Before she could get anywhere in the hallway, however, something
snapped in front of her, a mere blur before it stopped directly in her
path. She was instantly on guard, ready to destroy what was in front of her-
and certainly, she would've done it gladly, for as she got a better look,
she saw clearly that it was the Battle Faerie herself, holding a brand new
sword, looking identical to the one that Mitsuko had become so fond of
wielding.
"Nobody is allowed down this hallway," said the Battle Faerie, her voice hard. She obviously recognized Mitsuko, judging by the distasteful look in her eye, and she set the tip of her blade inches away from where she had formerly struck the robot and caused her many problems. "I would advise you leave."
"I would advise you move," responded Mitsuko, her voice flat.
"Go now, robot. The Empress Tahora does not desire visitors at this moment," snarled the Battle Faerie, bringing the sword up to Mitsuko's face, pointing it directly at her nose. "Besides, I'd have fun getting another jab at you."
"I'd like to see you try," tempted Mitsuko, although her voice wasn't very convincing, lacking the proper emotions to provoke the Battle Faerie. The aggressive faerie took the lure hook and sinker, in any case, pulling back her arm to slash at the robot. The preparation that the Battle Faerie took was long enough to allow Mitsuko to plan out her attack, and in seconds she executed it.
The sword was slashed downwards at her head. Dodging the blow, she came in from the side and grasped the Battle Faerie by the arm, lighting up her boosters and slamming the two of them into the wall, the Battle Faerie giving a little cry of alarm as her head ricocheted off the hard stone wall. Before she could react to the attack, Mitsuko had taken control of her wrist and jammed it back into the wall, forcing the Battle Faerie to hold her blade horizontally across her own throat. From the force of the blow, the blade got just close enough to give her a knick on her so vulnerable flesh, a drop of thick blood rolling down her skin.
The Battle Faerie swallowed, eyes flickering down to the injury she had received, and then back up to Mitsuko, whose face was mere inches from hers, her eyes emotionless, looking like that of a ruthless killer. There was no doubt in her frenzied mind that Mitsuko would finish her in a second unless she allowed her passage willing. In fact, even as she thought, the blade sunk deeper into her skin, causing more blood to seep from the ever- growing wound.
"I am not interested in negotiations, Battle Faerie. Your Empress Tahora has cost me enough already-I will not lie. I have come here to murder her. And I will think nothing of taking your life if you do not move." Mitsuko emphasized her words by slamming the Battle Faerie's head back into the wall with each word of her last sentence. The Battle Faerie, the unusual emotion of fear appearing in her wide eyes, nodded vigorously, a bit deranged from her head taking so many blows.
Mitsuko dropped the Battle Faerie, the frightened faerie falling to the ground, her sword falling from her hands. Mitsuko generously relieved her of the weapon, holding it forward, turning her attention away completely from the Battle Faerie. The faerie, however, stopped her before she could advance anymore, calling out the name Rose. Mitsuko snapped her head around, glaring venomously at the Battle Faerie, who shrunk back, realizing her mistake.
"I-I'm sorry. . .I didn't mean to. . ."
"It doesn't matter. In a few minutes, I will no longer have a purpose for a name."
"A-anyway. . .y-you have to be careful. . .the Empress Tahora. . .has gone mad. . .the Swamp Ghouls made her absolutely crazy. . .she'll kill you without a second thought. . ." mumbled the Battle Faerie, her eyes terrified, as if remembering something that had happened to her only a few hours earlier.
"I wasn't expecting her to welcome me with open arms. I am ready for whatever she may hurl at me."
"W-well. . .in that case. . .I know this may sound weird coming from ME, but. . .good luck." Mitsuko lifted an eyebrow curiously at the Battle Faerie's statement. Had she just wished the robot good luck in killing the leader of her people? "It's just. . .when she overtook faeriekind, we suffered so. . .with her dead, Fyora could take her rightful place. Perhaps, then, order would be restored. . ."
"Perhaps."
Mitsuko turned away once again from the Battle Faerie and continued down the hall, following the sound of voices. As she got closer to the source of voices, she heard that it was not, in fact, two voices conversing, but in fact just one, talking to itself, answering questions that it had asked. 'The Empress Tahora. . .has gone mad. . .' The Battle Faerie's warning had been fair, but Mitsuko felt no fear in her heart. She had nothing left to lose but a life that meant nothing now, without Phil.
