Here it is, peeps, part three. Enjoy and review, and if you see this
%$%$%$%$%$% you're going into someone's dreams.
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Holly stared at the orange hat she held in her hands. She stared at the five lost disks that adorned one of her tables, each one having a hole drilled in the center. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, realizing for the first time just how much she had changed. Genki's face alone had said that much to her.
{Why? Why am I the way I am?} she thought, still staring at her reflection. {You know why. Don't lie to yourself, it is considered to be weak.} Her face took it's normal cold, masked look to it again as she picked up the orange hat again. {If emotions are weak, than why is Genki so strong...} She threw on her cape an strode out of the tent, in search of Genki and Pixie as she carried the hat with her...
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Genki walked beside Pixie, chatting quietly as Tai raced ahead of them. "He sure is a lot like you," commented Pixie as Tai watched a man smith some weapons in fascination.
"Hyperactive, curious about everything, full of energy, completely oblivious to danger and ready for adventures. He's not a thing like me!" joked Genki
"You haven't changed a bit either," added Pixie, "I just wish-"
A short scream and loud shouting cut their conversation short as they rushed around some tents and saw a burly man beating a very young woman with a stick as his companions tried to hold him back.
"What's going on here, Stephen?" barked Pixie as she helped the woman to her feet and put herself between the two. Genki stood beside her, fists clenched as he tried to control the urge to sock the guy across the jaw. Tai was behind them, giving the woman his cape to comfort her.
"Nothing, Commander Pixie!" said one of the men hanging onto the burly fellow's arms. "Jack here just had a but too much ale after the fighting-"
"There's nothing wrong with me!" roared Jack, managing to get one arm free as more me dog-piled him. "The wench was with another man, I saw her and was punishing her for it! No daughter of mine will go sleeping with just any man she pleases!"
"I ain't done nothing wrong," cried the young woman, crouching in fear beside Tai. "Pa just walked in the door yelling some nonsense about another man and started beating me, and I was only cooking dinner!"
"You're violating peace codes again, Sub-Captain Jack," growled Pixie, eyes flashing. "I think and attitude change is in order."
"You can't tell me what to do!" argued Jack angrily, "She's my daughter and I'll do with her as I please!"
"Not while I'm in charge you'll not," said Holly evenly as she rounded the corner coolly, stuffing the hat in her belt before anyone could see it.
"General!" cried one of the men, all of them and some of the women who fought as soldiers as well saluted and stood at attention as she passed by them.
Holly nodded at Pixie, their signal that she was taking over from here. "Jack, you've disrupted this camp eight times, all from your drunken rages," said Holly coldly, her gaze so piercing that he was forced to look away after a few moments. She waited for a reply, thinking {Emotions may be good for some, but they make me weak. Generals and Commanders cannot be weak.}
When she did not receive one she continued. "Women, whether daughters wives or friends, are not just for men's amusement, Jack. You should know that by now because of me. Men who mistreat girls and women do not last long around here, I see to that personally. Your sentence is two weeks in the jail and another month besides with no ale, any who give you some of theirs will suffer the same fate. I also strip you of your title as Sub-Captain and give it to Stephan who will now be leading your squad and you shall report to him. Guards, take him away."
"Yes ma'am." The guards who patrolled the camp put the man in chains, leading him through the streets to a large building with empty cells and shut him inside.
Pixie turned to the very young woman, who was called Tori, saying gently, "You can stay with me for awhile. Let's go and get you cleaned up." Tori just nodded, tears streaming silently down her face. They walked away as Pixie did her best to comfort her, a path being made for them through the crowd.
"That was harsh, General," said Genki softly, refusing to look her in the eye, "Partially necessary, but harsh." He turned and walked away after the pair, Tai right behind him before Holly could catch a glimpse of his face.
{You may see it as harsh, but to me it is life} thought Holly, fighting the pain and sadness that welled un inside of her as she walked in the opposite direction. Those were feelings, and feelings meant weakness. She could not be weak. {This time you must change to accept me, Genki. I will remain as I have become...}
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Tori sat in Pixie's tent silently, seeming in a daze as Pixie took care of her cuts and bruises with Tai's help. "Go get more water kid," she ordered gently, "and get that blue bottle on the desk as well."
"Why doesn't he have to help?" Tai complained, nodding over in Genki's direction. The older brother was leaning against the doorpost, looking into the distance sadly.
"Leave him alone," snapped Pixie softly, " He's just been through more than you could ever understand."
"Like what?" demanded Tai as he fetched the items she had asked for. "What about my traumatized life? I just got sucked through a portal and thrown into a battle and now I have to serve some mean Commander while my brother gets to lounge around!"
"You want to talk about me being mean?" asked Pixie irritatedley. "I blasted a twelve year old boy with orange roller blades over a mile high cliff and left him to die after he smacked me for breaking a promise. If you think I'm being mean now you should've seen me then."
Tai's mouth dropped open as his eyes got huge. "YOU DID WHAT??!!!" he cried, looking at Genki who just sweated.
"I'm still alive aren't I?" asked Genki.
"YOU MEAN IT WAS YOU SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!??????" cried Tai, even more distraught than before.
"Oops. You thought she was talking about some one else?" asked Genki sheepishly.
"Well let's see here, DUH!!!"
"Chill, Tai, I'm a tough one to kill," said Genki gently, trying to calm his brother down.
"No kidding," said Pixie wryly, "I still can't figure out how you survived that fall AND managed to climb back up the side of the cliff with that little pink guy on your back the whole way before letting the slaves free and revolting against me."
"And you're still friends because...??" asked Tori in a confused voice, speaking for the first time since the scene with Jack.
"People and monsters can change," answered Genki, glancing at Pixie, "She's proof of that."
"I've seen people change before," whispered Tori, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "But never for the good...both times thing just went down hill."
"Who was that?" asked Genki, knowing who one of them was and wanting to know the other.
"My Pa and the General."
"That's just two out of many," sighed Pixie, fighting the sadness that crept into her voice. "That doesn't mean that it can't happen." She finished patching up the poor girl and started to put all of the bandages and stuff away.
"Who was it who made you change?" Tori asked Pixie, eyes shining with a bit of hope.
"The same scrap of a kid who I tried to kill and came back to haunt me and ultimately defeat me," replied Pixie, looking at Genki with a smile, "He showed me that life wasn't about power and winning, that it was about friends and caring. And that he would be my friend even though I had tried to destroy him."
