Snake Eyes
* * * Chapter One: Naga's Secret Weapon * * *
"The Magic Stone points in this direction, right, Holly?"
Holly looked up at Genki and nodded, replacing her pendant back under her tunic. "Yes," she confirmed.
"Hmm," Pixie mused, "it looks like the Magic Stone is leading you straight to Naga's fortress." As the seven rebels stared up at the ex-baddie, she nodded sharply, saying, "Yes, it's definitely taking you there. I remember this area: it's close to his castle. If we keep up this pace, we'll be there in three days, at the most."
"Three days…" Holly glanced in the direction that the Magic Stone had pointed, almost as if she expected to see a forbidding silhouette rising in the distance. She heard a soft sigh behind her, and turned to see Hare staring off in the same direction, worry and fear shining clearly in his soft brown eyes. He leaned a little closer to Golem, who also appeared to notice the rabbit's mood, for the gentle stone giant brought one hand slightly closer to Hare in a protective gesture.
"Hey, Pixie," Suezo attempted to whisper, leaning closer to the ex-member of the Big Bad Four, "so just how strong is this Naga, anyway? You should know…"
Pixie favored him with an icy glare. "Why don't you go ask your little friend?" she hissed back. "He knows better than anyone else…"
"But…" Suezo glanced worriedly over at Hare, and Pixie relented when she saw the expression of genuine concern on the eyeball monster's face.
"Okay, look," she muttered, "I can't tell you a whole lot because I tended to keep to myself when I was one of Moo's generals. We all did, for the most part. I suppose it was pride that made us like that, pride or arrogance, take your pick. The only time we paid any real attention to the others was when they showed the slightest signs of having trouble, something we could possibly exploit to our own benefit."
"You weren't like that," Big Blue objected. Pixie laughed shortly in reply.
"Yeah, well, I didn't really care about power as much I did revenge on the humans. Gali and Naga were the ones who cared about power, although Grey Wolf did start to get involved in that mess a little later. Actually, Kaze must have taken Grey Wolf's place at around that time, right?" she mused, glancing briefly at Tiger's back as she spoke. The blue wolf grunted in reply, deliberately ignoring her.
"What I do know about Naga is that he loves to fight," she continued. "For some reason, he seems to have a thing about death and destruction. Whenever Moo wanted to send someone to lead the conquering of another village or territory, Naga was always ready to volunteer. The bloodier a mission would be, the better."
"He…I know he destroyed our home village," Suezo murmured, eye fogging over slightly with remembrance. Pixie nodded: she had not been aware of this fact, but she knew Naga well enough to accept it as being true.
"At any rate, Naga has seen his fair share of battles," she continued. "A lot of would-be heroes used to go to his castle claiming that they would defeat him…hordes of them. Not a single one returned, and none of them were ever sent to Moo for 'reforming', either."
"…He-he's that strong?" Suezo stammered, staring at the female monster in shock. Pixie simply nodded, her flaming red hair bouncing slightly with the movement.
"He's damned strong!" she confirmed.
"I think…I'm going to be sick…" Suezo groaned, a spiral replacing his pupil as he whirled around to the others.
"Bring it on," Tiger snarled, baring his teeth in a grimace. "I still need to pay him back for what he did to my brother…"
The others nodded agreement and Holly glanced back at Hare again. The little rabbit's ears drooped over his face, effectively masking his expression, and he was holding the Phoenix's Tear again. Concerned, Holly stepped over to him and draped an arm around his shoulders. Before she could ask the obvious question, however, Hare looked up at her and gave her a wistful smile.
"Don't worry, I'm okay," he said. It was a lie, and they both knew it, but neither one bothered to point that out. There was no sense in that; better to focus one's attention on what could be changed. They followed after the others, and Holly allowed her arm to slip off of Hare's shoulders, only to take his paw and give it a slight squeeze. She was not overly surprised when he tightened his grip on her hand in reply.
* * *
"So…they are coming here, then…"
"Yes, Lord Naga." Night Flyer bowed down before her master, lowering her head until the tips of her antennae brushed against the jet-black marble of the floor. Her brightly colored wings were folded primly against her slender back, and she did not rise until the reptilian monster signaled for her to do so. Even then, she kept her soft green eyes staring at the floor, both out of respect for her commander and for fear that he would see her feelings for him shining clearly in their verdant surfaces.
"I should have known that it would come to this, sooner or later," Naga mused. "I didn't really think that the rebels would be foolish enough to come for me…the idiots are practically handing the little rabbit and the Phoenix's Tear to me! Perhaps they are not as clever as they would have us believe." Naga rubbed his chin, yellow eyes narrowing into glittering slits as he mused over his next move.
"Well, Night Flyer, what do you think?" he finally said, a leering grin slowly spreading over his face. "Do you think we should honor the rebels for getting this far by allowing them to meet my greatest warrior?"