She remembered the room that she entered from a history long ago-but this, too, was different. It had no furniture inside of it, as she saw as she opened the door, and had no light but a small light faerie contained in a container in the center, banging on the sides of the glass, trying to escape from its prison. In the corner was a form, curled into a tight ball, the source of the murmurs and frantic crying, coupled with random spouts of shouting and insane laughter. The figure shook for a moment, falling silent. It lifted its head, a single robotic eye glowing green in the darkness.
"Mommy?"
The voice was unnaturally high, but still that of Tahra. Mitsuko stepped forwards into the darkness, closing the door behind her, hearing it lock. There was no turning back now.
Tahra shook her head, slowly uncurling her body. From the bit of light, Mitsuko could see an abnormally large smile stretch across Tahra's face. "No, no. . .you're not Mother. Mother abandoned me, of course. Just like all the others." She broke out into peals of laughter, ringing through the room. It stopped abruptly, Tahra walking forward, her head jutting forward as if her neck were longer than it was. She tilted her head to the side, her one organic eye staring into Mitsuko's in an unnerving manner. "No, it's you, Rose. I knew you'd come."
"I've come to destroy you," stated Mitsuko plainly, cutting to the chase, holding forward the sword of the Battle Faerie, which glowed with an mystical light.
"Of course you have. It's a natural reaction, after all, now that I've finished off what matters most to you: that pretty little Desert Shoyru of yours. I'm all that you have left now."
"All I have left? No. I have nothing left. That is why I have come."
"Come to destroy me? You will not succeed, you know. I will finish you before you even get within a foot of me."
"I have nothing left to lose. It doesn't matter if I get within an inch or a mile of you-as long as I try to avenge Phil-and Dr. Sloth's- death."
"Well, I did kill your precious little love thing, but I don't recall killing Frank. Oho, indeed.how would I kill him during that spectacle? He's right over there, darling-alive, but I'm not so sure about well."
A light suddenly illuminated in the opposite corner, a small little dot of light, obviously some kind of magic spell, brightly lighting up the area. Indeed, nestled in the corner was the form of Dr. Sloth, slumped over in his wheelchair, apparently unconscious. A large gash was displayed on his forehead, dripping blood to the ground, but he was still alive, his back moving up and down with each breath.
"Dr. Sloth. . .?"
"Yes, that's him all right. And he's still alive, because I owe him my gratitude. . .without his pathetic help, I would've become a victim to those Swamp Ghouls. And I suppose I should thank you as well, before I put you down," said Tahra with an ironic smile, "that little message that you sent him seemed to rekindle old flames for him quite well-well enough to make him stupid, at least."
"Then why. . .why did you destroy the house?"
"Pfft. I thought you knew that already. Light a fire underneath someone, it's sure to make 'em jump. In this case, the fire was eliminating your little Shoyru toy, and the jump was bringing you back here."
"So I was right. Phil was just a tool to you, wasn't he." Emotions began to kick back into play within Mitsuko's mind. She could feel her face on fire with rage, slowly changing from its normal place blue color to one of red. Tahra smirked, seeming quite satisfied with getting the Shoyru so mad, only seeming to want more of the same reaction.
"Of course he was. He was low brow scum, after all-probably couldn't even afford to pay his bills. I did a service to him in eliminating him-cut him off from the stresses of normal-day life. You should be THANKING me!"
"Thanking you?" Mitsuko's body quivered with rage, slowly building inside of her, only contributing to the need to fight, the need to destroy. She would not stand for Tahra to say such things about the late Phil-he had meant too much to her to allow the wretched faerie to get away with such things. If she had an aura, it would be emitting from her in all directions. She also felt a deep sense of betrayal within her stomach from Dr. Sloth, having freed a beast that he knew would wreck havoc upon the already wasted lands of Neopia. "I'll show you my thanks."
Without any more words, Mitsuko attacked wildly, lunging at Tahra. The faerie pulled backwards, laughing madly, Mitsuko swinging so hard that she nearly found herself on the ground. Her feelings were interfering with perfect programming, making her decision irrational. But try as she might, she found it difficult to push them back and allow the program to take control.
"What's the problem, Rose? Are you mad?"
"Don't call me by that name!"
