Chapter 24 – Fire of the Phoenix
POV: Danika
They told me I shouldn't have emotions as a shinobi…that I should be nothing more than a machine. They told me that, as I shinobi, I was nothing more than a tool of the Hidden Leaf, used to fulfill their goals for them whenever I saw fit. Once upon a time, I had agreed with the rules…followed them to a T…and been their machine.
However, as I faced the boar/man/whatever-the-hell-this-thing-was-supposed-to-be that was Demise's ultimate form in the darkness of a moonless night…I was no longer a machine. I, thanks both in part to being an idiot and the machinations of a possessed Ganondorf…was fighting to save an entire planet from drowning in eternal darkness and chaos…and all I had was my wits and the Master Sword to possibly keep me alive. For a minute, I thought I should have perhaps followed the Hidden Leaf's rules, been a good girl…but then, I shook all those thoughts of doubt away, despite the fact that my chakra had been worn down in the first two bouts with Ganondorf.
"Jenova, I think this goes without saying…but I'm gonna need you to step it up if I have a hope of staying alive."
"Well, damn – I thought you'd never ask for me!" she replied. "I thought you were going to do it all by yourself! Good grief, I thought you would have called on me sooner."
"I wanted to keep an ace in the hole…I thought-whoa!"
The man-beast that was Demise charged me before I could finish the internal sentence, but I just managed to avoid taking a nasty hit that would have no doubt crushed my ribcage. My Sharingan eyes turned green with Mako, activating my cells to regenerate chakra at a rapid rate. As soon as he stopped, slamming into a nearby wall, I leapt up, determined to try to knock him onto his back – his stomach looked like one of his only vulnerable weak points. However, I only managed to knock him aside as he erected an electrical barrier, stunning me and knocking me backward. I flew back, and the creature pawed the earth, readying himself to charge again. My breath came out hard, blood emerging on my throat…I figured I broke at least a rib.
This was no defensive showcase. There would be no holdbacks, and no quarter given. This was a duel-to-the-death…and only one winner. I finally managed to get up, blocking a second charge…when I saw his six pointed tails, reminding me of a cat-o'-nine-tails. Perhaps…
"Wha'cha thinking of, boss?" Jenova wondered.
"Something stupid…something real, real, stupid," I replied. "But…it might just work."
…
POV: Ike
Greil Mercenaries Hideout, Crimea
You could have heard a pin drop in that room as the battle-hardened warriors of the Greil Mercenaries gathered together. I looked at the faces, even Mist's…and all of them looked heartbroken. Many of them knew what the meeting was about…but none of them knew what I planned to do about it.
"I thank you all for returning," I began sadly. "As you all very well know, some fifteen weeks ago now, our resident mage Soren disappeared as we were wrapping up a night of drinking…a disappearance I take personal responsibility for, as I was with him. For three months, all the governments of Tellius have devoted some of their resources to locating Soren, whether he was living or dead…however, nothing has been found, and he has been presumed dead. I personally gave up hope of finding him…until last week," I said, holding up the small book holding up the magic that would soon take me to Hyrule…with or without the Mercenaries.
"Her Majesty of Crimea told me about this ancient scroll…an heirloom passed down by the late King Ramon. It holds the key to a land that was long ago lost in fairy tales…the Kingdom of Hyrule. In a secret investigation undertaken by Lucia and Geoffrey of the Royal Knights, they managed to discover that the individual responsible for Soren's disappearance – which now means he was kidnapped – was the lone male Gerudo thief of his generation, a man who will now go under the suspected name of Ganondorf."
I instantly saw Titania and Oscar, the two paladins of the axe and lance, bristle in anger. Boyd, meanwhile, was eying his axe with a sense of purpose – I knew they wanted this guy's head on a silver plate, the sooner the better.
"I know not if Soren is now alive or dead, of sound mind or not…but the path for me is clear," I replied. "Where once the Black Knight was the object of my revenge…Ganondorf has taken that place…and he shall remain there until he is dead on my blade," I said. "But…before I undertake this quest…I wish to take a vote of you. Will you remain here, with those you care for…or will you follow me on this mad quest, whether it leads to us dragging Soren's body home, or bringing him home to Tellius alive and well?"