"Where's your mom?" asked Genki, blushing bright red as he scratched the back his head.
"In heaven, I suppose." She hung her head, trying to hide the tears that poured from her eyes. Genki sighed, kicking himself for asking as Tai hugged the girl. He may've been selfish as times but he certainly wasn't heartless.
"I'm sorry, Tori," apologized Genki, putting a hand on her shoulder as Pixie hugged her as well.
"It's alright," she said quietly, the sobs evident in her voice. "You didn't know."
"No, it's not alright," said Genki earnestly. "I really feel bad for bringing it up..."
"Yes it is," interrupted Tori, wiping away her tears, "I never even knew her. She died when I was three from some fever that broke out in the village. Pa took me to live with my grandma and we stayed with her until she died when I was 10, that's when he started drinking."
"How old are you?" asked Pixie, using a rag to wipe away the rest of the tears. Genki noticed she had gotten to be quite motherly since he had last seen her, and in a way it seemed right to him.
"13, my birthdays in a few months though." The wheels in Pixie's head began to turn and an almost thoughtful look appeared on her face.
"You three stay here," she said, grabbing something off her desk. "And Genki?"
"Yeah?"
"Try not to get into any trouble."
"Hey!" cried Genki, sounding injured. "I haven't gotten into that sort of trouble since I left this place oh so many years ago!"
"My point exactly." Pixie smiled and left quickly, leaving the three alone together in her tent.
"You know, she's right," admitted Tai, getting a pillow thrown into his head by Genki. "Hey! What was that for?"
"For opening you mouth," retorted Genki. He leaned once more against the doorpost and sighed, this was definitely not his day.
"Where's the Commander going?" asked Tori, curling into a little ball on the bench where she sat.
"I don't know, Tori, why?" replied Genki, his clear eyes clouding with worry as he looked over at her still sitting in a fetal position.
"Pa has friends, friends who served under him and wouldn't think twice about hurting a person like you and me...or Commander Pixie for that matter," whispered Tori, shuddering suddenly. "I don't want anyone to get hurt...especially because of me..."
"Don't worry about those guys," Genki reassured her, putting a brotherly arm around her shoulders. "We'll take care of you, and Pixie's too tough to let anything happen to her. Nothing's going to happen to us, I promise."
"But what about General Holly?"
Genki froze slightly, completely at a loss for words as sorrow and disappointment overwhelmed him.
"The General is a better fighter than most of the men you've got here," said Tai, grinning crazily. "She could probably take Genki here easily." He punched Genki's arm, waking him from his daze. "Right Genki?"
"What? Oh, right. She can take care of herself." He got up and walked over to the desk, leaning on it heavily.
"I should hope so," said Pixie from the doorway, Holly right beside her. Genki sighed again, rubbing his eyes with his hand. This was DEFINITELY not his day.
"It's kind of you to worry about me, child," said Holly to Tori, no emotion in her voice what so ever. "But as he said, I can take care of myself." Turning to Genki, she added out of a moment of anger, "What's wrong, Genki? Wish that you could still protect me? I'm not a little girl anymore, and I had to learn to fight for myself when you left. Pixie couldn't always be there for me, so I learned to protect myself, get used to it."
"That's not what it looked like this afternoon," replied Genki, turning away from her.
Tori looked between the two, a spark of understanding flaring up in her eyes quickly before she hid it behind a mask of sadness. Holly glanced at her, doing a double take as she noticed Tai standing beside the girl.
"You must be Tai," she said, her voice back to neutral, regarding the two of them with slight interest.
"I've got some news for you guys," said Pixie with a smile, ignoring the tense air around her, "And I think you're going to like it..."
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{Go back in time a few minutes...}
Pixie strode swiftly around a corner, almost colliding with someone as she realized it was the person she'd been looking for. "General Holly!" she said, grabbing her shoulder before the young woman could get away. "How is it you're always around when I need you?"
"Probably the same way you're always around when I need you," replied Holly calmly. "What can I do for you?"
"I have an idea..."
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"You want me to what?" asked Genki incredulously.
"How hard is this to understand, kid?" asked an annoyed Pixie. "We lost our 2nd Commander in a battle about four months ago and haven't replaced him. You're the Phoenix boy and word has spread through the camp already that you've arrived. What would be better to give them heart than to put you in a position of power and have you lead the next charge against the enemy? Perhaps then we could push these invaders out sooner than we thought."
"And you want me and Tori to be his helpers or whatever?" asked Tai.
"That's the plan." Pixie raised her eyebrows. "Unless of course you're not up to the job and we can find someone else..."
"I never said that," snapped Tai, matching Pixie stare for stare. "I just wanted to make sure I knew what was going on here."
"Then everything's set?" asked Holly, her voice considerably calmer after her last outburst.
"Yeah," agreed Genki, deciding this was what the Phoenix had wanted him to do. Yet as he watched Holly leave he could not help but feel a sliver of doubt...
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Pixie, Genki, Holly, Tori and Tai sat at a round table on a raised dais where the rest of the troops could see them. Monsters mingled freely with humans as the food was served, those eating on the dais going last. Holly stood when everyone was seated, a hush going over the crowd quickly.
"Friends and fighters," she said clearly, her voice ringing throughout the hall like a bell. "This day we were given a surprise visit by an old comrade of mine. His name is Genki, and he is the Phoenix boy!" Cheers could be heard reverberating through the hall, and it wasn't until Genki got up to stand next to Holly that the cried finally died down. "He will become 2nd Commander in our army!" said Holly, holding a badge aloft for all to see before pinning it onto Genki's shirt. "And with his help we will surely win!" The shouts were deafening as the two sat back down, signaling the rest to start their meal.
"Do you think that was exciting enough?" asked Pixie as they began to eat their meals.
"No, there should've been some fireworks and a band playing," replied Tai sarcastically, getting weird looks from everyone. "What?"
"Anyways," said Genki, sighing as he did. "What happened to the others?"
"There was a fight," said Pixie sadly, "Those five, Big Blue, Allen, and many others you didn't know went and stormed the enemy's fort, hoping free several hundred of ours that were in their dungeons. Needless to say, we lost. Holly was the only survivor."
"Which reminds me," said Holly softly, refusing to look any of them in the eye. "Here's the hat you gave him." She handed him an orange baseball hat.
Genki took it, sighing as he pushed his plate back. "I'm not hungry, guys," he whispered, fighting back tears. "I'll see you back at the tents later." He left without another word, slipping away silently.