Mitsuko dove at Tahra, slashing at her ankles. Tahra shot up to the top of the room, seeming to hang from the ceiling, her face eerily glowing by the green light of her robotic eye. As she looked down, however, her smile faded-on her ankle, which was organic, she could see a gash from the blade, beginning to drip blood, forming a small puddle on the ground below her.
"You. . .hit me!" she said, as if unable to believe her eyes.
"And I'll hit you many more times, I guarantee it," growled Mitsuko, and upwards towards Tahra, taking advantage of her shock. Her head plowed into the faerie's soft organic stomach, pounding her backwards into the wall. Tahra gave a shout of surprise, but shoved Mitsuko off as soon as she realized what she was happening. Mitsuko absorbed the shock of the fall by rolling backwards, stopping in a crouching position, glaring at up Tahra. The former Space Faerie grinned once again.
"The first blood's yours, my dear-but the last will be mine."
In an instant, Mitsuko found herself being driven against the wall from a high energy beam, slamming through to the other room. This by no means knocked her unconscious but bruised her badly-she was definitely not down for the count. She got up as quickly as her body would allow her, going back through the hole she had created towards Tahra, who stood waiting for her.
Mitsuko went for the middle of Tahra's body, the faerie quickly defending herself in that area. Feinting, though, Mitsuko circled around her body and hit Tahra's back with her feet hard, flaring her boosters to burn the organic flesh of her body. Tahra spun around, grabbing Mitsuko's tail that flailed around in the air and pulled her downwards, though, slamming her against the ground. She aimed a beam of energy directly at the panel on Mitsuko's forehead, but Mitsuko recovered just in time to dodge the attack, tilting her head to the side. The seemingly organic flesh of the right side of Mitsuko's face was blasted off by the attack, leaving only the framework exposed, making her look that much more like she was made purely of metal.
Slipping underneath Tahra's opened legs, Mitsuko focused her attack on the places where she had burned the faerie, stabbing at the area. Tahra leapt into the air, the attack instead bouncing off of her hips, made of metal. She came coming back down at Mitsuko with a ferocity, pinning Mitsuko's chest to the ground with her feet, bending over to impale her with her metal wing. Mitsuko grabbed the wing and forced it back upwards, throwing Tahra forwards. Leaping to her feet, she grabbed Tahra by the hair, preventing her from falling, but flung her easily back at the wall.
Tahra would not remain stunned for long. She recovered surprisingly quickly from the blow at the wall, her face snarling with a shocking ugliness. She shot forward and reached for the tip of Mitsuko's blade. Mitsuko pulled it back, and thrust it forwards, nearly impaling the former Space Faerie if she had not managed to dodge just in time, her stomach, however, receiving a slight flesh wound. As she zoomed past, she turned around her body and slashed Mitsuko's framework with her blade-like metal wing, cutting her deeply through the middle, oil beginning to spring from the injury. Tahra wound up on the other side of Mitsuko, holding her arm backwards. Though she was bleeding on her stomach and her foot, she seemed unaffected by the injuries.
"You're an ample replacement for a Space Faerie-but you cannot compete with a metal-and-flesh version."
A laser sudden flashed from the metal eye that Tahra possessed, sending Mitsuko's arm bearing the sword against the wall whereas Mitsuko remained where she stood. The wires crackled and hissed angrily, Mitsuko hardly seeming to notice the injury. She lunged forwards as more lasers were fired at her, weaving through the rain of death. Tahra did not expect the suddenly slug to her chin, the crack of bones being split resonating through the room. She grunted in pain, but struck back at Mitsuko, who was now up close, aiming the lasers directly at the panel on her forehead. Mitsuko ducked downwards, grasping Tahra by the legs and pulling them upwards, flipping her upside down.
Tahra, however, was not about to be disoriented by the suddenly loss of the sense of up and down. Rooting her hands firmly on the ground, she pulled her legs from Mitsuko's grasp and did a flip, landing on top of Mitsuko's shoulders. From there, she swung downwards and aimed a laser straight through Mitsuko's back, nearly blasting her in half. Mitsuko, hardly phased by the attack, flipped over in the air, throwing Tahra off as if she were the bull and Tahra was the rider. With Tahra on the ground, Mitsuko looming above her, she punched her fist downwards onto the robotic eye of Tahra, smashing it into pieces, allowing her to see what remained of her organic eye-a black, empty socket, nothing more.
Tahra threw her off of her body, an enraged look on her face. "This place is much too cramped. . .what say we. . .widen the arena?'
