Chapter 24
(Tsukasa's pov)
"Kissa, I'll open the portal to Theodora. This way I can feel as though I am doing something for you all. I hope the surrounding area hasn't changed much but, here is a map of what used to look like. I have marked a cave where I believe he will be. It is close to the palace but they terrain is dangerous and most likely filled with his minions to keep him safe" I explained to Kissa as I handed the map to Amu.
Amu took the map and hugged me, "You may not be family by blood, but you are in my heart. Thank you for taking care of us, for training us, and thank you for everything you did for my parents. They may be gone but they trusted you and so do I, watashi no shinraidekiru ōshitsu adobaizā. Do you understand where I want you when this battle is done Tsukasa?" She asked me. "Yes, I humbly accept a place in your courts Hime-sama. So, you have decided to take your parents throne after all? What changed your mind if you don't mind my asking that is?" I asked her.
"My parents, both sets. They both fought to keep me alive. I could choose to go live on Earth with Ikuto and pretend that this part of me never existed and neither set could yell at me or show their disappointment. Ikuto said we could since he only wants my happiness. However, Okāsan Aoi died wishing for my safety and hoping that one day I would become Queen. So, I have decided to become the Queen of Theodora. I will honor the wishes of my parents. Okāsan Midori did her best to fight off Deava's minions and keep them off me long enough hoping to help me escape. My Otōsan Tsugumu did exactly what my two mothers did. I let them die, but I didn't listen to what my daddy told me to do! I wanted to help! I was useless and helpless, but I am not anymore. I tried, but I didn't know how to use my powers and they died. I have may not have any idea about Otōsan Yuu is or if he is even alive, but he gave me up to help me live. I cannot disrespect their memory by turning my back on the very thing they wished for me" she responded with tears in her eyes but head held high, showing that she had no intention of backing down from her decision.
"We are all here for you Amu, and we are not going to let you go into battle on your own. This is one dance we all get to do isn't that right everyone?" Nade said in her soft voice. They all said yes but Tadase just looked at the ground ashamed.
"I'm sorry for the trouble I have caused you Amu, I started all this and now I can't even help you in the final battle" Tadase said quietly.
"Tadase, I know you want to help, but I need you here. This will ensure your safety. I don't what your father thinking he can gain control of you again. I may not be marrying you, but you are practically my cousin. We grew up together in the first part of our life that makes you family and I have no intention of letting that go. Okay?" she responded and gave him a small hug.
"Okay everyone! If we are quite done here, I think you all should get going. Deava isn't going to defeat himself. Amu? Everyone? Good luck Tadase and I will be there when we know it is safe" I told them then opened the portal to Theodora.
***Theodora***
(Amu's pov)
As we walked through the portal to the place of my birth, I was extremely nervous. I knew that I would have to fight for a home that I knew nothing about. I also knew that if I didn't try the fate of every realm after mine would die.
We came to a clearing in the woods and saw a small cabin.
"Kissa, is that my father's cabin?" I asked her.
"I don't know, but if you want, we can go look" she said.
I walked to the door, looked at Ikuto, who took my hand in his and knocked on the door.
"Whatever you want, leave me alone! I have lost that I every cared for and I don't have or need anything from you!" a harsh voice said from the other side of the door.
"Please, answer the door sir, I just wanted to see if you were someone I once knew? Sir?!" I said loudly so he could hear me through the door.
Suddenly the door swung open and a gray-haired man stood there holding a sword ready to swing it at his unwanted guest. Ikuto pulled me away as the man stared at me with his mouth open in shock.
"You look like my wonderful wife but are you my Amu? Have you truly come back? NO! This is a trick! I have finally reached the point of insanity!" he yelled as he slammed the door crying.
"I'll go check on him" I said but Ikuto still held onto me refusing to let me go. "You aren't going anywhere near him without me. The past 17 years of solitude seems to have driven our dear king mad" he said. "Fine then, come with me, but I'm checking on the only father I have left" I told while forcing myself up and moving towards the door.
Gently I opened the door, I looked around and saw pictures of my mother and father. I saw pictures of me as a baby. I saw dresses that I wore and some toys that probably played with too. There was a fireplace at the center of the room and the man was holding a round framing to his chest crying.
