him flying.
Hatsuharu hit the ground and tumbled across the ground, his naginata flying out of his hand. "I have no time to deal with the likes of you. The Dark Collision is about to begin." Itachi said to the demon slaying Ox.
"Besides... You can't use any of your real powers or your real strength until tomorrow night... Can you? All you can do is swing your little naginata around, unable to release the Legendary Power of the Dragon. I do not wish to battle my opponet in their weakest state. It is meaningless to me. Come back to me... Tomorrow night, Demon Slayer. And don't hold back."
"Damn you." Hatsuharu growled. "But he's right... I can't use my power to fight him. Not while the Dark Collision is going on, and not until tomorrow night. The power from the Dark Collision... The Dark Pressure... Is far too strong for me to withstand." the Ox thought.
"Are you just gonna sit there and curse at me, or are you gonna do something about Inami?" Itachi demanded. "Inami? No, you mean Rena! Her name is Rena!" Hatsuharu yelled.
"...She's not... her."
"Does it really matter? If you don't do something soon, she'll be dead." Itachi replied. "Itachi, we're leaving. We can't waste anymore of our strength... On this idiot. We've already used too much... On the Dark Collision." Akito called to the Dark Lord.
"Until tomorrow night... Our truest powers shall night be revealed."
"...You have been spared. I was going to make you suffer, but I suppose Akito does not want that. You are lucky." Itachi turned and walked away, evaporationg into a black mist with Akito and disappearing into thin air.
Rena slumped to her knees, her emotionless black eyes still showing no sign of life. Suddenly, a black light emeerged from ehr body, shining brightly. (Or dully... Or maybe it didn't shine at all, since it's black... Which ever.)
The dark light surround Rena like black demonic winds, the winds howling.
"At least I can still see her through those demonic winds..." Hatsuharu thought. "She doesn't have much time. I have to do something..."
White glowing orbs of a mysterious power began to reveal themselves, shooting out of Rena's body several at a time, the orbs releasing themselves from Rena;s body until no more remaining within her.
Once all of the mysterious power was gone, the dark demonic winds wrapped itself around Rena and became solid, trapping Rena within a thin dark purple/black cocoon, which was getting thicker and thicker by the minute.
"The Darkness is devouring her! It's striping her of her powers, casting out all of her life force and energym and tearing her insides apart!" Hatsuharu realized.
A strage symbol appeared ontop of the cocoon. The symbol on the cocoon looked like a circle outlined thicky in black with a black star in the center of it, a white line going straight down the middle of the star, and and a large white angel wings sticking out of each side of the star, overlapping parts of the circle.
"What... What the hell is the symbol? And what is it suppose to represent?" Hatsuharu wondered. "What is its purpose? Is it good or bad, for Rena's sake?"
The dark cocoon began to pulsate, the intensity of the invisible darkness increasing. The Darknness bound Hatsuharu, making him lose the ability to move, stuck in his position on the ground.
And with every painful pulsation...
He could feel Rena's life wither away.
"Rena," Hatsuharu stared at the cocoon containing the Princess of Light within it. "How can I stop the Dark Collision before it's too late? I can't move any closer - It hurt too much. My body feels like feels like it's gonna burst because of all the pressure the Darkness is applying on me."
"Dammit!" Hatsuharu cursed under his breath. "Wake up Rena! Do you honestly want to die this way?! Are you ready to give Itachi and Akito the invincibility they want from you? Are you just gonna give up without a fight and hand it over to them? Huh?"
"You should leave."
"Huh? Who the hell... Are you?" Hatsuharu demanded.
"I am an ally, and I am here to help you. If you desire to leave and prolong your life... Then I will lend you my power and strength, and allow you to escape."
"Escape? I'm not about to run away! Not without Rena!"
"But... There's no hope for her. She's... Dying."
"But she's still alive in there... Right?!"
"Yes... But... She's being devoured by the Darkness itself. Her soul... Is being lost to the Darkness. And... If you do not leave soon... The same thing will happen to you."
"I... I don't care! I have to save her somehow! She's... She's my responsibilty! I'm suppose to protect! If she dies... I'll be at fault! And Rin... Rin! I have to protect Rena... For both her own, the world, and Rin's sake!"
"... You refuse to leave... Don't you?"
"I... I won't let her behind! I will save her! Even if it is the death of me! I wouldn't be able to live with myself... If Rena died, and I was right there... But I was too weak to protect her!"
Suddenly, an Army of Akuryous appeared before Hatsuharu, ready to fight.
"That Itachi... He sent them here to take care of you. In this state, they'll only kill you. Are you sure... That you do not wish to leave here?"
"Yes. I will stay here, and fight, and try to awaken Rena. Just... Help me stand."
