*Fanfiction has really been messing with my stories. I hope that this loads okay.*
Chapter 11 A Final Battle, and Earth's Ultimate Sacrifice
They landed just in front of their parents and the Rune-Gods and bowed respectively. The Rune-Gods immediately stopped when shrieks of joys and, "You're in so much trouble"'s passed from their rider's mouths.
They smiled and hugged their parents before they got to the real problem at hand.
"Hebi is expecting you," Misao said straight out.
"But not this soon, if we're swift we may still catch her off-guard," Hiroji added.
"Then let us be swift," Selece boomed.
"Get on," Rayearth urged.
They nodded and did as they were instructed.
§§§~~~
"I'm glad we understand each other Princess," Hebi hissed, "Be swift my enemies, be swift."
"Hebi you've changed," Emeraude whispered, and Zagato's grip on her shoulders tightened.
"No, really?" she laughed cruelly, "Because honestly I didn't know that."
"If you truly loved Yukito you would respect his decisions and duties," Emeraude's words made her spin on her heels.
"You will regret saying that," she said coldly and flicked a wrist.
Shinji approached and drew his sword. Zagato stepped in front of Emeraude and drew his.
"Zagato, no," she pleaded, but it was too late. They began to fight, only with magic as well as sword. Emeraude just watched with terrified eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Awww…pretty Princess is scared," she mocked, and Emeraude turned to her with blazing green eyes.
"You will be slain by the Magic Knights and regret your words."
"Magic Knights! So overrated, don't you think? Speaking of which, I think I need to go wait for them. Ta!" she turned and walked down the hall, calling over her shoulder, "Kill him. Spare only Lantis and Clef, oh and," she laughed insanely, "The Water Knight. I want to see her die slowly."
§§§~~~
They saw flashes in the palace from the magic of the two swordsmen.
"Zagato," Lantis whispered and urged Rayearth faster. He nodded, and they all followed his example.
When they reached the palace they ran inside to find Hebi waiting at the doors.
"She knew," Mizuuma whispered, and a sense of horror surrounded her as visions screamed in her mind. The same she had that night, a bloodied mother, Hebi feeding off of it. A tortured father and her left standing there, completely and utterly alone, "No!" she screamed and drew her sword, throwing herself at Hebi.
"Mizuuma!" Umi shouted and drew her own sword, charging in a more controlled fashion.
In Mizuuma's delirium Hebi easily threw her to the ground. She looked up just to see her mother fighting Hebi and the Dark Blade, "No, mom, don't," she whispered and then fell to the ground once more.
Takeru went and checked her pulse. He nodded to them that she was fine, and Clef woke her up quickly.
She slowly stood, helped up by her Guardian and her father, and thanked them meekly.
They saw Umi faltering as the Dark Blade began to glow from the essence of her hate. She hated Hebi, and everyone knew it, and the Dark Blade was feeding from that. It was only growing stronger the more she fought.
"I won't let Umi get hurt by that blade," Fuu whispered with contempt and raised her hands, "Imashime no Kaze!" she bound Umi from moving with the spell and pulled her back.
"What are you doing?!" she screamed, breathing heavily.
"Look," Hikaru pointed to the Blade that was glowing deep.
"It's feeding off your hate Umi," Fuu explained, and Umi's eyes widened, and she thanked Fuu softly.
"If we can't fight with swords we'll fight with magic then," Hikaru's eyes were deadly as she raised her hands, "Akai Inazuma!"
Hebi put up a shield, a Dark shield, aided by the Dark Blade the spell did her no harm, and the Magic Knights stepped back. That was Hikaru's strongest attack, and she was the strongest with spells.
"Okay Windam, you and I," Fuu mounted, and Windam charged, talons out, and opened his beak. A light green beam of Wind Magic shot from his mouth and headed at Hebi. She held up the sword, and a beam of dark magic came from it. It hit Windam, and he screamed before he landed on the ground, feathers torn and skin missing.
"Windam!" Fuu screamed and ran by him, sobbing onto his body.
"Wind Knight, thou must help thy friends," he whispered before closing his eyes.
"Windam!" Selece and Rayearth shouted, and Umi and Hikaru nodded to each other before getting on their Rune-Gods.
They went to different sides, and Hebi narrowed her eyes and moved, so she could put both of them in her vision.
Fuu stood up, and in a fit of rage and hate, she raised her arms once more, "Midori no Senpuu!" she hit Hebi in the back, and Hebi screamed as Selece attacked with a stream of Water from his mouth.
She blocked it and retaliated with the Dark Blade, throwing Umi from the Dragon.
"Mom!" Mizuuma screamed.
"Umi," Clef knelt near her and touched her face gently.
"Clef, protect Mizuuma," she whispered.
"Umi, wake up," Clef demanded, but she closed her eyes.
"Mom!" she threw herself next to her mother, and closed her eyes as tears fell onto the slowly fading body, "You will pay," her eyes were dark as she drew her sword. It flashed a deep black and purple.
Hikaru raised her hands as Rayearth attacked, "Akai Inazuma!"
The attack was shielded, and Rayearth just barely dodged the attack Hebi sent at him. He roared slightly as it hit his side. He couldn't run with an injured shoulder, and Hikaru told him to tend to Windam and Selece, and he nodded and did as she said.
"Well well well," Hebi looked at the scene, "Rayearth is lame, Windam is unconscious, the Water Knight is almost dead," she laughed, "Fun," she threw her magic at Fuu, and she was caught off-guard.