At that moment, Shinon, the archer who valued money over all – and regarded Soren as pompous - raised his hand. "Commander…did you say he was drinking when he got kidnapped?"
"Yes, I did."
"Well, then, this bastard ought to be punished!" he said, almost completely out-of-his character. "In Tellius, you don't attack a man when he's drinking…or anyone when they're drinking, for that matter!"
"Shinon…" Titania protested, almost as if she was unsure of how to proceed. However, Gatrie was quick to back him up.
"He's right – Soren was trying, for once in his life, to be like the rest of us – and this is what he gets? I wouldn't stand for this…and I won't let someone just take advantage of another person when they're intoxicated. Make no mistake, I'm going with you – and this "Ganondorf" will be getting a piece of my lance!"
"I'll third the motion!" Boyd said. Oscar and Rolf nodded their heads…but it was then that Titania spoke up.
"Commander…suppose we go…and we can't get back, even if we retrieve Soren?" she wondered. "It sounds like a wonderful plan…but what happens if that's only a one-way ticket with no way home?"
I paused. "That's why I called this vote, Titania…I am not going to push anyone into this…because I don't know the answer to that question. As far as I know…this is a one-way ticket…once we go, there is no way back. I will go, with or without you."
"That says I go with you, big brother," Mist replied. "I won't let you try to brave Hyrule alone!"
"I'm following you, boss!" Mia cried. "I…I had a dream of a powerful angel…a man with just one wing. He challenged me to battle…and this could be my chance to fight him!"
We stared at her for a second, but Rhys quickly broke the awkward silence. "Commander Ike…we've been in these situations before. Yes…we've never had to go to another world before…but perhaps this incident is a gateway to new opportunities for us…a chance to see new people, and learn new ways. Why pass it up just because of the fact we're closing the door on our familiar lives…and we're possibly trying to save a part of our family? No matter what…Soren is still a Greil Mercenary…and he's still part of our family, which will never change. To simply give up on him…is a betrayal of everything we are and claim to be."
At that, Titania sighed, "Rhys…you're right. We…we can't give up."
I smiled. "Am I to take that as a unanimous vote…dreams of one-winged angels aside…"
"YES, COMMANDER!"
My smile got bigger. "Very well. Rhys, Mist…Ilyana is in the other room. She will be assisting us throughout this expedition."
"How'd you find her?"
"Easy…I promised her food."
…
POV: Danika
"Damn," I thought, blood trickling out of my mouth, my right hand cut halfway to the bone, and at least three ribs busted. If it weren't for this overload of adrenaline and the ghosts of people yelling at me to get up…I would have been a smashed ninja pancake by now.
The beast that was Demise, for his part, wasn't in top condition either…I'd damn near tore his stomach apart…and he was clearly running out of gas. One more volley – just one – would decide the outcome of not only this battle…but the fate of Hyrule. I knew what I would do…but would it work?
"I'm running out of energy to help you, Danika," Jenova told me. "If you don't make this blow count-"
"Jenova…this is the end of the battle," I replied, gasping as I formed the seven hand signs to unleash a fiery hell on earth. "This ends…whether he likes it or not."
"You know you cannot defeat me, you whore," Demise said, turning to us as he gathered his darkness into a final battering ram. "You may as well give yourself to me…and let the girl live. Otherwise-"
"SHUT THE F- UP!" we screamed, allowing ourselves to be sheathed in a tower of flame. It didn't matter if we lost…we were going to burn this disgusting boar-man to death.
Everything in the cosmos…had been arranged for this moment. Ganondorf had arranged the game…killing a child and imprisoning warriors…to ensure he would gain the Triforce and rule Hyrule uncontested.
And the cosmos…was about to show him what pushback looked like.
"FUSHICHŌ NO HI: FIRE OF THE PHEONIX JUTSU!" we screamed. The pillar of fire became an explosion of blinding white light…I hoped the others weren't looking…and the cry of a phoenix split the air….charging the beast that was Demise and plunging through his body.
The last thing I remember…were my bones being smashed into as Demise screamed in livid agony.
…
POV: Sephiroth
The blast from the collision of the phoenix and Demise's final charge…reminded me of the old story of the atomic bomb. There was first a moment of silence…very eerie silence…as the two forces connected…and then, a bright column of light as the winds picked up.
