Chapter 37

POV: Omniscient

Blake burst out of the atrium at a sprint. She had been going for only a few seconds, when she hit the area she knew she would. A split. They led to two different ends of the house, and her mother could be down either. Since she heard fighting down the left side, she decided to turn right. After all, if she had to go back to the other side, Sun and her father might be done. She walked into the dining room. It wasn't the room that she and Sun had first talked to her parents in; that one was more of a break room. This room had one large table off to the side, and a more open area on the other. She began walking across it, when she heard the click of a weapon behind her. She spun around to find Ilia on a raised platform that ran around the room.

Blake: Ilia? Did you come in here to hide?

Ilia: I told you. I didn't want this.

Blake: And yet, you're still here.

Ilia: I don't have a choice…

Blake: Yes you do!

Ilia looked away silently. Blake resheathed her sword, and turned away.

Blake: Just… stay out of my way.

Ilia watched her friend pass through the room. She knew she couldn't let her leave. She jumped down, weakly trying to tackle Blake, urging herself on into the only blame and rage she could muster at her old friend. Instead, she passed straight through the clone, as Blake jumped back away. Ilia quickly recovered, and tried to "shoot" Blake. She rolled out of the way, quickly jumping onto the table. She began running, with Ilia hitting the table behind her. Blake heard footsteps on the table behind her, and turned to face Ilia. Immediately, she had to block Ilia's whip. The attacks were messy, obviously fueled by rage. Blake jumped over the whip, and quickly threw her ribbon, letting it wrap around Ilia's hand. While still in midair, she pulled Ilia up towards her. Because of physics, she also pulled herself to Ilia. As they met in the middle, Blake delivered a kick, composed of their combined inertia. Ilia was sent sprawling onto the table, and she was only barely able to stand up, before Blake landed in front of her, transferring the velocity into her sword. Ilia blocked the sword, creating yellow sparks from the force. It took everything Ilia had to keep the sword away from her.

Blake: Why… why do you think we have to hurt people to get our way?

Ilia: Because it works!

Blake: That doesn't make it right!

Suddenly, an idea struck Ilia. Noticing the sparks, she pulled the trigger, sending electricity running along the whip. The electricity traveled between the two blades, and right into Blake's hand. The muscles in her arm contracted, sending her sword flying across the room, eventually sticking point first into the table. Now weaponless, she turned back to face Ilia. There was a moment that both fighters were still, as there are in so many other fights. Then, in sync, they both sprung into motion. Blake turned to dive for her sword, but Ilia cut her off, jumping off a chair and tackling Blake. The impact sent Blake off the table. Of course, she landed on her hands and knees, and quickly pushed off a clone, which was immediately disintegrated. Blake slid behind a chair, and looked over it to locate Ilia. Her mask was sitting on the ground.

Ilia: Stop lecturing me…

The lights dimmed. The last image Blake had of Ilia was her turning black, and blending in with the darkness. Blake quickly sprinted to her sword, still visible because of the white markings. She slowly began walking back towards the light switch. Even with her faunas night vision, Ilia was nowhere to be found. When she was only a couple feet away from the light-switch, Ilia's whip appeared out of thin air, and slashed at Blake. She only barely had time to dodge, and then open fire to where She guessed Ilia had to be. When she stop firing, she found that "Ilia" had actually been standing in front of the light switch, which was now completely busted.

Ilia: Why couldn't you just LEAVE?

Blake: Because I run away too much.

She heard a creak from behind her, and spun around to once more see the whip shooting at her. She dived behind a chair once more, letting off a shot as she did so.

Blake was about to reload, when she remembered one single fire bullet, and a couple ice bullets she had left over from the train, last year. She glanced up at the potted plants her mother had set up near the ceiling.

Blake: Sorry, mom.

She raised her gun, and shot the plants. They had been covered in a certain fertilizer, and easily caught on fire. The room lit once more, and revealed Ilia crouching in the corner. She sprinted at Blake, springing over the table. Their weapons made contact once more, and the swords was launched out of Blakes hand, but she easily caught it with her other hand, and continued. Their weapons clashed twice more, before Blake managed to grab Ilia's hair, pulled her backwards. Ilia spun around, only to hit a clone. Blake landed a few feet away, and Ilia ran to once more meet her. Their weapons made contact, but this time, Blake grabbed Ilia's hand, just as Ilia grabbed the other. Blake slammed Ilia's whip to the ground at the same time that Ilia threw Blake's sword. They both rolled away to recover their weapons, and Blake immediately open fired on Ilia. Ilia easily blocked every bullet.

Ilia: Stop running, and fight be like you mean it!

Blake finally ran out of ammo, and jumped out of the way of yet another slash, and landed on the raised platform. Taking cover behind the banister, she switched clips.

Ilia: You used to see things the way I saw them! If no one's going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left is to attack them back!