Ferio stepped in front of the magic and raised his sword.
Fuu tried to protect him, but her magic was too strong, and he was thrown to the ground.
"Interesting," Hebi smiled cruelly and went after Hikaru.
Lantis drew his sword and came toward Hebi.
She stopped, not wanting to hurt him, and turned to Fuu once more. She raised her hands, and recited words that only Clef understood. A deep black glow surrounded her fingers, and he tried to warn Fuu, but she released the magic, and Fuu was thrown into the ground.
In that one moment she had seen her father and her mother thrown into the ground and wounded so deeply she wasn't sure they would ever be able to stand again. She glared and drew her sword. In a flash of yellow-green and deep green her sword came to her hands, and her eyes blazed, "You will wish you hadn't done that."
Hebi paid her no regard and turned to Hikaru one last time. She met the girl's blade, and Shinji came from the other room and held Lantis off. When Hikaru added Fire Magic to the fight Hebi added dark magic and hate, and the Dark Blade began to glow once more.
Hikaru screamed as she too hit the ground.
Kojishi looked back and forth with terrified eyes. Her father was being fought by one of the top swordsmen in Cephiro, and her mother was unconscious on the ground. Her best friend's parents faired no better, and she didn't know anything to do but fight in their place. She drew her sword in a flash of pink and gold. Then all that was left was the new Magic Knights and their Guardians.
"Well now," Hebi turned to Clef, "It seems that all you have left is prepared to fight me. What would you give for me to turn around right now and pretend I never saw either of your girls?"
His eyes widened.
"Would you give me a certain spellbook?" she asked, and his eyes darted from Mizuuma's determined eyes to Umi, lying on the ground. He knew that she was able to do that to Umi, and though Mizuuma was strong she was inexperienced. He couldn't stand to lose either of them, "Think wisely Clef."
"Would you bind that word in magic?" Clef demanded, and Lantis' eyes grew wide.
"Clef what are you doing?" but his eyes moved to Kojishi and then to Hikaru. His Fire Faerie, lying there, helpless, and he couldn't help but encourage Clef.
She thought about it for a long time, and then decided that she wanted Yukito more than she wanted Umi and nodded.
He nodded as well, "Then I will give you the book if you bind your word in magic."
She smiled; she had what she wanted and came near. He said a spell and asked her a question in another language. She said yes in that same language, and it was finished.
He handed her the book.
She laughed as she pulled it close to her chest. She smiled and opened it before she summoned Mokona.
She began to recite words from the book and slowly Mokona began to raise in front of her. In a flash of red light from his gem everything around them slowly began to disappear into white light.
"I don't understand," Mizuuma whispered in the light.
"Neither do I," Fuuchou emerged.
"What's going on?" Kojishi asked.
"All will be explained, follow us," Hiroji said softly, and they followed their Guardians through the light.
In a minute the light had vanished, and they were on Earth, but there was nothing, just a barren wasteland, black earth and gray skies. Nothing was left of cities or roads, and more importantly nothing was left of people.
"What did this?" Fuuchou questioned as she looked around her; tears coming to her eyes. She had no connection to Earth except that she was supposed to be protecting it. She couldn't even think about all the people that had died.
"This is the ultimate sacrifice," Misao told her.
"This is what came of the spell," Takeru added, and Mizuuma's eyes widened.
"So-so everyone is-is dead?"
They nodded.
"Why did you bring us here?!" Mizuuma screamed, "I don't want to see this!"
"You had to see it because it is your doing," Takeru responded, and Mizuuma closed her eyes, and tears trickled out.
"How could you say that?! This was not our doing!" Fuuchou shouted at him.
"But it was, you could have prevented it," Takeru said mildly, "You are not strong enough, or worthy enough to Don the Rune-Gods we raised."
"You are the one not worthy!" Kojishi shouted at him, "You are spited, you were spited because Mizuuma chose someone over you, if only to save your skin, and that makes you angry. You have no right to torture her like this!"
His eyes widened, and he looked at the girl who wondered around the barren place aimlessly.
"Kojishi there is no point in summoning the Rune-Gods, especially to hearts filled with contempt," Hiroji tried to put it more gently than Takeru.
"There is no Earth to protect, there is nothing for them to fight for," Misao didn't make it less bearable though he tried.
Takeru turned away, disgusted. They were weak, "You need to remember who you are truly loyal to. You know as well as I that none of them deserve hearts as worthy as the Rune-Gods."
"And you know as well as I that you don't truly believe that," Hiroji shot back.
"There is always something to fight for," Mizuuma said quietly as she walked back, "Take us home, and I will prove to you how worthy my heart is."
He looked surprised, and they nodded and there was another flash of light.
When they were able to see again they were standing back where they had come from, only all the people of the palace were there, awake, and something was different, very different.
*This chapter is more of a normal size because I wanted to end it here because the next chapter is…interesting. Interesting to say the least. Want a hint? Okay! I'm really bad at killing characters! AHHH! okay. That's all you're getting from me, no that's all. You'll have to wait. ^.^*
Tori:
"By the Seine so beautiful
Only not to be of use-impossible
So strange, victory-
1200 spires
The only sound
Moscow burningEmpty like the Tuileries
Like a dream Vienna seems
Only not to be of use
ImpossibleIn the last extremity-
To advance
Or not to advance-
I hear you laughing"
~Tori Amos, Josephine, To Venus and Back