Please shinigami, please take me to my family. I can't take this anymore. I miss my beloved wife. I miss my beautiful baby girl. I heard him cry into the picture.
"Are you really my Otōsan? Are you King Yuu Aka-Ryuu?" I asked the crying man.
He looked at me as gasped as though he couldn't believe that I was really there. He walked over to me and asked who I was and if I was real.
"I am Amu Aka-Ryuu. I will be 18 in 2 months. I was raised on Earth by Tsugumu and Midori Hinamori until four months ago when Deava killed them. Since then I have been training with Tsukasa, Ikuto, my cousins and my friends who are waiting outside to defeat him here in Theodora. My place of birth, I may not remember you very well, but Tsukasa showed me the story of what happened, and I am sorry I couldn't help you papa, it seems my birth caused a lot of problems. I know you and Mama made me smile a lot. Believe me when I say I still love you" I finished explaining then stood still waiting for his response.
King Yuu started crying fresh tears silently as I soon I mentioned the Hinamori family and patiently waiting for me to finish my explanation. When I was done, he came up to me and hugged me. "Last time I held you, you fit in the crook of my arm, you had the biggest smile and sweetest laugh. I hope that you know, I have never stopped loving you. You look just like your mother. I am sorry I couldn't save her and that I sent you away. I wish I could've stayed with you, but they would have found you and I wanted you safe. That is why I forced myself to stay in solitude. I had to make everyone believe the entire royal family was killed so that you remained safe" he told me as continued to hug me. "Aruto or Ikuto?" he asked as he looked to my left.
"Aruto is my father, King Yuu, I am Ikuto, your daughter's previously betrothed and now husband. I wanted to tell you that I very happy that you are okay. Amu was extremely upset to learn that she had lost both sets of parents. Thank you for surviving. However, I don't mean to cut this short, but would you like to meet everyone outside? They are all waiting patiently for us to let them know that Amu is okay" Ikuto told my father.
"Of course, let's go meet your friends Amu" my father said while took my hand and then we all walked out the door to the group outside.
A few hours went by as we all talked about what was going on and where we were all headed. Kissa showed him the map and asked if it was still correct but my father had no idea since he had not left the cabin's surrounding area since the night his wife died.
I hugged my father as we were getting ready to leave to go find Deava. He hugged me tightly and said that he was proud of the young woman I had become and that my mother would be too. I wiped my eyes, kissed his cheek and said, "thank you daddy, I love you", then I let him go and turned to face the rest of the group.
"Are you all ready?" I asked. They all nodded, and we left the clearing headed to the location marked on the map, with a steel resolve to win the battle ahead of us.
We all walked the other side of the forest and saw that Deava was standing in a clearing with minions standing around him. As I counted them the number went from 5 to 10. So now we had Deava plus 10 little morons – I mean minions to fight I thought as I sighed. Okay. "Battle positions everyone!" I said as we came up to the demonic group. "I know that all of us may not make, and I know that this will not be easy, but if we work together the way we have practiced, we will defeat him and no casualties. Now, let's dance everyone, I want to see your moves!"
Everyone got into position and Deava laughed "So, this is the ragtag group that you managed to scrounge up after you woke up. I see my baka son didn't manage to kill the priestess in time. Oh well, if you want something and all that jazz" he said then laughed at his own pun.
I rolled my rolled my eyes and struck before he was done laughing.
I swung my sword in the motion to bring forth the sandstorm and everyone else started to use their group attacks to take out his minions.
Yaya, Nade Kairi, and Utau immediately set up healing spells and shields for the attacks that would be coming on the next round
Ikuto used his sun burst to blind the enemies, Kukai used his victory shoot that bounced off all the minions, Rima's bowling pins knocked them all in the heads knocking them unconscious and my tsunami came through and brought his baka minions. It took us almost five rounds but the health of the minions was almost gone. His minions attacked us with night spells and nightmares continuously but due to Utau, Kairi, Yaya and Nade they bounced off us. The attacks hit us yes, but the damages would have worse had it not been for their protection. Deava got furious and tried to go directly after me.
