* * * Chapter Three: Holly's Tears * * *
Holly gasped as she burst into a massive, crystalline chamber, nearly stunned to silence by its sheer beauty. Several feet away from where she stood, a staircase that looks like it had been carved out of pure diamonds led up to a towering platform, upon which Holly could make out a figure sitting in a throne.
"Holly!" Hare cried. The girl stared up in the direction of his voice; she couldn't see him sealed behind the crystal mirror from where she was standing. But he could see her clearly, and he pounded on the enchanted glass to get her attention.
Holly's gaze wandered up the towering staircase before her, and she gasped as she finally saw Vanity standing at the top. The blond pixie's ivory-colored robes billowed around her slender form, and her green eyes glittered like twin emeralds as she sneered down at the human girl. Only the haughty smirk on her delicate face marred the illusion of what otherwise looked like a goddess looming over her.
"Holly, isn't it?" she sneered, eyes raking the girl critically. She arched an eyebrow, commenting "A simple name for such a common-looking girl. But then, I suppose that the stresses of traveling do play havoc on a lady's features. Such a pity…"
Holly felt her face turn as scarlet as her tunic, and she self-consciously looked down at her feet. The blond pixie giggled at her discomfort, completely ignoring the now coldly furious Hare glaring at her back.
"Don't listen to her, Holly!" he shouted. "She's just trying to distract you! Look out!"
"Huh?" Holly snapped her head up in time to see a bolt of silver lightning streaking down toward her. She instinctively dodged away, letting the bolt strike the ground where she had been standing and fizzle out.
Vanity grimaced, and flung a nasty look behind her at Hare. "Spoilsport," she hissed under her breath. Hare responded by pulling on his eyelid and sticking his tongue out at her.
Holly got back to her feet and glared up at Vanity. Determined not to let herself be distracted again, she called out, "You may look pretty on the outside, but you remind me of the old saying that beauty is only skin deep. You're nothing more than a vain old hag!"
Wow, I didn't know that Holly could slam people like that, Hare thought. Vanity looked just as thunderstruck by Holly's words: her face paled to a faint yellow, but quickly darkened to deep saffron.
"Hag? You called me a vain old hag?" she fumed, her eyes flashing violently. She quickly regained her composure, however, and sneered down at Holly again, saying, "Well, why don't you come up here and discuss that little notion with my dear servant?"
She gestured invitingly with one hand, and a figure hopped out of the shadows next to her and into Holly's view. The human girl stared up at him, and she breathed the name like a helpless prayer.
"Suezo…"
Vanity draped her arms around the yellow eyeball monster, smirking down at Holly. Her slender fingers caressed the monster's skin, playing with the all-too-familiar medallion she had pinned onto him. Emerald eyes glittered as they drank in the sight of Holly's wavering brown eyes.
"Why, whatever is wrong, poor dear?" she mocked, arching an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be delighted to see your old friend again."
"Suezo!" Holly cried desperately. The eyeball glared down at her, his expression cold and uncaring. There was no sign of his former love and devotion to her in his darkened, green-gold eye.
Suddenly Holly was running, her boot heels clacking against the crystalline steps as she dashed up them. She had to get to Suezo, had to talk to him, had to somehow make him tell her what was happening…Vanity was sneering at her, mocking her, and her voice rang in the human girl's ears as she ran.
"You poor, poor dear," the pixie was saying, "you must feel so abandoned! Your dear friend seems to have chosen this 'old hag' over you! Why, imagine that!"
"Suezo didn't choose anything, you hag!" Hare's voice suddenly cried out, slicing through the fog of emotions engulfing Holly. "You forced him to choose you with your charm magic! You've turned him into a mindless zombie!"
"Your point being?" Vanity replied, glancing back at the rabbit. Holly felt something snap inside of her, and as she reached the top of the stairway, she yanked out her father's dagger and lunged toward the pixie.
Vanity easily dodged away from the flashing blade, and Suezo fell back as Holly whirled around and lashed out blindly at the golden pixie. The female monster smirked at her, keeping just out of arms reach, taunting her, while Hare looked on in silent horror.