"Where's he going?" Tai asked Pixie.
"I don't know, kid. I really don't know..."
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Tori walked beneath the stars, going to her favorite spot outside of camp. They weren't supposed to go outside during the night incase of an attack, but when she had needed to get away from her father she went there anyways.
Seeing someone sitting below her tree, she crept noiselessly up behind them, wanting to see who it was. It was Genki, sitting there desolately with the orange hat in his hands and staring at the sky sadly.
"Are you ok?" asked Tori, scaring the wits out of Genki in the process. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"That's alright," sighed Genki, settling back down with his back to the tree. "What did you want?"
"I usually come out here when Pa had been drinking to get away from him, or I just want to get away from the camp," replied Tori softly. "I noticed you were here and asked if you were ok."
"Oh. I'm alright, just a bit shocked, that's all," sighed Genki, motioning for her to sit next to him.
"What ever it is, I'm sure it'll be ok," said Tori, trying to comfort him. "You seem like the kind of guy who would never give up."
"Thanks, Tori," said Genki, giving her a small smile. "You remind me of someone with your kindness."
"Who?"
"Holly."
"Huh? The General Holly I know isn't that kind, Genki."
"I mean from the last time I was here. Before she was a General."
"Oh." Tori frowned slightly, not being able to see Holly as kind. "The General used to be kind?"
"Yes, very kind. Let me tell you about it...
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Holly sat up in the branches of the tree, listening quietly. She had left the hall soon after Genki, tracking him down to make sure he was all right. He didn't know she was there, the last thing she wanted to happen was to appear weak and if he knew she was there they'd probably talk about old times, which was when she was weak. Or at least when she thought she had been weak.
{My only use then had been to use the magic stone for others} she thought, listening to Genki tell Tori about all their adventures together. About the defeat of Moo and coming back home.
"She was the strongest person I knew," said Genki to Tori, "But not because she could fight the baddies, or win by herself. But because she loved everyone around her and gave her love more freely than I did with my friendship. She was stronger than I, even though I'd never admit it to anyone." He looked at the younger girl again, studying her intently.
{He thought I was strong...} thought Holly, not giving her position away.
"What?" asked Tori, noticing his gaze after a few minutes.
"You really do remind me of her. She was about 13 then to, brown eye like yours that were practically radiating with love and compassion. Not cold and hard as ice like they are now. She looked young and innocent, almost fragile just like you, but still had that resilient spirit that you posses that never seems to give up. She apparently hasn't lost that, but still she is not that same and it hurts me to see her like this."
"This is completely off the subject," said Tori quietly, trying to change the subject. "But did Commander Pixie really blow you over a cliff and leave you to die?"
"Yep, the first time we met. She promised to do something if I did something, but broke that promise so I slapped her and almost got myself killed. Moochi was with me, that little pink baby monster. I unlocked him, you know. He was my monster. I promised him I'd be back some day, and I am just too late to save him." Genki wiped away a few stray tears, sniffling slightly.
"Is that who you gave the hat to?" asked Tori, pointing at the hat.
"Yep, I gave it to him the day I left. And I never saw him again."
Holly still sat quietly in the tree, trying to remain as impassive as ever. But for the first time in many years she felt a slight stirring inside of her and wondered what was going on...
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Pixie sat in her bedroom in her tent, the back of which backed right up to Holly's, thinking about the future. She was not a young Pixie anymore, time was catching up to her regardless of what others may say.
She had hoped beyond anything that Genki would bring Holly back to the way she used to be. She had long since failed, the girl had refused to listen to her reasoning the moment she was well enough to be General again from that attack. Things had been almost hopeless for years, until now...
Pixie stood up, her bones creaking as she did. Her body was reminding her that it no longer was able to fight half the day and be a Commander for the other half without some pain. "What I would give to be young again," muttered Pixie, looking up at the Lost Disk that was on her table. It was Big Blue's, and she cherished it in memory of her old friend. "I wonder, Blue," she said softly, looking out her window at the stars. "What would you do?"
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Holly lay tossing and turning in her bed that night, dreaming a nightmare from the past...
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Bodies were strewn everywhere, both from her side and the other's alike. The fire in her eyes was still sharp and bright, though her body was weak and battered. Her left arm hung useless, the shield it had held long since torn away, and her right screaming in pain as she continued to swing her sword and slay her enemies. She hated killing then, hated ending another's life. But it was her or them and she had no intention of dieing.
"Holly, chi!" cried Moochi, completely surrounded and cut off from the others as he fought to stay alive. "Help, chi!"
"Moochi!" she cried, trying to reach him in time. But the wounds he received were to great even for the hardy little Moochi to handle. Just as she cut down his last assailant he started to fade, handing her his orange cap.
"Give it to Genki, chi," he squeaked, beginning to glow. "Tell him I'm sorry..."
"Noooo!!" cried Holly, putting it in her belt and going back in with renewed energy and force. But her friends around her were dying by the minute. Next was Hare, beheaded by a Joker and then Suezo who had a spear coming through his eye. Golem was crushed under a dog pile of other rock giants, Big Blue went with him trying to save his friend.
Soon it was just her, Tiger and Allen as they grouped in a corner, watching as the enemy prepared for the next charge. All were bone tired and ready to die themselves, but determined to take a few more with them if they had to go.
"Be strong and die well," said Allen, knowing his time had come as the charge ran towards him.
"Be strong and die well," replied his two companions, readying themselves for the wave of invaders that came at them. They trio fought valiantly, but soon Allen was cut down by a well-thrown Durahan sword that went through his stomach, blood pouring everywhere. He staggered back as Holly screamed his name, running to his side and leaving Tiger to fight by himself.
"You can't leave me," whispered Holly as she used her good arm to remove the blade. "I need your help being General, you can't die, I won't let you..."
"Run, Holly," gasped Allen, giving her hand a final squeeze as the light faded from his eyes. "Run from here and save yourself..."
'Thud!' Tiger landed next to her, a dozen arrows protruding from his hide as he looked at Holly sadly.
"I'm sorry," he sighed, closing his eyes. "I have failed..." He glowed and turned into a lost disk, and the final cord that had held reason and her body together snapped. Her vision went red, a burst of anger and hate like she had never felt running through her veins as she picked up her sword and growled menacingly.
"You want me?" she snarled, actual hate showing in her eyes for the first time. "Come and get me..." The next part was always a blur, a blur of blood and cries of pain, some her own, as she cut down the soldiers before her without mercy. Slash, thrust, dodge, jump, clash, smash, slice, cut, hack, chop, graze, scratch, dart to the right, zip to the left, cut down another, take one more of the lives of her friends.