"...Even if I grant you the power to stand and move... That will be probably the most you could do. Until the Dark Collision has been stopped... You will not be able to run away, or fight those Akuryous. Are you certain?"
The Akuryous rushed at Hatsuharu, the hundreds of them beating up on him. They transformed their arms into razor sharp blades, swinging at Hatsuharu and cutting him.
"Give me the power to move already!" Hatsuharu yelled.
"...As you wish."
A strange power entered Hatsuharu's body, running through his veins and his blood. Before another Akuryou could swipe at him, Hatsuharu was up on his feet, and dodged him.
"Apparently, I can move around and dodge them, though." Hatsuharu grinned to himself. "That's better than lying there and taking it.
One of the Akuryous got lucky, and cut Hatsuharu deep across his back.
Hatsuharu let out a roar of pain, falling to his knees. "Damn bastard... Caught me off guard..." Hatsuharu struggled to his feet. "Rena-hime! I told you... I'm coming for you! So... Don't give up yet! Don't... Die on me!"
"...I do not understand... Why you insist on staying to defend her when there is nothing you can do. But if this is your desire... Then so be it."
--
"It's too... Dark. Too... Cold. Too... Painful... I can hardly breathe... I can't see... I can't... Hear..."
"Rena."
"Ah? Oh... It's only... You. Why are you still here? Are you going to die with me?" (The voice is talking to her in her mind, just as it had talked to Hatsuharu)
"Stop talking like that!"
"It's true, though... I am going to die soon... And Akito is going to take my powers to become invincible, along wit hTohru's heart. He'll take all of the Guardians. And... If he gets my Guardian... He'll just be able to summon the others straight to him."
"So you understand just how important your powers are... Correct? How important... Your role is?"
"I know... That if I die... Akito will get my power. He'll obtain all of the Six Eternal Powers, and along with Tohru's Heart, he will become invincible, and the Darkness will only spread. This world... Will die."
"So then why are you giving up so easily?"
"Because... There's nothing I can do. I am already in my Cocoon of Darkness. I'm... dying. I'm being devoured by the Darkness. Soon... My soul will wander in Eternal Darkness, after being totally striped of my powers."
"Rena! The Angel! It is protecting you! Why do you think you are still alive?! Why do you think you still have yours and Hikari's powers?!"
"The... Angel? Of Life? But why... Would it protect me?"
"Because! You and your friends are the only ones who can end these 2,000 year old curses! If you die Rena... Without ending this... The curse will only continue! The will be another born into the Tsujitani Family, and take your place! Your dying will mean nothing! So why not do everything you can to stay alive?!
"...How can I get out of here anyway?"
"Summon Hikari with the last of your strength. The Angel of Life and I shall take care of the rest. Just listen."
"Listen? Listen to... What?"
"Listen Rena... Can't you hear him? He's screaming out your name. He's calling for you. The longer you don't respond... The longer he will suffer."
"Suffer? How?"
"The Darkness. Although it is invisible to the naked eye because it is not at it's full strength yet... It is strong enough to kill him. He's dying as well. The Darkness... Is killing him the longer his stays in it."
"Who?"
"Soon... He shall be another victim. His soul shall be lost in the Sea of Darkness as well. Can't you hear him? His cries of pains? He's being wounded... And slowly tortured by the Akuryous. To death."
"Tell me who!"
"...The Ox Boy. Hatsuharu. He won't leave. He insists on staying out there and suffering. He's caling you, Rena. He's trying to bring you back. If only you would listen to him... It would all end, if you would open your ears!"
"RENA-HIME!"
Rena gasped, her eyes widening. "Hatsuharu... kun?" She said breathlessly.
"Get up Rena. Wake up! I will not allow you to die in a place like this! You will not die today! You will live!"
"I... Nami..." A small whisper, unheard to the human ears, escpaed Rena's lips. "O Great Guardian of Light... Thy Protector and Guard of Eternal Light... Please... Hikari Shiroii-san... Please... Lend me your strength and Eternal Power!"
"Is that your desire... Princess?"
"Yes... Destroy the Darkness with your Eternal Light... Destroy the Akuryous... And save Hatsuharu-kun!"
"...As you wish... Princess of Light."
A large pair of folded up white glowing angel wings made from the same mysterious substance that had been released from Rena's body sprouted out of her back.
The large, beautiful, glowing Angel Wings spread out, bursting through the cocoon, cutting through it as thought it was paper, and demolishing it.
Rena's wings rose her off of the ground, lifting her higher and higher into the air. Hatsuharu looked up. "Rena-hime... What's happening to her?" Hatsuharu mused.
The Akuryous as well looked up at Rena, seeming to lose interesting in Hatsuharu and be drawn to Rena.