Soren and I couldn't move, stunned by the sight before us…and Kirby was, somehow, still soundly asleep…but Talim knew what was coming. "Wind, shield us!" she cried, throwing us to the ground with a burst of adrenaline as the explosion came. Within seconds…a cool, rushing wind surrounded Hyrule Castle Town as the temperature in that blast radius exploded to a high enough temperature to burn every damn stitch of grass on that land. Demise…if he wasn't dead…he'd be vaporized into the ether.
But then, as I lay there, pinned to the ground by a 115-pound woman, no bigger than a minute, tears filled my eyes. Danika…and Mother…they were dead…they had to be! That blast would have vaporized Danika as surely as it had Demise…there was no way!
The seconds passed like hours, neither Soren nor I daring to leave our spots on the ground as Talim screamed, her skin being burned. Finally, the wind priestess's screams stopped…replaced by agonizing moans…and she slipped into unconsciousness as wary Hylian troops, beaten and battered by the conflict, slowly made their way across the rubble, pulling the woman off…just as an orange phoenix appeared, crying tears upon Talim's savaged back.
"Stop, stop! Put her down!" one of the captains yelled, pointing over at what would come to be known as "Devastation Zone Zero." Talim was laid on the ground as the phoenix wept healing tears upon her back…and the soldiers scrambled to the crater that held Danika…and for some unknown reason…the battered corpse of Ganondorf.
Soren and I finally got up…just in time to hear Kirby wake up from his nap. "Nice to see you, you lazy puff!" Soren groused. Kirby, however, ignored him…and gave a whistle, summoning a bright yellow star from the sky. He leapt on it…heading straight for the extremely hot crater, too hot for humans to enter. Then, he landed, grabbing Danika…and somehow managing to put her on the star, sending it back toward us. Soren stared at me.
"What the hell-?"
"She helped Kirby two separate times…he's doing what any friend and hero would do," I explained. "He told me once that he felt he didn't really have anything to give her that would show her how much he cared about her as a friend…but I think he just evened up his ledger. As for the whole star thing…don't question Kirby's logic."
The phoenix, finally finished healing an unconscious Talim, turned his attention to the critically wounded Danika. She looked atrocious…Demise had sliced open her abdomen, blood gushing out like a fountain…her eyes open wide and face frozen in a scream. Multiple ribs were broken…she had only minutes to live. I activated the Cure materia I had taken away from her, determined to help the phoenix…and it worked, pulling the garish wound closed.
I wanted to run to her…hold her in my arms…and tell her how much I loved her…but there was one piece of business Soren and I needed to complete. "Come with me," I said, gesturing to the rapidly cooling crater. Soren obliged…and we stepped down into the twenty-foot deep hole, pushing aside the rocks that remained…to examine what we hoped was the corpse of the monster that had put us through this hell. The Master Sword lay at his feet…and he lay there…half of his body burned as a darkness within his abdomen fought desperately to seal him back together.
"Soren…will you cleanse this world of the pest, or shall I?"
"Ordinarily, I'd leave this to an expert…but today, I feel it necessary to deal with this myself in retribution," he said, grabbing the Master Sword and raising the heavy blade above his head. "My swordplay is rough…please finish him if I mess this up."
"You won't kill me, traitor," the voice hissed. "You are a worm…and will always be a-"
Soren didn't let him finish, slamming the blade into Ganondorf's gut…forcing the darkness to shatter and burn in the light of the returning sun. "Worms are what happen when you take advantage of a drunk," he said, handing the blade to me. "My dear Sephiroth, would you like a trophy?"
"My pleasure…but put that down before you kill someone with it," I replied. When he did, I unsheathed Masamune. "Danika certainly won't be pleased with me…but this is what happens when you f- with a man's girl, you SOB."
Soren howled with laughter as I beheaded Ganondorf's corpse. "Your work in the art of profanity…it should be recorded for all posterity!"
I picked up Ganondorf's bleeding head. "It only comes when people feel the need to take my nobility and manners for weakness," I replied. "Come…Hyrule beckons us…and we may need to retrieve Zelda."
"I've already sent messengers for Impa – I believe they would have headed for Kakariko," the king said. "Commander, Advisor Soren, come with me – we have business."