Blake peeked over the banister, and began unloading her ammo once more on Ilia. Ilia did the same as she always has, and blocked them with her whip.

Ilia: I SAID STOP IT!

She slashed once more, but found that her whip had been frozen solid. Then, Blake's ribbon was once more wrapped around her arm, sending her whip bouncing across the room. Finally, before Ilia could react, Blake tackled her. Now, Blake stood on top of her, holding her down with one foot.

Blake: You're wrong, Ilia. There's always another choice. Ilia, please. Stop fighting. Your a good person, but you're making all the wrong decisions!

Ilia: Shut up!

Blake: Is this what your parents would have wanted?

Ilia: I- I don't know what else to do…

Tears began pouring down her face. Blake could only feel sorry for her friend. Then-

Crash

A large form came bursting through the wall. It was Corsec. Her father lept out behind them.

Blake: Dad?

Ghira: Blake? What are you- GAH!

Blake: DAD!

Ghira reached over his shoulder, and threw Fennec across the room. He had been stabbed in upper back. Suddenly, Ilia, with tears still in her eyes, threw Blake off, and stood. Blake hit the opposite wall with a sickening crack. Corsec ran forward again, and met Ghira. His fists did nothing, as Ghira caught both. Corsec was slowly being pushed back.

Fennec: Ilia! What are you doing? Fight!

With that, he got back out his dagger, and ran back into the fray. Ghira, seeing him coming, pushed Corsec back to face the new opponent. The two brothers fought in perfect unison, but Ghira didn't care. He kept dodging easily and throwing them around. Fennec eventually had time to stand up on the side. He quickly charged up his dagger, and ran back into the fray. Ghira saw him coming, and pushed Corsec away, before catching Fennec's arm. When the fireball shot, it was aim directly as Corsec's chest.

Fennec: Brother!

As Corsec was sent flying, Fennec charged at Ghira once more. This time, though, Sun burst in, kicking Fennec down. With both brothers down, Sun saw Blake get up. There were cuts all over her back from jagged, broken pieces of wood. As she staggered away to get her sword, Sun turned, to find Ilia standing the corner, trying to clean the ice off of her whip.

Ghira: Go help Blake! I got these two.

Sun: Got it!

And so, Sun ran to fight Ilia. They clashed in the middle, but didn't stay still for too long. Sun's bo staff was a blur, as he was energized by revenge. Not only for his own pain, but for Blake's. Ilia wasn't nearly ready for the speed. She kept up for only a few hits, but soon took a barrage of impacts. Of course, she quickly recovered from each one. That is, until she left herself open to a kick. Sun's kick sent her bouncing off the ground. She landed on her feet, and barely had time to block an overhead attack from Sun. As he was pushing, trying to beat her down, he heard a crack. Not from her, but from the whip. They both looked up, to find that Ilia's whip had finally thawed. She smirked, but lost it as he was kneed in the stomach. After only a few quick blows, she was up against a pillar. Ghira, meanwhile, finally beat down Fennec, launching him back through the hole in the wall. Sun only pushed all the harder. Ilia could hear the pillar breaking behind her. Sun's rage was unstoppable. The only thing that could possibly stop it, was-

Blake: Sun, stop! Please.

Sun looked over, and saw that Blake had recovered her sword, but was crying. After all, both were her friends. If they kept fighting, they would tear each other apart. Ilia, using this as a distraction, jumped to the side, leaving the bo staff to only impact the pillar. It cracked on last time, before giving out. Unfortunately, Ilia just so happened to have not jumped far enough away. The pillar came down, along with the section of balcony around it. Ilia looked up, to see Death staring back. Ilia closed her eyes and braced for the impact. It never came. She opened her eyes, to she Ghira standing in front of her, holding up the flaming piece of wood. She was stunned for a second.

Ghira: Move!

She rolled out and away, but Ghira was still under the wood. He was pushed to his knees by the weight. Sun came to the rescue. He quickly put away his bo staff, and closed his eyes. He began glowing with a yellow aura. Two clones popped into existence beside Ghira, helping him lift the balcony. Blake lassoed her father with her ribbon, and pulled. At that exact moment, Corsec woke up, and tried to attack Ghira. He dove, just as Blake pulled. The clones couldn't support the wood by themselves, and it came down on Corsec. Then, they heard the doors behind them open, to reveal Kali, holding a white fang assassin, unconscious, in on hand, and a tray for her tea set in the other. She dropped both, and Blake ran to hug her.

Fennec: B-Brother? NO!

Apparently he had regained consciousness just in time to see his brother crushed by a flaming platform.

Fennec: You… you've ruined everything. EVERYTHING!

He charged forward, but then stopped. He just left out some sort of screech, and fell unconscious on the ground. They could now see that Ilia was standing behind him, with her whip out. Ilia was crying. She fell to her knees, exhausted from everything that had just happened.