Suezo suddenly lashed out with his tail, and Holly cried out as she was knocked backwards, her back of her head throbbing. The girl's foot slipped, and she and Hare screamed together as the human girl fell over the edge of the platform, back down the stairway. Her scream was abruptly choked off as her back collided with the cold crystalline stairs, and she tumbled down to the floor far below. Suezo watched her body as it rolled down the stairs and skidded to a halt at their feet, his cold eye emotionless.
"Holly!" Hare shrieked, tears springing to his widened eyes. He pounded against the cage's smooth, transparent surface with trembling fists; his gaze locked on Holly's motionless form. "Holly, get up, please! Holly!"
The brown-haired girl made no response, lying sprawled out at the foot of the stairs. Hare stared down at her, half-blinded by tears. Vanity's mocking laughter rang in his ears.
* * *
"TORPEDO!" Tiger called, cursing as the other Tiger of the Wind –not him– reflected it with his own attack. The blue wolf risked a quick glance over at the others; they were having the same problem he was. The two Genkis were skating circles around one another, one or the other occasionally darting in to try and attack the other boy, only to miss every time. The two stone giants were locked in a grappling match with no apparent advantage over each other, while the two Mocchis were trading Cherry Blossom Blizzards –neither hitting their marks.
"Any luck, you guys?" the real Genki called. Tiger knew it was the real Genki because, as they had discovered shortly after meeting 'themselves', the doubles were completely mute. But that was the only difference between them, and didn't really help either side gain a foothold.
"No matter what I throw at this guy, he always dodges!" the blue wolf complained, launching another attack even as he spoke. The other Tiger leaped to the side, and the real Tiger cursed again. "He knows all of my moves!"
"Wait a second…that's it!" Genki shouted. He suddenly broke off combat with his double and raced toward where the two Mocchis were fighting. "Mocchi, cover me!" he yelled.
"Chi?" asked the real Mocchi, who took one glance over at the rapidly approaching Genki, freaked out, and scrambled to get out of the way. Genki flashed past him, and the real Mocchi exclaimed in surprise as the boy sank his fist into the face of the pink double, sending it flying backward.
"Help each other out!" Genki yelled triumphantly, scooping up the real Mocchi in his arms. "Don't waste time fighting yourself!"
"Got it, kid!" Tiger shouted, and he launched his Torpedo attack at the back of the fake Golem. As the double roared and let go of the other's hands, the real Golem stumbled backwards, a stunned expression on his face. Smirking, Tiger leaped at the fake Genki, his claws raking the double's shirt.
Genki screamed and skidded to a stop, dropping Mocchi as he folded over, holding his stomach. Tiger glanced over at him, startled. Did one of the other doubles hit him?
"Tiger, look out-chi!"
Tiger looked up just in time to see the double Mocchi leaping toward him. Snarling, Tiger unleashed his lightning, blowing the fake back.
Behind him, Mocchi screamed. Tiger whirled around and raced to his side, looking around for whatever had attacked him. None of the doubles seemed to be nearby; instead, the only thing near the little pink monster was Genki, still doubled over in apparent pain. The boy lifted his arms, and Tiger gasped silently.
A row of scratches had torn the boy's shirt open. As Tiger stared at it, Genki raised his gaze and stared at something behind the blue wolf. His clear brown eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to shout a warning.
Too late. Tiger turned around just in time to receive a wicked kick from the double Genki across his muzzle. Snarling, the blue wolf coughed up blood, and a thin trickle ran out the side of his mouth as he glared up at the fake, his horns glowing as he charged his Lightning.
Suddenly his golden eyes noticed something else, and widened with shock. The fake Tiger was standing just behind the fake Genki, snarling at them.
And a thin trickle of blood was coming out of his mouth.
Tiger stared at his double, comprehension dawning at last. The real Golem lumbered up behind them, breathing hard, and the blue wolf knew that the stone giant's back was bothering him.
"If we hit them, we get hurt," the stone giant rumbled darkly.