Night Flyer snapped her head up, eyes widening involuntarily. "A-are you certain, Lord Naga?" she gasped before she could stop herself. Realizing at once that she was talking back to her master, the pixie hybrid quickly lowered her gaze to the floor again and murmured, "Forgive me, my lordship…I-I trust your judgement…"
"I know you do," Naga replied, favoring the pixie with a toothy grin. "And I understand your concern. Do not get overly upset; I doubt that there will be much reason for my warrior to stay for long. I merely think that he will make this…more interesting."
"Of course, my liege," Night Flyer replied, kneeling again. Her bangs fell over her face, masking her angry grimace, as she thought about her master's greatest warrior, whom she personally believed did not deserve so high a title. But…he certainly DID possess great strength, and often his foes made the mistake of underestimating him…
Naga stood, spreading his arms wide in a grandiose gesture as he spoke the incantation that would summon his soldier to him. Dark purple energy coiled and formed in the massive chamber, and a black wind whipped Night Flyer's short hair around wildly. Brushing it back, she stepped backwards and silently watched as an object materialized before her master's hands. A sneer spread across Naga's face, and Night Flyer continued to watch him intently as the wind howled around them.
* * *
"What I would give for a few big trees right about now."
Pixie glared at the eyeball monster in exasperation. "But when we were in the forest, all you did was complain about how much you needed a change of scenery! What, is this not big enough a change for you?"
"It's hot, chi!" Mocchi sighed, slumping down in the sand. Pixie glared at the little pink monster, then growled as she shaded her face with one arm and peered into the distance.
"Just keep your mind off the heat. We're almost out of this place. There should be a town up ahead."
"If Naga hasn't already destroyed it," Suezo mumbled, a little louder than he intended. He sweatdropped as the others turned to stare at him, and quickly found something very interesting to look at beneath him. At least, he certainly remained staring down at the sand for a long time. Hare sighed and turned away first, lowering his gaze to the ground as well. Genki glanced worriedly at the little rabbit, then glared back at Suezo one last time before moving to the head of the group.
"Come on people, let's get moving!" he yelled, waving his arms wildly to get everyone's attention. Hopping to the top of a large rock that jutted out of the sand, he called, "Don't worry, everyone, let's just get moving! The sooner we start walking, the sooner we get to the village! Let's go! Let's go! Let's g– "
"Genki, incoming!" Hare interrupted, pointing into the sky. The boy turned around just in time to see a small round object flying toward him. With a cry of shock, Genki hastily leaped down from his perch, skidding to a rough stop in the sand. He turned around and joined the others at staring at the strange object that had arrived.
"What…in…the…heck?" Suezo asked, putting into words the question on everyone's minds. As it came nearer, they could begin to make out its features, and Genki realized with a start that this wasn't a missile, as he had feared: it was some sort of pot.
"O…kkkaaaaayyyyyy," Suezo said at length, staring at the small container as it floated a few feet away from the travelers. A soft gasp behind him arrested his attention, and the eyeball monster turned to see Hare staring directly at the object. The rabbit's face had gone completely white, and his breath was beginning to come in short gasps. Suezo paled slightly without knowing why.
"H-H-Hare?"
"Hare okay, chi?" Mocchi asked, noticing the expression on the rabbit's face. Hare made no reply; his gaze remained locked on the object as it floated closer to the nine searchers. Everyone cried out in shock as an explosion of red smoke suddenly covered the pot from view, and as it cleared, a figure came into view, floating directly in front of the pot. The small figure grinned, narrow eyes tracing over the group.
"A Bajarl!" Genki exclaimed in wide-eyed astonishment. The genie-like monster appeared to be equally surprised, oddly enough, and his eyes darted from face to face as he scanned the group. The searchers watched him warily, noticing the crest mounted on his chest, and tensed for an attack.
But no attack came. Instead, the baddie continued to stare at them, a curious expression on his face. He appeared to be almost confused, and Genki lowered his guard a little, eyeing the Bajarl curiously. After a moment, the baddie raised his hand and pointed a single finger at the boy. Every muscle in the youth's body tensed as he prepared to dodge whatever attack the genie monster was planning to use on him.
"One," he heard the baddie state, then his finger traced over to Mocchi. "Two…three, four, five…" The rebels stared at Bajarl in increasing disbelief as he pointed at each of them in turn, numbering them off.
"…What the heck?" Suezo mumbled.
"…Eight, nine." Bajarl's face screwed up into a look of complete confusion. "…Nine?" he repeated, as if that number surprised him. "Nine? That can't be right…Lord Naga told me that there were only seven rebels…"
"Naga? He's the one who sent you?" Holly gasped.
"Well, duh, you baka human," Pixie snapped irritably, "who did you think sent him? Naga is the only member of the Big Bad Four left…"
"HOLLY IS NOT A BAKA, YOU UNDERDRESSED EXCUSE FOR A FORMER MEMBER OF THE…Big…Bad…Four…" Suezo's voice trailed off as he abruptly realized just who he was yelling at. A huge sweatdrop appeared on the back of his head as he noticed that her pencil-line eyebrows were raised and one was twitching slightly.
