Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. All I own is the insanity that spawned this storyline.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 38: Infinity Awakening (Part 3)

"You know I think all of you were a bit harsh on poor Ichigo." Rysel looked at the three Saviors who stood in the stands across from him, and then he glanced back at the dozen or so humanoid forms made of blood that stood by him. "Now then, it's time to die." The blood humanoids shot past him, different sharp weapons forming out of their bodies.

"Empty Demise!" Vortex Savior snapped his hand above his head and a ball of darkness formed there, creating a vacuum that pulled about ten of the liquid creatures out of the air and into its endless depths before he had break the ability off to avoid stressing his energy too much.

Fantasy Savior yelped and ducked as a sword made of blood stabbed through the cement by her head. "I can't disable them!"

"Mega Ray!" Valor Savior pointed at the humanoid attacking the female Savior and it disappeared a moment later as a hole was blown in its body by his beam attack. "If this is the real power of the leader of this invasion then why even bother?" He looked up at the rest of the blood humanoids. "Fragment of Omega." He snapped his fingers and from that single point a spray of dark green needle-thin blasts erupted forth, piercing and destroying all of the creatures at once. "I don't have the time to play with your annoying weaklings. Hurry up and bring out something serious."

"Show-offy jerk…" Vortex Savior muttered this under his breath, while Fantasy Savior looked at the newest member of their group in adoration. ("He's even got more than one attack.")

Rysel started chuckling. "Impressive…but actually I was expecting that. Those were merely moving puddles of my fluid of choice." He snapped his fingers and his shadow extended across the ground farther than what should have been possible. "Come out now, Archer, Fighter and Wizard."

Valor Savior narrowed his eyes as a trio of humanoids emerged from the ground that the extended shadow touched. "Three Vengeances huh?" One by one the shadows around the three beings dropped to reveal the monsters.

The first was an armored male holding a heavy axe, his face hidden by his helmet. "For our master!"

The second was a purple-skinned and bearded male humanoid wearing grey robes and holding a staff. "For our master!"

The third was a green-dressed female creature similar colored skin, holding a bow in her hands and a quiver hanging from her back. "For our master!"

Rysel snapped his fingers. "If you please, my Vengeance-tachi."

"Yes master!" Fighter leapt across the dueling ring in one jump, crashing through the stands like they weren't even there. "Die Savior!" Hefting his massive axe above his head, he brought it crashing down towards Fantasy Savior like a pendulum.

Valor Savior realized she wasn't going to move in time. Shoving her out of the way of the incoming axe-head, he threw up his arms just in time to block the falling weapon with his armored forearms. The pressure from the blow cracked the cement beneath his feet and cracked his armor as well, but he managed to stop it. Unfortunately, now the weapon was pressing down on him, and if he moved his arms to get away it would split his skull open. "Stop…being…" His right leg nearly buckled. "…a…waste…of space. Fight or run…"

Fantasy Savior hopped up and was about to help when something embedded itself into the stone right in front of her face. It was a steel arrow. "Eeep…" She turned to look at the opposite section of stands.

Archer smiled coldly. "It's useless, you will all die here." Then she moved with impossible speed, firing arrow after arrow at the female hero, who could only dodge and scramble out of the way.

-------------------------------------

Over in another section of the stands Vortex Savior rolled out of the way of another fireball that Wizard hurled at him. ("He fires those things way too fast.") Leaping to his feet from his rolling position he held his arms above his head. "Empty Demise!" A new ball of darkness formed over his head and the next fireball that was hurled at him was sucked into the abyssal orb. "And you're next!"

"I think not!" Wizard whispered a few words and an arrow of light fired from his hand right into the orb the Savior had created, which popped in a burst of bright orange sparks. "Your darkness is no match for my magical prowess."

---------------------------------

Rysel sat back in his seat and watched while his Vengeances had their fun with the three Saviors. "It's kind of sad that these three alone are enough to put all three of you on the defensive. They're not even that powerful compared to some of the others Vengeances I was told about by the scientists who came up with the technology."

"Rysel!" Ichigo charged right up to the Blood Prince, but right before her fist could connect with his face her wrist was grabbed by his left hand. "Stop this now! Isn't there a way to protect this planet without killing the Travelers?"