Opening up her arms upwards, Tahra looked to the ceiling, seeming to concentrate for a moment. The ceiling seemed to shiver, as if something above the room was shaking the room that they were in. With a suddenness, however, the ceiling broke away, as if being completely sucked into oblivion when in reality, it was being knocked outwards. As Mitsuko looked up, she could hardly believe her eyes-through some unseen power, Tahra had managed to rip off the entire roof of the castle, including all of the levels above them. Mitsuko hated to think of what would become of the faeries unfortunate enough to be in the levels above them.
The two shot into the air almost simultaneously, becoming higher and higher up into the air. It was almost as if they were competing in a contest to see which could achieve a higher altitude. Mitsuko thought to attack, but before she could execute her attack, Tahra had seized her, grabbing her by the wings and shoving them closed, just as the 01 clone had done to her. Grasping Mitsuko by the crack in her framework, Tahra pushed downwards with all of her might, sending Mitsuko helplessly back downwards, her wings having been crushed by Tahra's hands smashing her wings into a folded position.
She found herself back in the roofless room in a moment, feeling quite sore. She found it difficult to move, and almost smashed through the floor into the next room beneath them. Blinking her eyes hard, she looked up to see herself next to the unconscious form of Dr. Sloth, his eyelids flickering slightly, as if he were about to wake up. An idea lighted up inside of her mind, knowing that there was little chance that she would be able to out-muscle Tahra now that they weren't in closed quarters. Not to mention the fact that it would be a most appropriate vengeance.
Getting to her feet as quickly as her battered body would allow her, she grabbed Dr. Sloth from his wheelchair with her one remaining arm. She managed to retract her wings as best she could, her boosters still in order, even if one was a little bit bent in the wrong direction, and then launched herself upwards, the burden of Dr. Sloth's weight once again in her hands-this time, however, it was dead weight, making him significantly heavier. Tahra looked curiously down at the Shoyru robot.
"What do you think you're doing, Rose?" she asked, cocking her head quizzically as the two got on even levels.
"Let me get this straight," huffed Mitsuko, trying to catch her breath, even though in all honesty she didn't need to catch any breath. "At one point in time. . .you loved this man, didn't you?"
"Yes. But I was naïve, and gullible. He is nothing more than scum-he caused me to end up like this. He is the source of all my woe."
"Maybe.maybe he is. Perhaps your anger is justified, Tahra. But I must ask you-do you really hate him?"
"Of course I do. Give him to me, and I will kill him promptly. That will clear up a few things."
"Okay."
Mitsuko held him forward, and Tahra reached forward, her hands just inches from his body. But before her hands could grasp around his body, Mitsuko released her grip, Dr. Sloth's body falling from the high position where they were. From the height they hung at, he would most certainly die as soon as he hit the ground. And with that, Mitsuko received just the reaction that she had been looking for-the one organic eye that Tahra still possessed enlarged, and she dropped downwards like a stone, managing to get underneath Dr. Sloth's free-falling body before he landed. Mitsuko followed after, the two managing to come to a stop a few yards above the opened castle.
"WHAT do you think you're doing? Are you trying to kill your very creator."
"No. Instead of trying to break your body. . .I am trying to break your heart." The former Space Faerie scoffed at this suggestion, and promptly dropped Dr. Sloth the remaining height (which wasn't much) to the bottom of the room. The doctor gave a little moan, stirring, his eyes opening slightly.
"Tahra. . .?"
"You err again, Shoyru, even after I've told you it so many times- leaving you weak." And then Tahra spun around faster than Mitsuko could react. The metal wing sliced through her neck easily, Mitsuko's head popping off of her head like an overripe fruit. She was not dead, though- not in the least. Her head, still functioning, fell from atop her body and to the ground below her, the useless body falling after her, crashing to the ground, remaining limp. Her head finally came rolling to a stop, looking up at Dr. Sloth's weak body. Tahra descended from the height above the castle, a smug look on her face.
"Disappointingly easy," commented Tahra with a roll of her eyes, floating above Mitsuko's head.
"I'm still conscious. . ." warned Mitsuko. Tahra laughed heartily at the suggestion, wiping her eye of tears.