"Master Pixie is NOT underdressed," Big Blue rumbled, a faint red color springing to his cheeks; whether this was from embarrassment or anger could not be judged. Bajarl was watching the quarrel with a mixture of shock and amusement on his face.
"Ah, I see," he finally spoke up, pointing at Pixie and Big Blue briefly, "so you two are the traitors Lord Naga told me about. Ex-Master Pixie and her servant, Giant Sapphire or something like that, right?"
"That's BIG BLUE!" Pixie screamed as the ice giant sweatdropped. "And I'm Master Pixie to a worthless underling like you, punk!" Her gray eyes flashed, as if daring the baddie to dispute this and energy crackled around her hands. Bajarl arched one eyebrow slightly as he looked at her, not appearing to be particularly unnerved.
"Be careful! He's one of Naga's strongest warriors!" Hare warned. The other eight travelers looked at him, then back at the small baddie. The little rabbit sweatdropped as they burst out laughing.
"Oh Goddess," Pixie moaned, stifling a giggle, "I knew that Naga was an idiot…but to call a little pipsqueak like THAT one of his strongest fighters?"
"What? Don't I look the part?" Bajarl asked, obviously a little upset by the idea that he looked like than intimidating.
"Heheh…let me handle this," Suezo snickered, hopping forward. "I'll knock this pipsqueak for a loop!"
"Well, this should be interesting," Tiger commented dryly as he backed up slightly with the other rebels.
"Very interesting," Bajarl agreed, arching one eyebrow slightly as he eyed the approaching Suezo. The eyeball monster grinned confidently, not worried in the slightest. In fact, the only one of the rebels that appeared to be worried was Hare.
"Tail Atta-aaa-aaa-aaa-ack!" Suezo called, leaping into the air and rolling toward the baddie. The grin hadn't faded from his face.
Bajarl glanced up at the attacking eyeball, an amused smirk on his face. The pot that had been floating innocuously beside him suddenly moved, and the lid flipped off. A torrent of wind gushed out, and as the others watched in shock, the magical hurricane rushed toward Suezo.
"Look out!" Hare screamed, the sound of his voice drowned out by the roar of the winds. The haughty smirk on Suezo's face quickly twisted around, and Genki caught a glimpse of his terrified expression before his form was completely enveloped by the tornado. The hurricane swiftly vanished, retreating back into its pot, and Bajarl smirked as he replaced the lid.
"Wha-what happened?" Holly gasped. Bajarl grinned down her and the other rebels, holding his pot in both hands.
"What does it look like?" he mocked, grinning hugely. "I just caught myself a Suezo! Lord Naga will be so proud of me!"
"Lightning!" Tiger and Pixie called in unison, and streaks of blue and pink electricity lanced from glowing horns and gesturing hands toward Bajarl. The baddie just grinned, his narrow eyes glinting with thinly veiled amusement. His jar moved in front of him, the lid opened once more, and the two bolts of energy were sucked inside. An agonized scream echoed out of the pot's shadowy depths before the lid closed again, cutting the sound off.
"Suezo!" Holly cried, eyes widening with horror. Tiger and Pixie froze, shocked by the knowledge of what they had inadvertently done. Bajarl chuckled, smiling knowingly at the eight rebels as they stared at him.
"Ouch, that sounded like it hurt," he said, still wearing that mocking grin. Turning to the small group, he added, "But I bet he's getting really lonely in there. Anyone care to join him?"
He floated forward, and the rebels involuntarily backed up, glaring at him. Pixie's hands sparkled with energy that she didn't dare fire, and the female monster cursed. The sentiment was echoed by Tiger, who bared his teeth in a snarl as the baddie continued to advance.
"RUN FOR IT!"
At the sound of Tiger's shout, the eight rebels scattered, sprinting in different directions. Bajarl watched as they bolted over the rolling sand, heading in the general direction that they had been earlier. An amused smirk creased his lips.
"So, they want to play Hide and Seek, do they?" he said to no one in particular. Red smoke billowed up from the pot again, and when it receded, the genie-like monster had grown to a size equal to Golem or Big Blue's own. Fastening the container to his belt, Bajarl then floated serenely toward the village. He saw no need to hurry. He would find them soon enough.
* * *
"Damnit! I hate having to run from a worthless moron like this jerk!" Tiger cursed.
"As worthless as you think he is, he does have a considerable advantage," Pixie pointed out, swooping down to fly next to the running lupine. "Even I've never seen a monster who could block my attack like that before…Plus, as long as he has Suezo as a hostage, he has a trump card he can use to keep us in check…"
"Yeah, you would know a lot about the advantages of hostages, huh?" Tiger couldn't keep himself from growling bitterly. Pixie's gray eyes flashed as she glared at the blue wolf, and she gritted her teeth together to keep herself from hissing out the retort that burned on the tip of her tongue. Getting into a fight would not help matters any…
"Master Pixie!"
Pixie and Tiger glanced backwards in unison, and both cursed as they caught sight of Bajarl directly behind them and rapidly catching up. Big Blue pounded up beside his commander, and his steely gaze locked onto Pixie's face worriedly.