It always ended as before, a sword appeared at her throat, Allen's sword held by another who stood before her. General Liam, the leader of the invaders that was trying to take over her home.
"Look who we have here, men," he taunted, pressing the blade hard enough against her skin to pierce it slightly, drops of blood flowing onto the blade to merge with the ones that were already there. "Drop your weapon, General of the Phoenix." She obeyed, but as soon as she had straightened up her dagger whipped from her sleeve to his throat.
"Die, General of the Ingrates and Morons," she said softly. "Die."
"I'll behead you for that!" cried one of the men, drawing his ax and raising it over his head.
"Wait!" cried anther, it was General Liam's nephew, Goren. His left hand was a bloody stump wrapped up in bandages from an earlier encounter with her. "Uncle had a punishment for her, and I will enforce it since it will be worse than death itself to her." He ordered for a shackle to be put on her feet and to it a chain was attached. To the chain the six Lost disks of her dearest friends were attached, a hole bored into each for the chain to go through. Also her sword and Allen's were attached, the weight almost too much for her to pull.
"Now walk," ordered Goren, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Walk back to your precious camp and tell them of your defeat. Tell them why you're still alive. Show them that you lost."
She had half a mind to just lie down and die right there, just to spite him. But that would mean admitting defeat, something she had sworn not to do. She walked the two-day march without rest back to her camp, walked the two-day march without food or water. And during that two-day walk her heart had become as cold as ice, hard as stone.
She could feel the weight dragging her back. She could smell and taste her blood as it dripped from her numerous wounds. She could hear her screams and cries of agony as she forced herself to push on. She could feel the pain...
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Holly sat up in bed, panting loudly, heart pounding as she tried to clear her head of the haze. She threw on some pants and an over tunic before grabbing a sword from the rack and running out her door. Slipping through the gates, she eluded the guards that made their rounds every few minutes and got outside of camp away from everyone else on the other side of a hill.
She unsheathed the sword, running through a drill she knew before she realized it wasn't hers, the weighting was different as well as the grip. Glancing down, she dropped it with a cry, it was Allen's. Falling on her knees she felt for the scar that that very blade had given her, guided by the hands of General Liam before she had killed him and shortly after having sliced off his nephew's hand. She could feel it pulsating with the beat of her heart, feeling like it would burst any moment from the pressure...
Soft footsteps padded up quietly behind her, instinct making her whip the sword around, still on her knees, around to the throat of her stalker. The moonlight revealed a very worried and sleep deprived Pixie as Holly dropped the blade, eyes filling with tears for the first time in four years.
"You had a night mare, about the battle at the fort," whispered Pixie. Holly had never told them what had actually happened other than they lost and the rest were dead.
"I saw them die again, Pixie. I've dreamed of them all, seeing them just one more time, but never of the fight, never of the killing. I could smell the fires and taste the blood, the pain was as real as it had been, the screams still echo in my head, the pain...it was so real..."
"Shh, Holly," said Pixie, getting down beside her and giving her a hug. "Let's go back to my tent and get something warm to drink, it's cold out here and you forgot your cape."
"Why am I so weak, Pixie?" asked Holly, studying her right hand as she ignored the suggestion.
"Weak? You can take any person in this army or the others one. You are one of the last people I would call weak."
"I heard Genki and Tori talking after dinner, and he said I used to be the strongest person he knew. But that it hurt him to see me like this. Why..."
"Why what?"
"I don't know. It's like I've forgotten who I am. Who I was. Who I need to be..." Holly looked at Pixie, eyes wide that were for once not filled with coldness but were warm and caring. "I'm scared, Pixie. I scare myself. But I'm also scared that if I show any weakness they'll lose confidence in me and stop fighting."
"Come on," said Pixie gently. "Let's go back. I left Tori in there by herself and I want to get there before she wakes up."
The two highest-ranking officials in the army walked silently back to the camp, and for the first time in years Pixie felt like she had found her friend.
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Genki, in the mean time, was dreaming dreams of his own....
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Before him was a shrine, the same one they had unlocked the Phoenix from, The roof had been repaired from the Phoenix bursting through it and the field had grown back after being burnt away by the flames of the battle.
"Genki..." called a voice from nowhere.
"Who's there?" he yelled back, turning around in circles.
"Genki..." He was drawn towards the Shrine for some reason and walked slowly towards it, looking around as he went.
"Who are you?" he called, reaching the door of the Shrine.
"Come in and see..."
He walked in cautiously, taking one of the torches from the wall hanger to light his way.
"Where are you?" he called, catching sight of a light down a corridor to his left. He chased after it, only finding an empty hallway in the end.
"Are you still there?" asked Genki, feeling rather foolish.
"Keep going Phoenix boy....keep going...."
Genki walked quickly on, a faint glow coming from around the next corner. Around each one it got brighter and brighter until he rounded the last bend and was dazzled by a small sphere the size of his fist that radiated red and gold light brighter than the sun.
"Hello Genki," said a voice from the other side of the sphere.
"Phoenix?" asked Genki, walking around it amazed. The walls were covered in old runes and pictures. "Where are you?"
"Look into the globe..." Genki obeyed, and he saw the Phoenix there, trapped in his tiny prison.
"Look at the wall Genki..." He did and saw to armies racing toward each other, stopped only by two figures that he could not identify with their hands clasped in the middle. "Do not forget what I told you, Genki," said the Phoenix, sounding sad. "I can only return for the second time if the prophecy in full filled."
"when brown becomes ice, a heart cold as stone
the boy shall be found and be brought back to his own
the foes shall collide, a bloody massacre in sight
that shall only be prevented if two of old unite"
The words consumed Genki, flowing through him as a red haze began to fill his vision, clouding out the scene. It twisted and taunted, yet was never truly gone...
"The boy shall be found...
be found...
found and brought back...
back to his own...
to his own...
the foes...
foes shall collide...
a bloody...
bloody massacre in sight...
in sight...
that shall only...
only be prevented...
if the two of old unite...
two of old...
of old...
old unite...
two of old unite ...
unite...
unite...
unite...
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There you have it, the next chapter. I know some of you love all my writings but due to some rather pressing issues the next update will not be until April if not later. My deepest apologies, I'd rather be writing this stuff myself but it will not be so. If you have any questions or comments, review or email me at baritone_gurl@altavista.com, toodles!