"And if they hit us, they get hurt," Tiger finished, staring at the doubles bleakly as they slowly advanced upon them. Despite himself, he began to feel his hope drain away, and only his stubbornness kept him rooted to the spot as the fake rebels drew closer to them.
* * *
"Holly!" The human girl was still sprawled out, motionless, and for one terrible moment Hare considered the possibility that her neck had snapped during her fall. He tore his gaze away from her body and glared at Vanity. The blond pixie hybrid was still laughing, eyes gleaming as she gazed down at the fallen girl. Beside her, Suezo stood at mindless attention, waiting for her next command.
"Ohhh…Suezo…"
Vanity stopped laughing abruptly and stared down at Holly's body. Hare followed her gaze, and felt his eyes widen as the girl slowly got to her feet. He breathed the girl's name, eyes wavering.
Holly propped herself up on one knee, gasping for breath. Her normally soft brown eyes were hard and cold as she fixed her gaze on the startled Vanity, who was still standing at the top of the stairs staring blankly at the human girl.
"How…how is that possible?" the pixie breathed.
"I'm…not giving up," Holly gasped, her breath coming hard. "My friends are counting on me…" Her fingers tightened around her father's talisman, her father's dagger, and suddenly she yanked it out of its sheath and raced up the stairs.
Vanity exclaimed, and hastily summoned a fireball to her hands. But before she could fire, Holly was suddenly in front of her. The girl knocked the pixie down, and the fireball fizzled harmlessly out of existence as Holly held her father's blade a fraction of an inch away from Vanity's neck.
"Holly!" Hare cried out, and Holly flicked a startled glance over at him without moving away from Vanity. The rabbit's eyes wavered, but he still managed to cast a meaningful look over at Suezo, who was still standing mindlessly nearby, a completely blank expression on his face. Understanding his concern, Holly tightened her sweaty grip on the dagger's hilt and held it closer to Vanity's neck.
"Let them go. Now," she commanded, struggling to keep her voice from cracking. The golden-skinned pixie looked up at her, emerald eyes wide.
And then Vanity started laughing.
Holly and Hare stared at the crazy pixie, stunned. Vanity didn't appear to be the least bit concerned by the edge of the dagger hovering so dangerously near her. Instead, she smiled up at Holly with what looked like an almost admiring expression.
"So, you are a fighter," she said. "I truly underestimated you. I apologize. Now, if you'll let me get up, I'll show you how to free your friend from my charms, as well as the others."
Holly held her dagger close to the pixie's neck, biting her lip as she considered. Vanity continued to smile at her, a winning grin that slowly began to ease the human girl's fear. She allowed Vanity to get to her feet, although she kept her blade hovering close to the pixie's neck. Hare watched the pixie closely, the Phoenix's Tear slowly becoming a warm sensation under his kerchief. He had a bad feeling about this…
Vanity turned to face Holly and Suezo. Smiling, she began to make a series of strange movements with her slender arms, and a silvery light surrounded Suezo. Holly stared at her friend, throat constricting as the glimmering mist wrapped around him.
Too late Hare realized what was happening. "Holly, look out!"
Holly gasped as the silver mist spread to her, engulfing her. Coughing, she instinctively tried to cover her mouth, only to find that she could not raise her arms. In fact, her entire body had become rigid, and she was unable to move anything other than her eyes and mouth.
"What's happening?" she cried out, terrified. Her own body had become her prison. Vanity's haughty laughter rang in her ears again.
"Why, I've set Suezo's mind free of my control," the pixie leered at her. "Now, he's merely in a special trance. He won't feel a thing until I break off this spell. Besides, I couldn't very well control him and you."
"What?" Holly exclaimed. In response, Vanity raised her arm, and Holly gasped as she felt her own arm raise in exactly the same way. Smirking, the pixie lowered her arm and began to sway in a sort of dance. Unable to resist, Holly's body mimicked the moves perfectly, while Hare watched in silent horror.