"What are you going to do, Rose? Leak oil on me? I'm threatened," she mocked, and then promptly turned her attention away from Mitsuko, holding out her right hand, turning towards Dr. Sloth. Her right hand began to glow a bright white color, and from it seemed to grow a long staff with a moon- shaped blade on the end. Her hand returned to its normal color as the staff fully emerged from her hand, the staff returning to its original colors: a black staff with a glinting metal blade. Gripping it with both hands, she turned the point of the blade towards Dr. Sloth, a sinister grin spreading across her face. "And so, it ends."
An undeniable sense of déjà vu struck Mitsuko's head, as she had no body to speak of, and she could do nothing more than watch the events that unfolded. Her confidence in Tahra's still-present love for the man quickly diminished upon seeing Tahra in the poise above him, pressing the tip of the blade against the tender flesh of his throat.
But instead of bringing the blade across his throat, subsequently ending Dr. Sloth's life, Tahra hesitated. Dr. Sloth was just coming to as she held the position, his eyes slowly opening, looking up at Tahra. Fear, an emotion that Mitsuko was unused to seeing on Dr. Sloth's face, crept onto his countenance, mixed with a bit of pity and regret, as if a deep pain were prodding his insides. As the blade was pressed harder against his throat, he squeezed his eyes shut, his lips moving slightly. "I'm sorry."
"You're a little late on your delivery, Frank-you should've done it a long time ago," growled Tahra. Mitsuko was sure she would slit his throat then-but against she paused, hesitating in the inevitable ending. She wrinkled her nose, as if disgusted at her inability to commit the crime, gritting her teeth. "Traitorous. . .your mistakes led me to this. . .you reduced me to this. . ."
"I didn't do it on purpose-it was an accident," replied Dr. Sloth lamely. This only seemed to provoke Tahra, her teeth baring themselves.
"An accident?! Is that what you brush it off as? I loved you, Frank-I honestly loved you. No lies here. I would've come with you. . .but it was all ruined. You overlooked something, Frank. Your mistakes have brought me here-and your mistakes will now end your life."
"Don't."
"Why shouldn't I?!"
"You didn't do it before."
"What makes you so confident that history will repeat itself? Perhaps I aimed too low that time, Frank."
". . .maybe you did. But I have to at least try to believe. . .that you still have feelings for me somewhere. Because that's the only thing that's been getting me through everyday."
"Pathetic."
"Maybe. But I still care for you, Tahra. I care for you as much as the moment I met you-more, even. The truth is. . .you could slit my throat right now, and my last words I would still be apologizing for all the things I've done to you. I'm. . .I'm so sorry, Tahra." His red eyes seemed to glisten with oncoming tears, his jaw clenching. "I don't know exactly what I did to you. . .but. . .I would do anything to make it up. . ."
"Shut up! You're lying!" screamed Tahra, in an absolute flurry of rage. Tears, although she didn't seem to notice them, had begun a course down her face, dripping downwards. "Shut up! What do you know of forgiveness? You're a killer-a damned killer! I don't know why I ever loved you-why I ever risked anything for your love!" Her face began contorting into all sorts of odd expressions, some seeming to not even fit the words she spoke. Judging by her expression, Mitsuko wondered if she was fighting some kind of internal war between two sides of her brain-perhaps she had an organic and a machine side just as herself?
For just a moment, Tahra's face softened, looking like the face of the faerie that Mitsuko had seen within the grasps of the Swamp Ghouls. For just a moment, the blade, already slightly stained with Dr. Sloth's blood, pulled away from Dr. Sloth's neck, and she looked as if she would lean forward and assure him that everything was okay, wiping away the tears that threatened at his eyes. But this, unfortunately, was only for just a moment- and soon, the maniacal side of Tahra returned, the blade suddenly pulling backwards and then launching itself forwards, aiming directly for Dr. Sloth's neck.
"Nobody is allowed down this hallway," said the Battle Faerie, her voice hard. She obviously recognized Mitsuko, judging by the distasteful look in her eye, and she set the tip of her blade inches away from where she had formerly struck the robot and caused her many problems. "I would advise you leave."
"I would advise you move," responded Mitsuko, her voice flat.
"Go now, robot. The Empress Tahora does not desire visitors at this moment," snarled the Battle Faerie, bringing the sword up to Mitsuko's face, pointing it directly at her nose. "Besides, I'd have fun getting another jab at you."