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Holly stared at the orange hat she held in her hands. She stared at the five lost disks that adorned one of her tables, each one having a hole drilled in the center. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, realizing for the first time just how much she had changed. Genki's face alone had said that much to her.
{Why? Why am I the way I am?} she thought, still staring at her reflection. {You know why. Don't lie to yourself, it is considered to be weak.} Her face took it's normal cold, masked look to it again as she picked up the orange hat again. {If emotions are weak, than why is Genki so strong...} She threw on her cape an strode out of the tent, in search of Genki and Pixie as she carried the hat with her...
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Genki walked beside Pixie, chatting quietly as Tai raced ahead of them. "He sure is a lot like you," commented Pixie as Tai watched a man smith some weapons in fascination.
"Hyperactive, curious about everything, full of energy, completely oblivious to danger and ready for adventures. He's not a thing like me!" joked Genki
"You haven't changed a bit either," added Pixie, "I just wish-"
A short scream and loud shouting cut their conversation short as they rushed around some tents and saw a burly man beating a very young woman with a stick as his companions tried to hold him back.
"What's going on here, Stephen?" barked Pixie as she helped the woman to her feet and put herself between the two. Genki stood beside her, fists clenched as he tried to control the urge to sock the guy across the jaw. Tai was behind them, giving the woman his cape to comfort her.
"Nothing, Commander Pixie!" said one of the men hanging onto the burly fellow's arms. "Jack here just had a but too much ale after the fighting-"
"There's nothing wrong with me!" roared Jack, managing to get one arm free as more me dog-piled him. "The wench was with another man, I saw her and was punishing her for it! No daughter of mine will go sleeping with just any man she pleases!"
"I ain't done nothing wrong," cried the young woman, crouching in fear beside Tai. "Pa just walked in the door yelling some nonsense about another man and started beating me, and I was only cooking dinner!"
"You're violating peace codes again, Sub-Captain Jack," growled Pixie, eyes flashing. "I think and attitude change is in order."
"You can't tell me what to do!" argued Jack angrily, "She's my daughter and I'll do with her as I please!"
"Not while I'm in charge you'll not," said Holly evenly as she rounded the corner coolly, stuffing the hat in her belt before anyone could see it.
"General!" cried one of the men, all of them and some of the women who fought as soldiers as well saluted and stood at attention as she passed by them.
Holly nodded at Pixie, their signal that she was taking over from here. "Jack, you've disrupted this camp eight times, all from your drunken rages," said Holly coldly, her gaze so piercing that he was forced to look away after a few moments. She waited for a reply, thinking {Emotions may be good for some, but they make me weak. Generals and Commanders cannot be weak.}
When she did not receive one she continued. "Women, whether daughters wives or friends, are not just for men's amusement, Jack. You should know that by now because of me. Men who mistreat girls and women do not last long around here, I see to that personally. Your sentence is two weeks in the jail and another month besides with no ale, any who give you some of theirs will suffer the same fate. I also strip you of your title as Sub-Captain and give it to Stephan who will now be leading your squad and you shall report to him. Guards, take him away."
"Yes ma'am." The guards who patrolled the camp put the man in chains, leading him through the streets to a large building with empty cells and shut him inside.
Pixie turned to the very young woman, who was called Tori, saying gently, "You can stay with me for awhile. Let's go and get you cleaned up." Tori just nodded, tears streaming silently down her face. They walked away as Pixie did her best to comfort her, a path being made for them through the crowd.
"That was harsh, General," said Genki softly, refusing to look her in the eye, "Partially necessary, but harsh." He turned and walked away after the pair, Tai right behind him before Holly could catch a glimpse of his face.
{You may see it as harsh, but to me it is life} thought Holly, fighting the pain and sadness that welled un inside of her as she walked in the opposite direction. Those were feelings, and feelings meant weakness. She could not be weak. {This time you must change to accept me, Genki. I will remain as I have become...}
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Tori sat in Pixie's tent silently, seeming in a daze as Pixie took care of her cuts and bruises with Tai's help. "Go get more water kid," she ordered gently, "and get that blue bottle on the desk as well."
"Why doesn't he have to help?" Tai complained, nodding over in Genki's direction. The older brother was leaning against the doorpost, looking into the distance sadly.
"Leave him alone," snapped Pixie softly, " He's just been through more than you could ever understand."
"Like what?" demanded Tai as he fetched the items she had asked for. "What about my traumatized life? I just got sucked through a portal and thrown into a battle and now I have to serve some mean Commander while my brother gets to lounge around!"
"You want to talk about me being mean?" asked Pixie irritatedley. "I blasted a twelve year old boy with orange roller blades over a mile high cliff and left him to die after he smacked me for breaking a promise. If you think I'm being mean now you should've seen me then."
Tai's mouth dropped open as his eyes got huge. "YOU DID WHAT??!!!" he cried, looking at Genki who just sweated.
"I'm still alive aren't I?" asked Genki.
"YOU MEAN IT WAS YOU SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!??????" cried Tai, even more distraught than before.
"Oops. You thought she was talking about some one else?" asked Genki sheepishly.
"Well let's see here, DUH!!!"
"Chill, Tai, I'm a tough one to kill," said Genki gently, trying to calm his brother down.
"No kidding," said Pixie wryly, "I still can't figure out how you survived that fall AND managed to climb back up the side of the cliff with that little pink guy on your back the whole way before letting the slaves free and revolting against me."
"And you're still friends because...??" asked Tori in a confused voice, speaking for the first time since the scene with Jack.
"People and monsters can change," answered Genki, glancing at Pixie, "She's proof of that."
"I've seen people change before," whispered Tori, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "But never for the good...both times thing just went down hill."
"Who was that?" asked Genki, knowing who one of them was and wanting to know the other.
"My Pa and the General."
"That's just two out of many," sighed Pixie, fighting the sadness that crept into her voice. "That doesn't mean that it can't happen." She finished patching up the poor girl and started to put all of the bandages and stuff away.
"Who was it who made you change?" Tori asked Pixie, eyes shining with a bit of hope.
"The same scrap of a kid who I tried to kill and came back to haunt me and ultimately defeat me," replied Pixie, looking at Genki with a smile, "He showed me that life wasn't about power and winning, that it was about friends and caring. And that he would be my friend even though I had tried to destroy him."
"Where's your mom?" asked Genki, blushing bright red as he scratched the back his head.