"No." Standing, the man released the half demon's wrist and walked over to the railing sadly. "There is no way to end this until they are dead. My father had decreed it be so, and I would be a fool to oppose him just for the sakes of these refugees. So the real question here, Ichigo, is what will you do? Will you challenge me? I can forgive you defeating the Spore, which was rude on my part. However, if you help them…"

"Rysel, I won't let you do this." Ichigo looked over at the three separate fights going on, and none of them looked like they were going well for the heroes. ("What do I do? I awoke in that cave in this body, but why? I don't have the Infinity Mind with me, so what am I supposed to do?")

"I don't think as you are you can stop me, can you?" Rysel turned around to face Ichigo. "As much as I respect your drive to be a protector for all those who need it, in this case there is nothing you can do except give up on saving the refugees."

The half demon was barely listening. She was more afraid for her friends. "Why are you doing this? I still don't understand why we can't just talk this out!"

"Because despite all their wishes for a peaceful living, the greatest men must prove their might. That is my father's way of thinking, and I, for one, will not betray it." Rysel sat back down and a hand-held golden harp appeared in his grasp. "I do not intend to harm you Ichigo. I suppose we should just sit back and let the fighters decide it for themselves." With that he started playing, the sound hauntingly beautiful. "Come and sit with me. Standing there looking afraid won't accomplish anything."

She glared at him coldly. "You're more of a monster than those Vengeances…"

"That may be true." He closed his eyes and listened to the beautiful melodies of his instrument. "However that is also a fabricated lie to make yourself feel better. If I was a true monster, I would have involved myself in this battle and your friends would have been outnumbered. Instead I am giving them a fighting chance by not getting involved…"

"Don't try and pass off your dislike for violence as kindness." Ichigo growled and tried to summon up the strength of the Infinity Mind. However, it wasn't there. It was gone. ("Where are you? Why won't you help me save them?")

"You still seem stressed." The prince continued playing. "Is it because you were the wielder of the Infinity Mind, the strongest of the sources? Does that automatically make you the leader of this little group?" His song picked up in volume as the destructive noises coming from the fighting grew louder as well. "Is this your fate? Do you have to be the leader, I wonder? Do you have to fight for them?"

Ichigo looked into the faces of each of the Saviors. "Rysel, in this case I cannot forgive you." She closed her eyes. ("I have to think…I need silence…")

-------------------------------

When Ichigo opened his eyes, he was dressed in his normal Osiris Red uniform and he was his original freaking gender again. "Good, at least mentally I'm still me." Glancing around the dark void, he sighed. "Man, since Halo, Splinter, Alahandra and the others have disappeared it's been so quiet it here…"

It hit him like a ton of bricks. "Could it be that simple?" The half demon sucked his breath in, filling his lungs with air. And then he screamed at the top of his lungs. "WAKE UP!"

A loud snort came from within the darkness, and an orb of dark blue light slowly shimmered into existence. "What's with the racket? I'm trying to sleep…"

Ichigo would have tapped his foot against the ground, if such a thing existed in this place. "Yeah…you've been sleeping in here since I first used you, huh?"

"Oh, good morning Ichigo." The orb grew a little bit brighter. "You'll have to excuse me, I was very tired from remaining active for as long as I had to be to make sure someone found me."

"You shattered." Ichigo said this angrily. "You shattered right in my face, and that started a whole mess of trouble."

"Oh, that?" The orb pulsed a little brighter. "That was merely me integrating more completely with you. As you had me before all you were using was a mere fraction of the power I could give you. I thought you wouldn't mind losing my power temporarily if it meant being stronger in the end."

"…" Ichigo twitched a couple of times. "You couldn't have taken ten seconds and told me what exactly was going on that time, huh?"

"Technically you shouldn't be able to communicate with me right now. How exactly did you get here?"

"I've had a lot of experience with people using my soul like an Interdimensional rest-stop, alright? Now, are you going to help me out or not? We've already got three of the Saviors together, and right now they're all getting their butts handed to them!"

"Of course Ichigo. When you return to your normal mental state you should be able to access my abilities once more. Also, your powers should be upgraded."

Ichigo grinned and bowed. "Thank you! Finally…" He turned to go, stopped, and then spun back around. "Why did you turn me into a girl?"