"I'd like to see you try," tempted Mitsuko, although her voice wasn't very convincing, lacking the proper emotions to provoke the Battle Faerie. The aggressive faerie took the lure hook and sinker, in any case, pulling back her arm to slash at the robot. The preparation that the Battle Faerie took was long enough to allow Mitsuko to plan out her attack, and in seconds she executed it.
The sword was slashed downwards at her head. Dodging the blow, she came in from the side and grasped the Battle Faerie by the arm, lighting up her boosters and slamming the two of them into the wall, the Battle Faerie giving a little cry of alarm as her head ricocheted off the hard stone wall. Before she could react to the attack, Mitsuko had taken control of her wrist and jammed it back into the wall, forcing the Battle Faerie to hold her blade horizontally across her own throat. From the force of the blow, the blade got just close enough to give her a knick on her so vulnerable flesh, a drop of thick blood rolling down her skin.
The Battle Faerie swallowed, eyes flickering down to the injury she had received, and then back up to Mitsuko, whose face was mere inches from hers, her eyes emotionless, looking like that of a ruthless killer. There was no doubt in her frenzied mind that Mitsuko would finish her in a second unless she allowed her passage willing. In fact, even as she thought, the blade sunk deeper into her skin, causing more blood to seep from the ever- growing wound.
"I am not interested in negotiations, Battle Faerie. Your Empress Tahora has cost me enough already-I will not lie. I have come here to murder her. And I will think nothing of taking your life if you do not move." Mitsuko emphasized her words by slamming the Battle Faerie's head back into the wall with each word of her last sentence. The Battle Faerie, the unusual emotion of fear appearing in her wide eyes, nodded vigorously, a bit deranged from her head taking so many blows.
Mitsuko dropped the Battle Faerie, the frightened faerie falling to the ground, her sword falling from her hands. Mitsuko generously relieved her of the weapon, holding it forward, turning her attention away completely from the Battle Faerie. The faerie, however, stopped her before she could advance anymore, calling out the name Rose. Mitsuko snapped her head around, glaring venomously at the Battle Faerie, who shrunk back, realizing her mistake.
"I-I'm sorry. . .I didn't mean to. . ."
"It doesn't matter. In a few minutes, I will no longer have a purpose for a name."
"A-anyway. . .y-you have to be careful. . .the Empress Tahora. . .has gone mad. . .the Swamp Ghouls made her absolutely crazy. . .she'll kill you without a second thought. . ." mumbled the Battle Faerie, her eyes terrified, as if remembering something that had happened to her only a few hours earlier.
"I wasn't expecting her to welcome me with open arms. I am ready for whatever she may hurl at me."
"W-well. . .in that case. . .I know this may sound weird coming from ME, but. . .good luck." Mitsuko lifted an eyebrow curiously at the Battle Faerie's statement. Had she just wished the robot good luck in killing the leader of her people? "It's just. . .when she overtook faeriekind, we suffered so. . .with her dead, Fyora could take her rightful place. Perhaps, then, order would be restored. . ."
"Perhaps."
Mitsuko turned away once again from the Battle Faerie and continued down the hall, following the sound of voices. As she got closer to the source of voices, she heard that it was not, in fact, two voices conversing, but in fact just one, talking to itself, answering questions that it had asked. 'The Empress Tahora. . .has gone mad. . .' The Battle Faerie's warning had been fair, but Mitsuko felt no fear in her heart. She had nothing left to lose but a life that meant nothing now, without Phil.
She remembered the room that she entered from a history long ago-but this, too, was different. It had no furniture inside of it, as she saw as she opened the door, and had no light but a small light faerie contained in a container in the center, banging on the sides of the glass, trying to escape from its prison. In the corner was a form, curled into a tight ball, the source of the murmurs and frantic crying, coupled with random spouts of shouting and insane laughter. The figure shook for a moment, falling silent. It lifted its head, a single robotic eye glowing green in the darkness.
"Mommy?"
The voice was unnaturally high, but still that of Tahra. Mitsuko stepped forwards into the darkness, closing the door behind her, hearing it lock. There was no turning back now.
Tahra shook her head, slowly uncurling her body. From the bit of light, Mitsuko could see an abnormally large smile stretch across Tahra's face. "No, no. . .you're not Mother. Mother abandoned me, of course. Just like all the others." She broke out into peals of laughter, ringing through the room. It stopped abruptly, Tahra walking forward, her head jutting forward as if her neck were longer than it was. She tilted her head to the side, her one organic eye staring into Mitsuko's in an unnerving manner. "No, it's you, Rose. I knew you'd come."