"In heaven, I suppose." She hung her head, trying to hide the tears that poured from her eyes. Genki sighed, kicking himself for asking as Tai hugged the girl. He may've been selfish as times but he certainly wasn't heartless.
"I'm sorry, Tori," apologized Genki, putting a hand on her shoulder as Pixie hugged her as well.
"It's alright," she said quietly, the sobs evident in her voice. "You didn't know."
"No, it's not alright," said Genki earnestly. "I really feel bad for bringing it up..."
"Yes it is," interrupted Tori, wiping away her tears, "I never even knew her. She died when I was three from some fever that broke out in the village. Pa took me to live with my grandma and we stayed with her until she died when I was 10, that's when he started drinking."
"How old are you?" asked Pixie, using a rag to wipe away the rest of the tears. Genki noticed she had gotten to be quite motherly since he had last seen her, and in a way it seemed right to him.
"13, my birthdays in a few months though." The wheels in Pixie's head began to turn and an almost thoughtful look appeared on her face.
"You three stay here," she said, grabbing something off her desk. "And Genki?"
"Yeah?"
"Try not to get into any trouble."
"Hey!" cried Genki, sounding injured. "I haven't gotten into that sort of trouble since I left this place oh so many years ago!"
"My point exactly." Pixie smiled and left quickly, leaving the three alone together in her tent.
"You know, she's right," admitted Tai, getting a pillow thrown into his head by Genki. "Hey! What was that for?"
"For opening you mouth," retorted Genki. He leaned once more against the doorpost and sighed, this was definitely not his day.
"Where's the Commander going?" asked Tori, curling into a little ball on the bench where she sat.
"I don't know, Tori, why?" replied Genki, his clear eyes clouding with worry as he looked over at her still sitting in a fetal position.
"Pa has friends, friends who served under him and wouldn't think twice about hurting a person like you and me...or Commander Pixie for that matter," whispered Tori, shuddering suddenly. "I don't want anyone to get hurt...especially because of me..."
"Don't worry about those guys," Genki reassured her, putting a brotherly arm around her shoulders. "We'll take care of you, and Pixie's too tough to let anything happen to her. Nothing's going to happen to us, I promise."
"But what about General Holly?"
Genki froze slightly, completely at a loss for words as sorrow and disappointment overwhelmed him.
"The General is a better fighter than most of the men you've got here," said Tai, grinning crazily. "She could probably take Genki here easily." He punched Genki's arm, waking him from his daze. "Right Genki?"
"What? Oh, right. She can take care of herself." He got up and walked over to the desk, leaning on it heavily.
"I should hope so," said Pixie from the doorway, Holly right beside her. Genki sighed again, rubbing his eyes with his hand. This was DEFINITELY not his day.
"It's kind of you to worry about me, child," said Holly to Tori, no emotion in her voice what so ever. "But as he said, I can take care of myself." Turning to Genki, she added out of a moment of anger, "What's wrong, Genki? Wish that you could still protect me? I'm not a little girl anymore, and I had to learn to fight for myself when you left. Pixie couldn't always be there for me, so I learned to protect myself, get used to it."
"That's not what it looked like this afternoon," replied Genki, turning away from her.
Tori looked between the two, a spark of understanding flaring up in her eyes quickly before she hid it behind a mask of sadness. Holly glanced at her, doing a double take as she noticed Tai standing beside the girl.
"You must be Tai," she said, her voice back to neutral, regarding the two of them with slight interest.
"I've got some news for you guys," said Pixie with a smile, ignoring the tense air around her, "And I think you're going to like it..."
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{Go back in time a few minutes...}
Pixie strode swiftly around a corner, almost colliding with someone as she realized it was the person she'd been looking for. "General Holly!" she said, grabbing her shoulder before the young woman could get away. "How is it you're always around when I need you?"
"Probably the same way you're always around when I need you," replied Holly calmly. "What can I do for you?"
"I have an idea..."
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"You want me to what?" asked Genki incredulously.
"How hard is this to understand, kid?" asked an annoyed Pixie. "We lost our 2nd Commander in a battle about four months ago and haven't replaced him. You're the Phoenix boy and word has spread through the camp already that you've arrived. What would be better to give them heart than to put you in a position of power and have you lead the next charge against the enemy? Perhaps then we could push these invaders out sooner than we thought."
"And you want me and Tori to be his helpers or whatever?" asked Tai.
"That's the plan." Pixie raised her eyebrows. "Unless of course you're not up to the job and we can find someone else..."
"I never said that," snapped Tai, matching Pixie stare for stare. "I just wanted to make sure I knew what was going on here."
"Then everything's set?" asked Holly, her voice considerably calmer after her last outburst.
"Yeah," agreed Genki, deciding this was what the Phoenix had wanted him to do. Yet as he watched Holly leave he could not help but feel a sliver of doubt...
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Pixie, Genki, Holly, Tori and Tai sat at a round table on a raised dais where the rest of the troops could see them. Monsters mingled freely with humans as the food was served, those eating on the dais going last. Holly stood when everyone was seated, a hush going over the crowd quickly.
"Friends and fighters," she said clearly, her voice ringing throughout the hall like a bell. "This day we were given a surprise visit by an old comrade of mine. His name is Genki, and he is the Phoenix boy!" Cheers could be heard reverberating through the hall, and it wasn't until Genki got up to stand next to Holly that the cried finally died down. "He will become 2nd Commander in our army!" said Holly, holding a badge aloft for all to see before pinning it onto Genki's shirt. "And with his help we will surely win!" The shouts were deafening as the two sat back down, signaling the rest to start their meal.
"Do you think that was exciting enough?" asked Pixie as they began to eat their meals.
"No, there should've been some fireworks and a band playing," replied Tai sarcastically, getting weird looks from everyone. "What?"
"Anyways," said Genki, sighing as he did. "What happened to the others?"
"There was a fight," said Pixie sadly, "Those five, Big Blue, Allen, and many others you didn't know went and stormed the enemy's fort, hoping free several hundred of ours that were in their dungeons. Needless to say, we lost. Holly was the only survivor."
"Which reminds me," said Holly softly, refusing to look any of them in the eye. "Here's the hat you gave him." She handed him an orange baseball hat.
Genki took it, sighing as he pushed his plate back. "I'm not hungry, guys," he whispered, fighting back tears. "I'll see you back at the tents later." He left without another word, slipping away silently.
"Where's he going?" Tai asked Pixie.