"I've always loved this spell," Vanity commented, her ivory dress billowing and swaying as she moved, her blond hair swirling around her face. She cast a glance over at Hare as she added, "This will be the perfect spell for me to use later when I present you to either Naga or Master Moo; I haven't decided which one I'll go to yet. Either way, they'll be extremely pleased that I can control the Phoenix's Tear…even if it is through you."
Hare gulped, trying to harden his expression so that neither female could see the fear that statement caused to well up inside of him. He looked over at Suezo, who was still standing motionless inside of the silver mist, his eye fogged over.
Vanity continued her strange dance; Holly unable to resist moving in synch with the pixie's every movement. After a moment, the dancing had maneuvered Holly in such a way that she was now facing Suezo, staring right into his blank, pupiless eye. As Holly felt tears of sympathy for her friend spring to her eyes, Vanity made a sudden swipe with her hand.
Holly gasped as her arm flashed forward, and she felt something hard in her hand sink into something soft, then rip back out. As her hand came back toward her, she nearly screamed as she realized that her dagger was still in her hand.
But now its edge was stained in blood. Holly stared at Suezo's face, her throat constricting as she spotted the bleeding gash that had just been created down the side of his face. She would have trembled, but her body was no longer hers to control.
Vanity's mocking laughter rang in her ears again. "Nice slice, Holly dear," she complimented the human girl, continuing her dance. "Too bad you missed his eyeball. But then, I can correct that whenever I want…"
She swept up her arm, and Holly screamed as she felt the dagger rip through Suezo's flesh again, this time tearing a gash in his side. Vanity proceeded with her dancing, and Holly's body followed the moves, circling around the paralyzed Suezo, her dagger flashing out again and again. Helpless tears ran down Holly's face, and she struggled without any success to break free of the terrifying control that Vanity had over her.
Hare pounded against the hard, unyielding surface of the crystal doorway, ignoring the fact that he was making no progress whatsoever. Over and over again, his fists slammed into the translucent barrier, while he screamed at Holly to fight back, that she could break free of this spell. Angry tears stained his fur, and his paws throbbed painfully, but he refused to stop trying to break free.
Vanity maneuvered herself so that she was standing in front of the crystal chamber, and she smirked over her shoulder at Hare. "Don't worry, little rabbit," she leered at him, "This'll be over very soon."
Hare glared at her, his eyes wavering with a mixture of fear and loathing. His paws finally stopped beating against the transparent barrier, but they remained resting against it as he stared out at what was happening.
Vanity whirled around, and Holly turned to stared right at Suezo. The pixie forced her to back up a few steps, her gaze locked on the eyeball monster, and she raised her arm. The bloodstained edge of her dagger glimmered as she raised it, bringing her arm back.
"Let's see how good your aim is, dearie," Vanity mocked, a smirk twisting her lips. "You're going to try and hit the center of the target. Try and make a Suezo's eye, girl!"
She laughed at her own joke, and Hare gritted his teeth in disgust. As Holly brought her arm back, taking aim, he clutched the Phoenix's Tear tightly in his paws.
Underneath her tunic, Holly felt the Magic Stone become warm, and she realized that it was glowing. Staring into Suezo's pupiless eye, the human girl felt something snap deep inside of her, and her eyes became hard with determination.
"Now!" Vanity called, sweeping her arm forward.
Holly pivoted on her heel and flung her dagger forward with all of her might.
"WHAT?" Vanity shrieked at the sight of the slender blade flashing toward her. The blond pixie leaped to one side, exclaiming as she felt the sharp edge graze past her cheek. Behind her, Hare cried out and flung himself to the floor as the blade crashed into the clear mirror. The sound of shattering crystal echoed through the room.
Holly fell to her knees, gasping, trembling, finally freed from the control spell. Sweat rolled down her face and back, and for a moment she simply reveled in the fact that she could move out of her own free will again.
"…ly…Hol…ly…"
Holly raised her head, her eyes wavering as her gaze fell on Suezo's fallen body. The eyeball monster was crumpled beside her, blood trickling from numerous cuts, and she pulled herself to his side. His eye slowly focused on her, and Holly could feel his anguish.