The Infinity Mind floated about, thinking back to its last actions. "Oh yes, I sensed that your body was injected with a dangerous Blood Child poison, meant to keep you unconscious. I had to purge it from your body and restored areas of your body that seemed to be damaged."

"…What part of me needed…wait…" Ichigo was stammering now, as that explanation made absolutely no sense. "You regenerated me into a girl?"

"…You weren't one before?"

"NO! You've seen me before; you should know how I look!" Ichigo screamed this, his face right in front of the orb.

"Actually no I haven't, since I don't have the ability to see on my own. I just went off the energy patterns your body told me. However those patterns were a bit strange, as I sensed a mismatching of forms. I took a chance and followed one of those designs."

Ichigo wished with all his heart there was something in here to kick. "So you're telling me that you guessed how I looked, and changed me accordingly because you…I…" Screaming again, his spectral self disappeared.

"…I wonder if he's always that grumpy?"

-------------------------------------------

Valor Savior heard his armor screech in protest as he was forced down onto both knees by the pressure of Fighter's axe. ("I can't win this fight, can I? For all my determination, I'm not strong enough. Damn it!") If he put his mind to it he knew he could muster up the resolve to destroy this insolent creature, but that resolve wasn't coming to him.

"ARGH! Of all the stupid, idiotic, careless….ARGH!" A scream of anger came from the stands across the stadium, followed by the sound of metal being bent.

Rysel wisely stepped back as he watched Ichigo manhandle the railing of the stands into something he believed humans called a pretzel. His harp disappeared. "Then it wasn't meditation, I suppose?"

"You!" She pointed at him. "You're the reason this happened in the first place!" Snarling and baring her fangs, she leapt at him with claws out to strike.

He lifted up one hand to catch Ichigo by the shirt and hurl her past him, but by the time he had thought of the move he was already bleeding from six long gashes in his chest. Eyes wide, he stumbled back and gasped in pain at the sight of his own blood flowing from those wounds. Then time caught up to him as Ichigo kicked him in the back of the head and he was getting a taste of the concrete floor of the stands.

Archer, who had been trying to stab Fantasy Savior with her knife, gasped and immediately turned her attention to the sight of her lord in danger. "Die, you insolent girl!" Snapping up her bow, she strung back an arrow and let fly right at Ichigo's back.

Ichigo's right ear twitched and without looking she caught the arrow right before it hit her. "I…" The metallic shaft groaned. "Am…" It started to bend. "Not a girl!" Wrenching the metal arrow beyond recognition with her one hand, the half demon brought a pair of glowing red eyes to bear on the female Vengeance.

Archer took aim…and then got kicked in the side of the head by Fantasy Savior, stunning her momentarily.

Rysel started to stand up, and then he was being crushed into the cement by a sneaker right on the back of his head. ("Come to me, my Vengeances…")

Ichigo already heard the other two coming and resigned herself to kick the Blood Prince in the ribs once and then back away. Moments later Wizard appeared at Rysel's side, helping the prince to his feet.

-----------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------

Eri's ears perked and she lifted an eyebrow, looking at the stadium entrance. "It sounds like Ichigo is not very happy about something."

"Oh, I wonder what that thing might be." Griff muttered sarcastically, because now that he had time to think about it his victory against that false Ichigo had meant nothing.

------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------

Rubbing his damaged forearms tenderly, Valor Savior watched the strange scene unfolding over by where Ichigo and the Blood Prince had been. The three Vengeances had retreated to their master's side, and were all standing between a still snarling Ichigo and a rather messed up Rysel. ("All it took was one pissed off demon to cow the head of the Earth Invasion Force?")

Vortex Savior whistled and crossed his arms across his chest. "I haven't seen Ichigo that angry in a long time. Well, the real Ichigo anyway. I wonder if we won't have to do anything else…"

Fantasy Savior gulped at the fact that Ichigo-chan looked completely feral at the moment. "I'm scared…"

------------------------

Rysel popped his nose back into place and looked at Ichigo calmly. "I do believe that was impressive, if that is your real strength and speed. You'd make an excellent Vengeance, Ichigo."

Ichigo closed her eyes and started breathing rapidly. ("Calm down…calm down…don't completely lose it.")