"He's right behind us, isn't he?" Tiger asked. When the ice giant nodded, the blue wolf growled, "Fine then." He skidded to a stop and whirled around, baring his teeth as he snarled, "Let's settle this right now!"
"You are an idiot," Pixie muttered, stopping short and sweeping up to Tiger's side. "We can't fight Bajarl like this…we have to find a way to disarm him first."
"And just how do we do that?" Tiger asked, glaring back at the red-haired monster. Pixie opened her mouth to snap out a reply, but was interrupted by a howl of wind. The two whipped around in time to see a tornado raging toward them.
"Master Pixie!"
Pixie had the barest glimpse of the ice giant's face, then his shoulder collided roughly with her side and she was flung into Tiger. The two sent up a cloud of dust as they skidded backwards, and the howling of the wind echoed in their ears, then slowly faded away.
"Big Blue?" Pixie exclaimed, sitting upright and whipping around. "Big Blue!"
Bajarl slammed the lid on his pot down loudly, letting the sound echo for a few moments. Pixie glared up at him, gray eyes shimmering, and the genie monster recoiled slightly, although the same cocky smirk remained on his face.
"You spineless coward," Tiger hissed, energy crackling around his horns.
"Tiger. Leave him to me." Pixie stood up, and her eyes flashed bloodfire as she raised her blazing gaze to Bajarl's smirking face. "You keep running."
"What, you're going to face him by yourself?" Tiger asked, narrowing his eyes at her. The female monster glanced back at him, and the blue wolf backed up a few steps as he caught a glimpse of the steely shine of her gray eyes. Bowing his head slightly to show submission, he then whirled on his feet and took off in the direction they had been running before. Behind him, he could hear the wind begin to howl once more, yet he resisted the urge to turn around and lunge back into the battle. He forced himself to keep running on, squeezing his flashing golden eyes shut with suppressed rage and frustration.
* * *
"Do you see anything, Golem?" Holly asked, peering up at the stone giant from the safety of his hands. The stone giant shook his head reluctantly, not slowing his pace as he pounded forward through the sand. The girl craned her neck in an attempt to see over the top of his protectively curled fingers, without much success. However, she was able to spot the top of what appeared to be at first a group of rocks jutting out of the sand.
"There!" she called, pointing. "Head over there, Golem!"
The stone giant nodded, and gritting his teeth as he pushed himself forward, his heavy feet sinking into the sand with each step. As they neared the formation, Holly realized with a start that what she had thought were jagged rocks from a distance turned out to be the ruins of a building upon closer inspection. Golem huddled behind the dubious shelter that the fallen stones offered, and let the girl climb out of his hands. Running one hand alongside a ruined wall, Holly glanced up at her large companion sadly.
"Looks like Suezo's theory was correct," she murmured, continuing to brush the collapsed stones with her fingers, tracing patterns in the dust that clung to the fallen walls. Golem nodded silently in confirmation, his dark gray eyes solemn. The mention of the eyeball monster's name sent a cold shiver down both of their backs, despite the heat of the sun that still pounded down upon them. Holly's eyes wavered, and she sighed as she glanced out into the desert.
"I hope that the others get here soon," she commented, bronze eyes shimmering with contained tears. "I hope we'll find a way to rescue Suezo…"
"We will," Golem replied simply. Holly glanced up at him and nodded, a shaky smile gracing her face.
"I suggest you find a way to rescue yourselves first," a voice piped up behind them. Gasping, Holly whirled to stare at Bajarl, eyes widening with shock. Golem automatically stepped between the two, crossing his arms over his chest.
"If you're so worried about your friend, I can arrange for you to see each other again," Bajarl said, a smirk creasing his lips. "I'm certain that he'll be happy to see you again…"
Golem growled, and as he grabbed a piece of the wall beside him, he shouted, "Run, Holly!" Before the girl could stammer a reply, the stone giant threw the boulder directly at the baddie. Bajarl swept out of its path with an exaggerated movement, and the lid rose from its resting place once more.
"Golem!" Holly screamed, reaching a helpless hand out toward the giant stone doll as a hurricane formed around his body. Turning his head slightly to glance at her, Golem waved at her to get back.
"Holly, RUN!" he shouted again.
"No, Golem! I won't leave you!"
And Holly reached out and latched onto one of the stone giant's fingers with both hands. Golem's eyes widened with shock, and he opened his mouth to protest, only to have his warning drowned out by the howling torrents that enveloped them. Holly continued to cling doggedly to his hand, even as the two were lifted off of their feet, and she raised her gaze to catch a glimpse of his wavering gray eyes before the winds blocked even their sight of one another.
* * *
"What was that?" Genki exclaimed, whirling to stare at a tornado that howled into the air a few feet away. At his side, Mocchi tightened his grip on the boy's shirt, and his eyes wavered with fear as he looked up at the boy.
"Friends be okay, right, chi?" he pleaded. Genki didn't reply, and his clear eyes remained locked on the hurricane as it quickly died away. His hands balled into fists, and his teeth ground together in frustration as he spotted a single figure moving toward them.