"I don't know, kid. I really don't know..."
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Tori walked beneath the stars, going to her favorite spot outside of camp. They weren't supposed to go outside during the night incase of an attack, but when she had needed to get away from her father she went there anyways.
Seeing someone sitting below her tree, she crept noiselessly up behind them, wanting to see who it was. It was Genki, sitting there desolately with the orange hat in his hands and staring at the sky sadly.
"Are you ok?" asked Tori, scaring the wits out of Genki in the process. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"That's alright," sighed Genki, settling back down with his back to the tree. "What did you want?"
"I usually come out here when Pa had been drinking to get away from him, or I just want to get away from the camp," replied Tori softly. "I noticed you were here and asked if you were ok."
"Oh. I'm alright, just a bit shocked, that's all," sighed Genki, motioning for her to sit next to him.
"What ever it is, I'm sure it'll be ok," said Tori, trying to comfort him. "You seem like the kind of guy who would never give up."
"Thanks, Tori," said Genki, giving her a small smile. "You remind me of someone with your kindness."
"Who?"
"Holly."
"Huh? The General Holly I know isn't that kind, Genki."
"I mean from the last time I was here. Before she was a General."
"Oh." Tori frowned slightly, not being able to see Holly as kind. "The General used to be kind?"
"Yes, very kind. Let me tell you about it...
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Holly sat up in the branches of the tree, listening quietly. She had left the hall soon after Genki, tracking him down to make sure he was all right. He didn't know she was there, the last thing she wanted to happen was to appear weak and if he knew she was there they'd probably talk about old times, which was when she was weak. Or at least when she thought she had been weak.
{My only use then had been to use the magic stone for others} she thought, listening to Genki tell Tori about all their adventures together. About the defeat of Moo and coming back home.
"She was the strongest person I knew," said Genki to Tori, "But not because she could fight the baddies, or win by herself. But because she loved everyone around her and gave her love more freely than I did with my friendship. She was stronger than I, even though I'd never admit it to anyone." He looked at the younger girl again, studying her intently.
{He thought I was strong...} thought Holly, not giving her position away.
"What?" asked Tori, noticing his gaze after a few minutes.
"You really do remind me of her. She was about 13 then to, brown eye like yours that were practically radiating with love and compassion. Not cold and hard as ice like they are now. She looked young and innocent, almost fragile just like you, but still had that resilient spirit that you posses that never seems to give up. She apparently hasn't lost that, but still she is not that same and it hurts me to see her like this."
"This is completely off the subject," said Tori quietly, trying to change the subject. "But did Commander Pixie really blow you over a cliff and leave you to die?"
"Yep, the first time we met. She promised to do something if I did something, but broke that promise so I slapped her and almost got myself killed. Moochi was with me, that little pink baby monster. I unlocked him, you know. He was my monster. I promised him I'd be back some day, and I am just too late to save him." Genki wiped away a few stray tears, sniffling slightly.
"Is that who you gave the hat to?" asked Tori, pointing at the hat.
"Yep, I gave it to him the day I left. And I never saw him again."
Holly still sat quietly in the tree, trying to remain as impassive as ever. But for the first time in many years she felt a slight stirring inside of her and wondered what was going on...
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Pixie sat in her bedroom in her tent, the back of which backed right up to Holly's, thinking about the future. She was not a young Pixie anymore, time was catching up to her regardless of what others may say.
She had hoped beyond anything that Genki would bring Holly back to the way she used to be. She had long since failed, the girl had refused to listen to her reasoning the moment she was well enough to be General again from that attack. Things had been almost hopeless for years, until now...
Pixie stood up, her bones creaking as she did. Her body was reminding her that it no longer was able to fight half the day and be a Commander for the other half without some pain. "What I would give to be young again," muttered Pixie, looking up at the Lost Disk that was on her table. It was Big Blue's, and she cherished it in memory of her old friend. "I wonder, Blue," she said softly, looking out her window at the stars. "What would you do?"
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Holly lay tossing and turning in her bed that night, dreaming a nightmare from the past...
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Bodies were strewn everywhere, both from her side and the other's alike. The fire in her eyes was still sharp and bright, though her body was weak and battered. Her left arm hung useless, the shield it had held long since torn away, and her right screaming in pain as she continued to swing her sword and slay her enemies. She hated killing then, hated ending another's life. But it was her or them and she had no intention of dieing.
"Holly, chi!" cried Moochi, completely surrounded and cut off from the others as he fought to stay alive. "Help, chi!"
"Moochi!" she cried, trying to reach him in time. But the wounds he received were to great even for the hardy little Moochi to handle. Just as she cut down his last assailant he started to fade, handing her his orange cap.
"Give it to Genki, chi," he squeaked, beginning to glow. "Tell him I'm sorry..."
"Noooo!!" cried Holly, putting it in her belt and going back in with renewed energy and force. But her friends around her were dying by the minute. Next was Hare, beheaded by a Joker and then Suezo who had a spear coming through his eye. Golem was crushed under a dog pile of other rock giants, Big Blue went with him trying to save his friend.
Soon it was just her, Tiger and Allen as they grouped in a corner, watching as the enemy prepared for the next charge. All were bone tired and ready to die themselves, but determined to take a few more with them if they had to go.
"Be strong and die well," said Allen, knowing his time had come as the charge ran towards him.
"Be strong and die well," replied his two companions, readying themselves for the wave of invaders that came at them. They trio fought valiantly, but soon Allen was cut down by a well-thrown Durahan sword that went through his stomach, blood pouring everywhere. He staggered back as Holly screamed his name, running to his side and leaving Tiger to fight by himself.
"You can't leave me," whispered Holly as she used her good arm to remove the blade. "I need your help being General, you can't die, I won't let you..."
"Run, Holly," gasped Allen, giving her hand a final squeeze as the light faded from his eyes. "Run from here and save yourself..."
'Thud!' Tiger landed next to her, a dozen arrows protruding from his hide as he looked at Holly sadly.
"I'm sorry," he sighed, closing his eyes. "I have failed..." He glowed and turned into a lost disk, and the final cord that had held reason and her body together snapped. Her vision went red, a burst of anger and hate like she had never felt running through her veins as she picked up her sword and growled menacingly.
"You want me?" she snarled, actual hate showing in her eyes for the first time. "Come and get me..." The next part was always a blur, a blur of blood and cries of pain, some her own, as she cut down the soldiers before her without mercy. Slash, thrust, dodge, jump, clash, smash, slice, cut, hack, chop, graze, scratch, dart to the right, zip to the left, cut down another, take one more of the lives of her friends.