"Come now Ichigo, I've been more than patient about this." Rysel looked over the burly should of Fighter. "Join the winning side. If your three friends couldn't stand against three measly Vengeances, then what makes you think you can do it alone?"

Ichigo opened her eyes, which had returned to being dark blue. "The winning side? I don't think you understand what that term means. There is no 'side' for you!"

"The Blood Children are far more organized than what I have seen so far from your side, Ichigo." Rysel looked to each of his guardians. "These Vengeances can be produced at incredible speeds, and therefore we could easily flood this world with force if we wished. It is merely my will preventing such an outcome. Do you still say that we are not a side?"

"Yes." Ichigo looked up at Vortex, Fantasy, and Valor. "You can't flood this world like you say you can. I know exactly what you fear." She pointed at the wolf ears on her head. "There are many ancient demons in this world that are currently sleeping. They could wipe all of us out in an instant if they so chose. If you were to invade by force like you said, then they would counterattack and destroy your entire invasion force in the blink of an eye."

Rysel smiled slightly. "That's a bit of an exaggeration, but more or less you are correct. However, that does not mean I cannot easily destroy all of you. After that it is simply a matter of properly invading the earth. And through all this, Ichigo, you are still alone. They all betrayed you, and turned against you. Can you really beat me all alone?"

"He's not alone!" Vortex Savior yelled out. "As much as I still hold my grudges, there is one thing that Ichigo Pilkington can always count on. That is my respect for Ichigo the hero of the Miracle World."

Fantasy Savior nodded rapidly, bouncing up and down. "Ever since I met Ichigo-chan and his friends, I've gotten to do all kinds of fun things! I'd follow him, regardless of whatever everyone else says about him betraying us."

"……" Valor Savior frowned and finally let out a weak sigh. "Ichigo Pilkington wields a Shadow deck, and therefore it is proof enough that he is trying to be a hero. Regardless of the outcome, the fact that he is one is enough."

Rysel calmly smiled at Ichigo. "It seems you truly are not alone. However, without the Infinity Mind you cannot fight against us."

"Who ever said I didn't have it?" Reaching underneath the tarp, Ichigo removed a golden pendant that was in the shape of an elaborate H, the common symbol of the type of deck that his mentor and his father had run, the Elemental Heroes. "Awaken, Soul of the Stars." A dark blue glow fell over the golden letter and it changed, the pendant shifting into a thicker-bodied pendant with a dark blue finely cut gem embedded in the center of the H.

Rysel's eyes widened in true surprise. "It…revived itself? The sources can do such things?"

Ichigo clasped the object with a hand. "Emerge, Starlight Soul!" Then she disappeared within an orb of dark blue light. A few moments later that orb shattered, spraying its light everywhere and blinding Rysel and his minions.

As their vision returned they realized that someone had dimmed the lights of the stadium down the point that they were nearly off. Suddenly a bright circle of light illuminated the center of the dueling arena to reveal someone standing there.

"I am the hero of the heavens!" A pair of dark blue-furred wolf ears perked up on the head of the speaker, who was a dark blue-haired young lady wearing a light blue bodysuit with dark blue armoring over it. "In the name of good, justice, and all that other stuff, I will not tolerate your evil actions!" Attached to her armor at the shoulders was a long dark blue cape that went to her knees. "I am Starlight Savior!"

Another spotlight sprang to light, illuminating Vortex Savior, who now stood off to Starlight Savior's side. "The void's silence calls for your destruction…and therefore I cannot sit idly bye any longer. I am Vortex Savior!"

A third spotlight illuminated Starlight Savior's left, revealing Fantasy Savior. "You've already shown that the Blood Children have no love for the dreams of innocents, so therefore I cannot forgive your actions either! I am Fantasy Savior."

Valor Savior took a sip of his soda, still sitting in the stands. "Are you done yet?" As if on cue the spotlights clicked off and the lights of the arena returned to normal.

("Well, two out of three isn't bad.") Starlight Savior pointed at Rysel. "Let's do it!"

Rysel pointed at the three. "Fighter, Wizard, Archer…if you'd be so kind as to deal with them for me." He adjusted his trenchcoat, already seeing that Valor Savior was going to intercept Fighter so that Starlight Savior could attack him. "It seems you will see my physical prowess then, Ichigo."

To be continued…