"Not very good at Hide and Seek, are you now?" Bajarl taunted, narrow eyes glinting as he approached. "At least the girl and stone giant tried to conceal themselves…unlike the pixie girl and her giant friend."
Genki gasped, and his clear eyes wavered as images of his friends flashed through his racing mind. Holly…Golem…Pixie…Big Blue…
"Chiii…" Mocchi stared up at the approaching baddie in increasing terror. He clung to Genki's shirt, and gasped as the boy roughly shoved him away.
"Mocchi. Run."
"Chi? …No way, chi!" Mocchi protested, balling his tiny hands into fists. "Mocchi want to fight, too!"
"Just go, NOW!"
With that, Genki flung himself forward, tears falling from his clear eyes as he brought his fist back. Bajarl chuckled, and the pot opened once more. Ignoring the wind that howled around him, the boy skated forward, and barely managed to bring his fist surging forward into the surprised baddie's face before he was yanked off his feet.
"Genki, chi!" Mocchi screamed, tears springing to his eyes. He didn't even bother to run as the hurricane spread to embrace him…
* * *
Hidden from view in what remained of an alley nearby, a monster cursed in exasperation.
"Damnit! I was too late…"
Golden slits narrowed, glittering with barely contained rage, and then the lupine monster turned away from the sight and plunged deeper into the ruined city, his thoughts raging.
* * *
"Oh no…not now," Hare muttered, raising one paw to his throbbing forehead as he stumbled forward, trying to keep moving. The pain in his head sharpened intensely, and the little rabbit cried out involuntarily as he fell to his knees.
"Not now…not now…"
The images that flooded his mind flashed in front of his widened eyes like wildfire. The alley faded from view, shifting into a new scene. Sand was replaced by snow, and a cold breeze seemed to whip around the rabbit's fur, even as he struggled to keep a part of his mind focused on what was reality and what was not.
* This isn't real…not real, not real, not real…*
Yet he was hard pressed to keep himself from truly believing that. He glanced around in a daze, scanning the icy mountains that seemed to rise up before him. The death screams of his friends and allies echoed in his mind, and he kept repeating that this wasn't real even as he covered his ears to block out the terrible shrieks of pain. Images flashed faster and faster before him, each barely registering in his mind before it shifted to the next scene. Yet he was glad that he couldn't study these images, for they showed him the dying bodies of his friends…
And just as suddenly the vision was gone, and Hare found himself crouching at the end of an alleyway, arms wrapped tightly around his body as he shivered uncontrollably. His cheeks were tearstained, although he wasn't entirely certain that he remembered crying, not as vividly as he remembered the sensation of being unbearably cold. The strange chill seemed to linger in his body even though the illusion of snow had vanished.
"Ah, so there you are," Bajarl teased, grinning down at the cornered Hare as he jerked as gasped, whirling to stare wide-eyed at the baddie. "You're a bad little bunny, you know that? Keeping Lord Naga waiting for so long…he's been worried sick about you, you know…"
"Yeah, I bet," Hare growled, not even bothering to disguise the hatred in his voice. The Phoenix's Tear flared under his ripped bandanna as he summoned energy to his gesturing paws, and he pointed at Bajarl, only to hesitate slightly, gaze nervously flicking over to the pot strapped to his enemy's belt. Instantly realizing the reason for his hesitation, the genie monster let out a low, throaty guffaw.
"Worried about your friends?" he chuckled. "You shouldn't be; after all, you're the only one that Lord Naga wants alive."
Hare gasped, and the fiery energy pulsing around his paws flickered. "What are you saying?" he demanded, brown eyes wavering with fear.
Bajarl just grinned maliciously. Hare stared at the genie monster in shock, all of his will to fight draining away at the implications of his enemy's words. The fireball forming in his paws faded away, forgotten. A thousand protests flashed through his mind, dying away before he could give them voice.
Bajarl's smirk grew wider, and one muscular arm reached toward the frozen rabbit. Hare stared dully up at him, not bothering to resist. There was no reason to fight back anymore, not if everyone else was…
A flash of light tore past, and Bajarl's grin twisted into a grimace as he yanked his smoking hand back, cursing. Something streaked out of the shadows, and Hare barely had time to exclaim in surprise before he found himself being yanked rudely off his feet and practically flung onto the figure's back. Closing his eyes reflexively as he hit, Hare instinctively dug his fingers into the soft fur, clinging to it for dear life as his rescuer took off again.
* Wait a second…fur? *
Hare forced his eyes open, and for an instant gaped in shock at the blue-and-white fur he was clinging to. At the sound of his gasp, his rescuer glanced over his shoulder at the little rabbit, and Hare caught a glimpse of stern golden eyes before the lupine monster turned his gaze back to the path.
"Hey! Come back here!" Bajarl shouted, blowing on his fried hand hastily as he glared at the escaping searchers. "You…you can't run from me forever! Hey! HEEEEEYYY!"