It always ended as before, a sword appeared at her throat, Allen's sword held by another who stood before her. General Liam, the leader of the invaders that was trying to take over her home.
"Look who we have here, men," he taunted, pressing the blade hard enough against her skin to pierce it slightly, drops of blood flowing onto the blade to merge with the ones that were already there. "Drop your weapon, General of the Phoenix." She obeyed, but as soon as she had straightened up her dagger whipped from her sleeve to his throat.
"Die, General of the Ingrates and Morons," she said softly. "Die."
"I'll behead you for that!" cried one of the men, drawing his ax and raising it over his head.
"Wait!" cried anther, it was General Liam's nephew, Goren. His left hand was a bloody stump wrapped up in bandages from an earlier encounter with her. "Uncle had a punishment for her, and I will enforce it since it will be worse than death itself to her." He ordered for a shackle to be put on her feet and to it a chain was attached. To the chain the six Lost disks of her dearest friends were attached, a hole bored into each for the chain to go through. Also her sword and Allen's were attached, the weight almost too much for her to pull.
"Now walk," ordered Goren, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Walk back to your precious camp and tell them of your defeat. Tell them why you're still alive. Show them that you lost."
She had half a mind to just lie down and die right there, just to spite him. But that would mean admitting defeat, something she had sworn not to do. She walked the two-day march without rest back to her camp, walked the two-day march without food or water. And during that two-day walk her heart had become as cold as ice, hard as stone.
She could feel the weight dragging her back. She could smell and taste her blood as it dripped from her numerous wounds. She could hear her screams and cries of agony as she forced herself to push on. She could feel the pain...
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Holly sat up in bed, panting loudly, heart pounding as she tried to clear her head of the haze. She threw on some pants and an over tunic before grabbing a sword from the rack and running out her door. Slipping through the gates, she eluded the guards that made their rounds every few minutes and got outside of camp away from everyone else on the other side of a hill.
She unsheathed the sword, running through a drill she knew before she realized it wasn't hers, the weighting was different as well as the grip. Glancing down, she dropped it with a cry, it was Allen's. Falling on her knees she felt for the scar that that very blade had given her, guided by the hands of General Liam before she had killed him and shortly after having sliced off his nephew's hand. She could feel it pulsating with the beat of her heart, feeling like it would burst any moment from the pressure...
Soft footsteps padded up quietly behind her, instinct making her whip the sword around, still on her knees, around to the throat of her stalker. The moonlight revealed a very worried and sleep deprived Pixie as Holly dropped the blade, eyes filling with tears for the first time in four years.
"You had a night mare, about the battle at the fort," whispered Pixie. Holly had never told them what had actually happened other than they lost and the rest were dead.
"I saw them die again, Pixie. I've dreamed of them all, seeing them just one more time, but never of the fight, never of the killing. I could smell the fires and taste the blood, the pain was as real as it had been, the screams still echo in my head, the pain...it was so real..."
"Shh, Holly," said Pixie, getting down beside her and giving her a hug. "Let's go back to my tent and get something warm to drink, it's cold out here and you forgot your cape."
"Why am I so weak, Pixie?" asked Holly, studying her right hand as she ignored the suggestion.
"Weak? You can take any person in this army or the others one. You are one of the last people I would call weak."
"I heard Genki and Tori talking after dinner, and he said I used to be the strongest person he knew. But that it hurt him to see me like this. Why..."
"Why what?"
"I don't know. It's like I've forgotten who I am. Who I was. Who I need to be..." Holly looked at Pixie, eyes wide that were for once not filled with coldness but were warm and caring. "I'm scared, Pixie. I scare myself. But I'm also scared that if I show any weakness they'll lose confidence in me and stop fighting."
"Come on," said Pixie gently. "Let's go back. I left Tori in there by herself and I want to get there before she wakes up."
The two highest-ranking officials in the army walked silently back to the camp, and for the first time in years Pixie felt like she had found her friend.
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Genki, in the mean time, was dreaming dreams of his own....
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Before him was a shrine, the same one they had unlocked the Phoenix from, The roof had been repaired from the Phoenix bursting through it and the field had grown back after being burnt away by the flames of the battle.
"Genki..." called a voice from nowhere.
"Who's there?" he yelled back, turning around in circles.
"Genki..." He was drawn towards the Shrine for some reason and walked slowly towards it, looking around as he went.
"Who are you?" he called, reaching the door of the Shrine.
"Come in and see..."
He walked in cautiously, taking one of the torches from the wall hanger to light his way.
"Where are you?" he called, catching sight of a light down a corridor to his left. He chased after it, only finding an empty hallway in the end.
"Are you still there?" asked Genki, feeling rather foolish.
"Keep going Phoenix boy....keep going...."
Genki walked quickly on, a faint glow coming from around the next corner. Around each one it got brighter and brighter until he rounded the last bend and was dazzled by a small sphere the size of his fist that radiated red and gold light brighter than the sun.
"Hello Genki," said a voice from the other side of the sphere.
"Phoenix?" asked Genki, walking around it amazed. The walls were covered in old runes and pictures. "Where are you?"
"Look into the globe..." Genki obeyed, and he saw the Phoenix there, trapped in his tiny prison.
"Look at the wall Genki..." He did and saw to armies racing toward each other, stopped only by two figures that he could not identify with their hands clasped in the middle. "Do not forget what I told you, Genki," said the Phoenix, sounding sad. "I can only return for the second time if the prophecy in full filled."
"when brown becomes ice, a heart cold as stone
the boy shall be found and be brought back to his own
the foes shall collide, a bloody massacre in sight
that shall only be prevented if two of old unite"
The words consumed Genki, flowing through him as a red haze began to fill his vision, clouding out the scene. It twisted and taunted, yet was never truly gone...
"The boy shall be found...
be found...
found and brought back...
back to his own...
to his own...
the foes...
foes shall collide...
a bloody...
bloody massacre in sight...
in sight...
that shall only...
only be prevented...
if the two of old unite...
two of old...
of old...
old unite...
two of old unite ...
unite...
unite...
unite...
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There you have it, the next chapter. I know some of you love all my writings but due to some rather pressing issues the next update will not be until April if not later. My deepest apologies, I'd rather be writing this stuff myself but it will not be so. If you have any questions or comments, review or email me at baritone_gurl@altavista.com, toodles!