By now, it was my turn again and Kukai used his shooting stars attack to finish the minions off. Now all that was left was Deava. Now the real fun would begin.
"Okay everyone, we are going to switch it up, we are going to do what we did before. Do you all think you can do it?" I asked while staring at Deava. They all answered yes. "First a good healing, and a super shield, Yaya, you know your position" I said while taking Ikuto's hand. "Hai! Yaya can do this Amu-oneechan" she said, and she concentrated against the constant barrage of attacks from Deava. Kairi came up beside her to help with the shield.
The healing was complete, and now onto the rest. Nade put a sleep spell on Deava, he wouldn't be able to move for at least a good 10 minutes.
Utau brought out her stars and Kukai made them shoot down with fire.
I shot sand at the stars and melted it into lava with Ikuto's assistance to use meteor shower.
As the sand melted, I cooled it and turned Deava into glass.
"You guys know the rest!" I shouted to the others. "Kair – huh?"
A flash of light appeared and then a portal opened next to me, then Tsukasa and Tadase came out of it. "What are you doing here?!" I yelled surprised that they chose now to come here.
"Oops, a little early I see" Tsukasa said as he looked at Deava frozen in glass. "Did you guys do that?" he asked.
"No, we came here, and he was frozen" I said sarcastically. "Yes!" I yelled. "Of course, we did, now if you don't mind, we'd like to finish the job."
Kisaa came from the sidelines and pulled Tsukasa and Tadase off with her apologizing at how absent-minded her best friend could be.
"Kairi, Yaya, Rima, Nagi and Ikuto, go, take him out" I said emotionlessly.
Lighting blade!
GO GO DUCKIES MERRY MERRY!
Juggling party!
Blaze shoot!
Slash claw!
As Ikuto's claw hit the glass, Deava's body was destroyed and a black air rode from the shattered glass.
No one noticed as the black vapor went into Tadase's body. Then Tadase screamed. "NO! Why?! I know he was evil. I know he killed your family, but he was my family too. How could you kill him?" he cried at me. He took his sword that was on his side and tried to swing it at me.
As he swung his sword, Tadase's eyes turned black and I could see that it was not Tadase staring at me through his eyes. It was Deava. When the glass was broken, he was able to take over the body of his son and influence him into thinking I was the enemy.
I jumped out of the way as he continued to swing his sword at me. I dodged every time he swung. Thank goodness he never received any real training I thought.
"Nade, sleep trance please" I requested calmly. She waved her hands and Tadase fell asleep. "Ikuto, I need you to put the bubble shield around Tsukasa. I don't know if Deava can jump from Tadase to Deava, but we can't be sure, and I don't feel like fighting the guys who trained us all how to use our powers. Nade in a few minutes, I will need you to please use your robe of feathers to hold him in place please. Nagi, use your beat dunk, you will need to knock the Deava out of him – literally. Finally, Utau, heal him, Tadase may be a jerk right now, but this is not who he really is. This is the influence of his father" I said as I explained my plan.
Everyone went about with my plan. Deava was knocked out of him but he was still confused and thought I was the enemy. I took the dust out of my satchel and blew it in his face. As the dust settled, he looked at me and his eyes weren't black anymore.
"Tadase, please, understand I would never hurt you. I'm sorry about your father, I really am. But evil like him cannot be caged or contained. I had to kill him. He could only be destroyed. I hope you understand" I said as I looked down. "I understand Amu, I am sorry I let my father control me again. Is Tsukasa okay? He was the next target; I could feel it. I could feel his plans if I failed" Tadase told me.
"You uncle is safe and the evil cloud that remains of your father has been captured and secured in this unbreakable bottle. He will never be released. The spell that has been placed on this one little bottle cannot be broken in a thousand years. Ikuto, you can release the shield now, it's safe" I said as I ran over to him and hugged then kissed him. I love you Ikuto, thank you for protecting me and fighting for me I thought to him. "Anytime Strawberry. Anytime he thought back to me.
It was over. It was finally over. Now to go get my dad and go to the palace.
Author's note:
Watashi no shinraidekiru ōshitsu adobaizā: my trusted royal advisor
Shinigami: Japanese reaper
Baka: idiot