By this point, the two had already disappeared from his sight. A sweatdrop appeared on the back of Bajarl's head, to be quickly replaced by a vein as he muttered, "Well, damnit…."
"Not doing so well, are you?" Night Flyer commented dryly as she swept up behind him and perched on a barrel.
"I-I could catch up to them if I wanted to!" Bajarl lied, looking back at the pixie hybrid with a mixture of anger and embarrassment on his face.
"Don't bother," another voice interrupted before Night Flyer could snap a sarcastic reply. "I feel that I can handle things from here…"
The two baddies stared at the speaker in shock, both wearing the exact same expression of complete surprise.
* * *
When he decided that they were far away enough from Bajarl to keep the baddie from being a major threat for a while, Tiger of the Wind slowed his furious pace enough to let his passenger off. Hare hopped off of the lupine monster's back, and he grinned happily as he turned to face Tiger.
"Ha ha! Did you see the look on Bajarl's face when you came blazing in?" he exclaimed, beaming. Tiger just shrugged dismissively, and Hare continued to smile as he added, "I can't wait to tell the others when we find them!"
Tiger stopped short, and he glanced back at Hare with a strange expression on his face. The little rabbit looked back at him, confused, and his eyes began to waver with fear as comprehension came crashing down upon him all at once.
"No…" he breathed, staring at Tiger in shock. All the feeling went out of his legs, and Hare fell to his knees as he felt tears brim in his widened eyes. "Please don't tell me that…they…all of them…"
He bowed his head and started to sob, and the blue wolf glared at him in disgust.
"Stop whining! We'll just have to rescue them," Tiger growled. Hare shook his head violently, tears filling his eyes.
"Stop trying to console me! I know that nobody's left alive!"
"What?" Tiger whirled on the little rabbit, unable to disguise the shock in his widened golden eyes for a moment. Then they narrowed again, and he growled, "Hare, don't say things like that. Genki and the others are alive…"
"No, they're dead, they're dead, Naga killed them," Hare insisted, burying his face in his paws. "Naga killed them because of me; it's all my fault! Everyone's gone because Naga was trying to punish me! It's all my fault they're gone!"
"Hare…" Tiger unconsciously slipped into a more soothing tone, one he had once used to calm his little brother down after a terrible battle had claimed the lives of a few of their pack mates. "Hare, we don't know for certain that they're dead…"
But Hare wasn't paying any attention to Tiger. He clutched blindly for the crystal dangling around his neck, tightening his paws around it almost as if he was trying to shatter it with his bare hands. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he sobbed miserably, trembling.
"I wish I was dead!" he screamed suddenly. "I wish I had died in that stupid explosion!"
Tiger heard himself gasp in pure shock, and he angrily lashed out, striking Hare hard across one tear-stained cheek. Hare let out a sharp cry, falling to one side as his paw reflexively moved to where Tiger had smacked him. He raised wavering brown eyes to stare up at Tiger as the blue wolf glared down at him.
"Don't you DARE say anything like that," Tiger snarled, golden eyes burning into the little rabbit. Hare stared blankly up at the growling lupine, unable to speak.
"Oh, what a touching little drama," a slow, drawling voice interrupted loudly.
Hare and Tiger both jerked upright, and a low growl rumbled in the blue wolf's chest as he leapt to his feet. Behind him, Hare began to tremble again, for the voice belonged to someone that he recognized only too well–
* Naga?! *
The reptilian monster leaned indolently against a wall, muscular arms folded over his thick chest. The symbol of Moo at his neck glimmered in the sunlight, and a sly smile played at his thin lips.
"So, we meet again, little rabbit," Naga rasped, his calm voice sending chills down the searchers' spines. "Time for us to go home…"
He slithered forward confidently, reaching toward the frozen, trembling rabbit with one clawed hand. Tiger bared his teeth warningly, and a deep growl rumbled in his chest as he stepped between the two. Naga's only reaction was to arch one of his eye ridges slightly, and the edge of the snake man's mouth twitched in what might have been the start of a grin.
"I suggest you get out of my way," he told the growling wolf, an arrogant smirk on his face. "You and I both know that you have no chance of defeating me, and I really have no business with you. I only wish to reclaim what is rightfully mine…"
Tiger's only reply was a snarl, and as Hare stared at him in horror, the blue wolf leaped forward, lips curling back to reveal gleaming fangs as he lunged for the serpent monster's neck. Naga watched the approaching warrior with an arrogant smile on his face, and as Tiger surged forward, the snake abruptly moved slightly to one side, letting the lupine fly past him. His claws shot out, and Hare screamed in terror as blood spurted out onto the sand.
"How pathetic," Naga sneered down at the crumpled lupine, yellow eyes gleaming as they drank in the sight of the blood oozing from the deep gashes in his opponent's side. Glancing over his shoulder, he twisted his mouth into a toothy grin, and Hare shuddered, unable to tear his gaze away from the reptilian's face.
"Please…no…" he pleaded, wavering eyes locked on Naga's face. He flinched backwards as the serpent monster turned, reaching toward him with one clawed hand.