"Hol…ly…" he choked, tears flowing down his wounded face. "Wha…what I did before…it wasn't me…I couldn't stop myself…I couldn't control…"
Tears misted Holly's eyes, and she draped her arms around her friend's body, pulling him closer as she whispered, "I know, Suezo. I know."
Vanity, meanwhile, was stroking her right cheek with slender, trembling fingers. Her emerald eyes were wide with shock as she traced over a thin line, and she drew back her hand to stare at bloodstained fingers.
"You cut…my face," she breathed, her shoulders shaking. Her eyes fixed on Holly and suddenly narrowed. "You cut my beautiful face!" she shrieked, and a ball of crackling energy pulsed to life in her hands. Vanity launched it toward Holly and Suezo, screaming, "You little bitch, I'll kill you!"
Holly tore her gaze away from her friend's wounds just in time to see the lightning ball surging toward them. Her eyes widened, and she froze, rooted to the spot by her own fear. Her arms tightened around Suezo in a vice-like grip.
The glittering yellow light streaked toward them, only to suddenly vanish in mid-air as a crimson radiance sprung to life around them. As Holly watched, stunned, a flickering shield glittered around her and the eyeball, and she heard Vanity curse in a very unlady-like manner.
"It's over, Vanity."
The pixie hybrid whirled around and glared behind her. Hare was standing in front of what remained of her shattered hidden doorway, his fur gleaming with a fiery aura similar to the shield around Holly and Suezo. The Phoenix's Tear flashed bloodfire at his throat, no longer hidden by his kerchief.
"I'm not going to let you hurt my friends anymore," he told her, paws balling into fists.
Vanity just glared at him, unmoved. In her eyes, he didn't appear to be so threatening. She could see shards of crystal glittering here and there in his fur; he hadn't managed to completely avoid getting cut when Holly's dagger had struck the cage. In her mind, this little rabbit was no match for her beauty and power, even with the Phoenix's Tear.
"You're out of your league, little rabbit," she hissed, green eyes glittering. Hare frowned, and pointed his paws at the pixie. A stream of crimson fire flashed out toward her.
Smirking, Vanity raised her mirror. The blaze roared into it and vanished, the mirror glowing as it absorbed the power. Hare's eyes widened in shock, and Vanity leered at him as she leveled the mirror with him and sent the energy back at the rabbit.
Something glinted at the edge of Hare's vision, and he glanced over at Holly's dagger, still lying in the shattered remains of the crystal chamber. As the energy raced toward him, he darted toward the blade, seized its handle, and turned and flung it back at the blond pixie, all in one smooth motion.
At the same moment when the explosion from the energy ball flung Hare toward where Holly and Suezo were, the dagger struck Vanity's magic mirror.
Holly paid no attention to Vanity's outraged scream; her terrified gaze instead followed Hare's body as the little rabbit skidded to a stop beside her. She called out his name, and for a moment got the sinking feeling that he would be unable to answer her. After a breathless moment, however, she heard a soft moan, and Hare slowly propped himself up on his arms.
"Did it work?" he asked groggily.
Before Holly could reply, Suezo suddenly flung himself against her back, screaming, "Down!" The two crashed into Hare and a moment later, she heard a muted thump, and felt Suezo twitch once. Hare shrieked the eyeball monster's name, and Holly gasped as she opened her eyes to see her father's talisman sticking out of Suezo's side, the blade buried in his body.
"Hol…ly…are you hurt?" he asked, his eye fogged over with pain.
"I'm okay," Holly managed to reply, her eyes wavering. She attempted to pull the dagger out of his side, but her trembling fingers refused to close around the hilt. Then Hare was suddenly beside her, and he swiftly yanked the blade out, holding one paw against the wound to stop the flow of blood that followed. The dagger clattered to the floor as the rabbit suddenly whirled around, the crimson energy shield flickering around them again.
"Damnit…I missed," Vanity sneered, energy forming around her clenched fists. Her tattered silk robes billowed around her form, and her short blond hair swayed around her sneering face. Eyes as hard as jade were wide with a demented glee as she slowly approached them.