"Those wings... Those strange, beautiful wings... From a distance... It looks almost like the symbol that was on the cocoon. It looks as thought Rena is the dark star... There are her wings... And her pure aura is the white circle..." Hatsuharu thought.
"But if that's so... Then what is the white line through the middle of the dark star suppose to represent?"
Rena's still empty dead black eyes looked down on the Akuryous.
"Die." A voice that didn't belong to Rena or Inami said firmly to the monsters of darkness, raising Rena's hand. "Begone, vile creature. I, the Angel of Life, can give and take Life. And I choose... To take yours!"
Painfully bright pulsations of light were released from Rena's body. The Darkness in the air was forced into being seen, and was destroyed.
The wings let off an intense, bright light even more painful than the pulsations of light still ringing throuhg the air. The Akuryous began to screech and scream in pain, while it merely blinded Hatsuharu, forcing him to cover his eyes and turn away.
The light shone, annihilating the hundreds of Akuryous. The power given to him by Inami, who had been the voice in Hatsuharu's head, were also destroyed, once again binding him.
After the Akuryous and Darkness were destroyed, the air seemed much lighter. The lights and pulsations had not stopped yet, making sure every trace of evillness was being erased.
With the air now purified of the lingering darkness and the evil spirits gone for good, Hatsuharu was able to move again. The lights and painful pulsation of light stopped.
All of a sudden, Rena began to fall through thr air, her wings seeming to lose their power. "Rena!" Hatsuharu ran, jumped into the air, and caught the light princess, toppling over her as they both hit the ground.
The large white angel wings shattered, leaving not a trace behind. A moment after the wings shattered, Rena groaned, looking up at the Ox.
"Rena..." Hatsuharu pulled the princess into a hug. "Rena...!! I thought... I really thought you had died on me... When you wouldn't respond. I thought... I was too late." Hatsuharu whispered.
"I'm glad you're safe now. I don't know how, but... You were saved from the Dark Collision."
"YOU saved me, Hatsuharu. It's because... You didn't give up on me, even when I gave up on myself. Thank you... For going through all that trouble just to awaken me." Rena smiled.
"Rena... What was that power?" Hatsuharu inquired.
"...The light... It was the truest power of my Guardian, Hikari Shiroii. And those wings... They were the wings of the Angel of Life. The angel's wings... Were made out of my life force and energy. The life that I had lost... Had been absorbed by the Angel, and thus, those wings were born. When they shattered... I was truly brought back to life." Rena explained.
"So your Guardian... Inami... And The Angel of Life... All worked together to save you and put the Angel of Death... Back to sleep?" Hatsuharu asked.
"Only because you were able to awake me was it possible. Thank you." Rena thanked the Ox. "Oh Hatsuharu-kun... You're wounded so badly... Here, let me help..." Rena reached her hand out, but stopped, stuffling a cry of pain.
"I'm still too... Weak to carry on... I must... Somehow regain my strength. Or I will..." Rena trailed off, fainting. "...It was too much for her to stay awake... Huh? Far too painful for her..." Hatsuharu stood up, carrying Rena in his arms as he began in the direction of Shigure's house.
"...I guess it's okay... But I hope that she wakes up. She's still dying, even right now... I hope she'll be okay..." Hatsuharu looked down at the sleeping Rena.
She was bruised all over, but her wounds were nothing compared to Hatsuharu's.
And in vice versa...
Hatsuharu's pain was nothing compared to Rena's.
He was only suffering from severe physical wounds, while she was suffering from physical wound, severe mental wound, severe emotional wounds, and severe spiritual wound.
She was wounded, and right now... Nothing could heal her.
"...I know that there is hardly anything I can do to help with Rena's pain, but... I know that if we give her time, and force her to see that we're all here for her... She'll came around to it. She is the only one who can heal herself. She will be alright, and she will wake up. I... Know it... She won't die on us..." Hatsuharu tried to convince himself.
"Please Rena... Don't die on us."
Me: And there you have it! Chapter 25!
SWD: What was that thing Hatsuharu was saying about Rin?
Me: ...
SWD: And what about that symbol? What the purpose of it?
Me: ...
SWD: Is Rena gonna be alright? What about Momiji and the others?
Me: ...
SWD: What's this whole thing about everyone not being able to use their powers until tomorrow night? And why was Rena able to use her's, if no one could use them once the Dark Collision began?
Me: ...
SWD: What's gonna happen next, and what are Akito and Itachi up to now? What will they do when they learn the Dark Collision failed?
Me: ...
SWD: (sighs) EGP, you're not gonna answer me, are you?
Me: ...
SWD: EGP?
Me: ...
SWD: ...EGP?!
Me: ...
SWD: ...(sigh) I guess I'll end the chapter now then.
Me: Read and review please!
SWD: Oh, so NOW you decide to talk, huh?