Gasping for breath, Tiger forced himself to his feet. Naga flicked an unconcerned glance back at him, arching one eye ridge ever so slightly as he watched the blue wolf attempt to steady himself. Tiger's eyes flashed deep gold as he glared back, and he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out as his side throbbed agonizingly.
I can't lose this fight, he told himself. Naga killed my brother…he's destroyed so many lives…I won't let him repeat what he's done to Hare again! I won't let him…I can't let him get away with everything he's done!
A snarl erupted from the blue wolf's throat as he lunged forward again, electricity pulsing around his horns. Ignoring the blood that splattered onto the sand as he ran, Tiger concentrated all of his energy into forming his attack.
"LIGHTNING!"
The blue thunderbolt surged forward, but Naga didn't even flinch. Instead, the smirking reptilian allowed the light to strike him full in the chest, and continued to leer at Tiger even as his scales sizzled and blackened. Tiger and Hare stared at him in shock as he shrugged off the attack, and before either could react, the serpent swept around, swinging his long tail out like a whip. The point caught Tiger full in the shoulder, and a fresh spray of blood showered the sand as the tail ripped directly through fur and skin, tearing open the wolf's shoulder.
"TIGER!" Hare shrieked as the blue lupine crumpled to the red sand, golden eyes closing as he fell. The little rabbit stumbled forward, paws desperately gesturing as he summoned a healing spell. Naga looked back at him, and pointed a talon lazily in his direction.
"Life Steal," he hissed. A dark light pulsed around Hare's body, and his voice was cut off in mid-sentence. The word to trigger his healing spell died on his tongue, and the little rabbit's wavering eyes slowly closed as he toppled forward, all of his energy abandoning him. Naga reached forward and caught the falling rabbit with ease, and the dark mist swept back towards the reptilian, surrounding the burn on his chest. The mark faded away, leaving behind unmarred violet scales in its place.
"Nicely done, my lord," Night Flyer complimented, stepping forward. Naga favored her with a toothy grin, then turned his attention back to his captive. He tore Hare's kerchief from his neck, and his grin grew wider as he fingered the precious crystal hanging around the limp rabbit's neck. He tossed the red fabric in the pixie hybrid's direction, and she automatically caught it.
"What do we do with this trash?" she inquired, giving Tiger's motionless body a swift kick. Naga glanced down at the blue wolf, then knelt and picked him roughly up by the mane. For a moment, his claws dug into bloodstained fur as he studied the lupine monster, and he briefly caressed the wounded warrior's neck, contemplating whether or not to slit his throat. After a while, however, he threw Tiger back down to the red sands, shaking his head.
"Leave him," he said. "He will not live much longer. Let him suffer his last few moments, thinking about how he has failed…if he is still able to think."
"And what of the other rebels?" Bajarl asked, floating up behind his master. Naga glanced at the pot in his hands, yellow eyes narrowing.
"Let Night Flyer handle them," he ordered at length. His two warriors nodded, and Bajarl handed his pot to the pixie hybrid with an admonishment not to break it. Night Flyer nodded curtly, then watched as Naga turned away and set off triumphantly for his fortress, his captive hanging limply under one thick arm. She glanced down at the motionless lupine monster at her feet, and her ruby lips curled in derision.
* * *
"Well, damnit anyway! How long are they gonna keep us in here? Why don't they just hurry and finish us off already?"
"Master Pixie, please…calm down…"
"Don't worry gang, after all, Tiger and Hare aren't here!"
"What, so we should be thankful that we don't have to listen to their bickering?"
"No, Suezo, I mean that they're probably going to rescue us! Any minute now, we'll hear them come charging to defeat Bajarl and get us outta here!"
"Genki right, chi!"
"Oh yeah? Personally, I think that he's full of…"
"Master Pixie, please…"
"Genki's right, everyone. At any rate, there's no point in arguing now. It's not like we can change this."
"Holly…is right. Fighting…solves nothing."
"Shut up, you overgrown pile of rubble!"
"Master Pixie…"
"No offense, Big Blue…"
"You know, I'm still ticked off at you for shocking me earlier…"
"DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT?!?"
"Eep…"
"Suezo, it was an accident…"
"LIGHTNING!"
KAZAPPP!
"But that wasn't…"
"That wasn't very nice, chi!"
"NANI?"
"Master Pixie, please try to control yourself…"
"We're all a little edgy right now, Pixie. Please try to calm down."
"Humph. Well, all right…"
"Ow…"
"Hey, are we moving?"
"Chi?"
"Whoa-! Yeah, I think we ARE moving!"
"Wha-wha-what's happen-n-ning-g-g-g?"
"What in the he-EEEEEYYYYY…"
"Master Pix-IIIIIEEEEE!"
"CHHHHHIIIIIIIIII!"