Hare moved to stand between her and his friends, trying to keep Suezo and Holly shielded behind him as much as possible. A few shards from the crystal chamber still glittered in his fur, which took on a crimson luminance as he summoned the fire aura. Its faint flickering light cast shadows over Holly's stricken face as she cradled Suezo in her arms.
Vanity's smirk grew wider, distorting her face. The new scar in her right cheek throbbed slightly, but she ignored it. Judging by the paleness of that aura, the little rabbit's much weaker than he's trying to appear. Well, isn't that just too sad…
Her fingers tightened around her magic mirror. It had deflected the rabbit's pathetic attempt to hurt her with the dagger before, and now she would use it to destroy him and his two friends with their own powers. She raised the mirror, clutching it in both hands, and leveled it with the three, waiting until she could see their reflections in its center.
She failed to notice the hairline crack that stretched across its otherwise smooth surface.
Breathing hard, Hare pointed his palms toward Vanity. He gritted his teeth, wincing as he forced energy to form in his outstretched paws. As he released the thin beam of light, he fell back to his knees, the fiery aura flickering fainter and fainter.
"POWER REFLECTION!" Vanity shouted, letting the weak energy bolt strike her mirror and be absorbed.
A sharp cracking noise echoed through the crystalline room. Vanity screamed as her magic mirror shattered, and the released energy flowed into her body.
Hare gasped, and the aura around his fur faded away as he stared at the pixie hybrid. Behind him, Holly slowly got to her feet, Suezo leaning against her, her eyes wavering as she watched Vanity suffer.
"No! Not me!" Vanity shrieked, the energy coursing through her veins. Her beautiful ivory robes billowed around her writhing form, soon burning away to charred strands. Her skin glowed as if lit from within, and Vanity groaned as she dropped to her knees. Her magic mirror clattered to the floor, a huge crack nearly splitting it in two.
"Why? I was so close…" she wailed.
"You've brought this upon yourself," Holly answered softly, her soft chestnut eyes misting with sympathetic tears. "All of your scheming…your disregard for others…this is the end result."
Vanity's dimming green eyes locked upon Holly's face, and she reached one trembling hand toward the human girl. Holly lowered her eyes, draping her arms around Hare and Suezo. Vanity wailed again and dropped to the cold crystal floor, her form still glowing. She felt all of her spells slip away, broken.
* * *
Genki and the others gasped in surprise as their doubles suddenly vanished into midair, blown away like a candle's flame in a storm. The chamber that they were in shifted and changed, morphing into a new room. A crystal staircase appeared before them, and the four quickly moved toward it, knowing that it would lead them to the others.
* * *
Holly pulled Hare and Suezo closer to her, and the three watched silently as Vanity's glowing form shrank and twisted. The light faded, leaving behind a lost disc where the pixie hybrid had lain. Beside it, the cracked magic mirror lay abandoned. Holly slowly walked over and picked it up.
"Beauty means nothing if your heart is not beautiful too," she murmured, eyes wavering as she gazed at her broken reflection in the glass. "I'm sorry that you never learned that."
The magic mirror glimmered once, then slowly crumbled into shimmering dust. Holly let it flow out of her cupped hands, watching as it trickled to the floor.
The silence was finally shattered when Suezo let out a soft groan and nearly collapsed. Hare jerked and quickly scrambled to support the eyeball, the Phoenix's Tear gleaming as he used what little spare energy he had left to seal the worst of Suezo's wounds.
Holly walked back over and gently helped Suezo steady himself. Her gaze fell on the medallion still fastened on him, and she rested her palm on it for a moment. Then, in a sudden, convulsive movement, she yanked it off, the chain snapping sharply. She turned and flung it as far away as she could, letting it slam into the far wall.
Suezo and Hare just watched her, eyes wavering. The girl trembled for a moment, then turned back toward them. She knelt and picked up her father's dagger from the ground, sliding it back into its sheath. Then she walked over and stood on Suezo's other side, letting her friend lean against her for support. The three walked out together to rejoin their friends, leaving behind the echoingly empty crystalline room.