* * *
The next thing that the seven travelers knew, the darkness that surrounded them had shifted, and the floor seemed to drop out from beneath them. Light flooded the darkness, and Genki's eyes squeezed shut as it blinded him temporarily. He felt the ground rise up to greet him with a dull THUD, and he winced as Mocchi promptly landed on his stomach, knocking the air out of him. Gasping for breath, Genki finally reopened his eyes to find himself laying on a soft mound of sand that shifted beneath him. Blinking in confusion, he looked around stupidly for a few moments before his thoughts collected themselves enough to tell him what had happened.
"Hey– we're outside again!" he announced, clear eyes widening in surprise as he leapt to his feet, causing Mocchi to fall out of his lap with a squeal. Helping the little monster to stand, Genki then ran to Holly's side and helped her regain her balance as well. Dusting herself off, the girl looked around at the others in confusion.
"What just happened here?" she asked. Genki shrugged, unable to offer a reply. Behind them, Suezo choked and spat out sand as he emerged from the sand dune that Genki had landed on. Blinking furiously to get the gritty sand out of his eye, Suezo immediately began to complain bitterly about how everything horrible seemed to happen to him. Pixie shot him a death glare as she shook sand from her flaming red hair, brushing out the tangles as best she could with her fingers. The two giants of stone and ice came bursting out of the sand next, Golem gasping for air as Big Blue instantly moved to his fuming master's side.
"I am sorry if your re-emergence into the world was not quite up to your expectations," a quiet, calm voice said behind them. As one, the seven rebels whirled to face the speaker, and all of them stared in surprise.
"You?" Pixie spat, unable to believe her widened eyes.
Night Flyer nodded simply in reply, soft green eyes flicking briefly to her fellow pixie before she turned her gaze back to the group in general. Tucked under one arm was Bajarl's pot, and she had already replaced the lid, but that was not what caught the group's attention; that was reserved mainly for the motionless figure that hung limply from where the fingers of her other hand dug into its blue-and-white fur…
"Tiger!" Genki, Holly, Mocchi, Golem, Pixie, and Big Blue exclaimed in unison.
"What?" Suezo asked, still blinking from the sand in his eye. Finally clearing it enough to see, the eyeball monster raised his gaze to the hybrid and promptly gasped as he saw what everyone else was staring at. "Oh Goddess…" he breathed, then his horror sharpened into rage, and he glared up at Night Flyer as he demanded, "What did you do to him?"
"I did nothing," Night Flyer responded acidly, verdant eyes becoming cold as she glared at Suezo. "This was caused by my lord and master, and more directly because of this one's foolish pride." Her voice was dripping with disdain, though whether it was directed at the eyeball monster or at her burden was difficult to judge. "This one attempted to block Lord Naga from reclaiming his precious property, and paid the price for doing so. He has only himself to blame for this!"
She tossed Tiger's motionless form toward the rebels, dropping him like a filthy old rag that she loathed touching, and Golem reflexively moved to catch the blue wolf. He gingerly lowered his precious burden to the ground, and the other searchers gathered around him. Biting her lip as she spied the numerous cuts and gashes that marred her friend's body, Holly gently supported his head in her lap, stroking the bloodstained fur as she stubbornly fought back tears. Clenching his shaking fists at his side, Genki turned and glared up at Night Flyer, who didn't appear to be the least bit disturbed by the scene unfolding before her.
"Why are you doing this?" Genki asked, not bothering to ask where the other member of their team was. He had known the moment he saw Tiger.
"Lord Naga has no real use for you or your rebel friends," Night Flyer replied, cradling the empty pot in her slender arms. "He only needs the little rabbit, and he has already retrieved him. That was the only reason we captured you: whatever happens to you now is of no concern to him. If you find the Phoenix and defeat Moo, then you will actually be helping his plans…so he will let you continue unharrassed by his warriors."
"………" Genki stared up at her, clear eyes shining with determination. Night Flyer could tell what he was thinking by the expression on his face, and she shook her head.
"I warn you, do not try to oppose Lord Naga," she said, spreading her wings even as she spoke. "He is being extremely generous by allowing you to live: Bajarl would have much preferred to kill you while you were trapped. However, Lord Naga chose to spare your lives instead, since you share a common goal: to overthrow Moo. You live merely at my lord's whim: don't waste your life by defying him. I brought your dying friend here on my own, just so you would have a final chance to say goodbye. Use it well, and remember when you take your last look at his lost disc why he has perished…do not make the same mistake."
With that, she spread her wings and, with a quick spring into the air, was gone. Genki watched as she swept away, his eyes wavering.
"Come on, Tiger," Holly pleaded, gently supporting the blue wolf's head with her lap.
"Tiger be okay, chi," Mocchi promised, stroking the blood-soaked fur reassuringly, ignoring the red smears that quickly appeared on his hands. Holly, seeing the deep gashes that marked the lupine monster's chest, was not as certain, yet kept her doubts to herself as she wrapped bandages around his wounds. Suezo and Golem knelt beside her, offering what clumsy help they could.
Genki picked up Hare's bandanna from where Night Flyer had dropped it for him, and the boy held it absently in one hand as he continued to stare in the direction that Night Flyer had flown. Pixie and Big Blue exchanged a knowing look.