"I've come to destroy you," stated Mitsuko plainly, cutting to the chase, holding forward the sword of the Battle Faerie, which glowed with an mystical light.
"Of course you have. It's a natural reaction, after all, now that I've finished off what matters most to you: that pretty little Desert Shoyru of yours. I'm all that you have left now."
"All I have left? No. I have nothing left. That is why I have come."
"Come to destroy me? You will not succeed, you know. I will finish you before you even get within a foot of me."
"I have nothing left to lose. It doesn't matter if I get within an inch or a mile of you-as long as I try to avenge Phil-and Dr. Sloth's- death."
"Well, I did kill your precious little love thing, but I don't recall killing Frank. Oho, indeed.how would I kill him during that spectacle? He's right over there, darling-alive, but I'm not so sure about well."
A light suddenly illuminated in the opposite corner, a small little dot of light, obviously some kind of magic spell, brightly lighting up the area. Indeed, nestled in the corner was the form of Dr. Sloth, slumped over in his wheelchair, apparently unconscious. A large gash was displayed on his forehead, dripping blood to the ground, but he was still alive, his back moving up and down with each breath.
"Dr. Sloth. . .?"
"Yes, that's him all right. And he's still alive, because I owe him my gratitude. . .without his pathetic help, I would've become a victim to those Swamp Ghouls. And I suppose I should thank you as well, before I put you down," said Tahra with an ironic smile, "that little message that you sent him seemed to rekindle old flames for him quite well-well enough to make him stupid, at least."
"Then why. . .why did you destroy the house?"
"Pfft. I thought you knew that already. Light a fire underneath someone, it's sure to make 'em jump. In this case, the fire was eliminating your little Shoyru toy, and the jump was bringing you back here."
"So I was right. Phil was just a tool to you, wasn't he." Emotions began to kick back into play within Mitsuko's mind. She could feel her face on fire with rage, slowly changing from its normal place blue color to one of red. Tahra smirked, seeming quite satisfied with getting the Shoyru so mad, only seeming to want more of the same reaction.
"Of course he was. He was low brow scum, after all-probably couldn't even afford to pay his bills. I did a service to him in eliminating him-cut him off from the stresses of normal-day life. You should be THANKING me!"
"Thanking you?" Mitsuko's body quivered with rage, slowly building inside of her, only contributing to the need to fight, the need to destroy. She would not stand for Tahra to say such things about the late Phil-he had meant too much to her to allow the wretched faerie to get away with such things. If she had an aura, it would be emitting from her in all directions. She also felt a deep sense of betrayal within her stomach from Dr. Sloth, having freed a beast that he knew would wreck havoc upon the already wasted lands of Neopia. "I'll show you my thanks."
Without any more words, Mitsuko attacked wildly, lunging at Tahra. The faerie pulled backwards, laughing madly, Mitsuko swinging so hard that she nearly found herself on the ground. Her feelings were interfering with perfect programming, making her decision irrational. But try as she might, she found it difficult to push them back and allow the program to take control.
"What's the problem, Rose? Are you mad?"
"Don't call me by that name!"
Mitsuko dove at Tahra, slashing at her ankles. Tahra shot up to the top of the room, seeming to hang from the ceiling, her face eerily glowing by the green light of her robotic eye. As she looked down, however, her smile faded-on her ankle, which was organic, she could see a gash from the blade, beginning to drip blood, forming a small puddle on the ground below her.
"You. . .hit me!" she said, as if unable to believe her eyes.
"And I'll hit you many more times, I guarantee it," growled Mitsuko, and upwards towards Tahra, taking advantage of her shock. Her head plowed into the faerie's soft organic stomach, pounding her backwards into the wall. Tahra gave a shout of surprise, but shoved Mitsuko off as soon as she realized what she was happening. Mitsuko absorbed the shock of the fall by rolling backwards, stopping in a crouching position, glaring at up Tahra. The former Space Faerie grinned once again.
"The first blood's yours, my dear-but the last will be mine."
In an instant, Mitsuko found herself being driven against the wall from a high energy beam, slamming through to the other room. This by no means knocked her unconscious but bruised her badly-she was definitely not down for the count. She got up as quickly as her body would allow her, going back through the hole she had created towards Tahra, who stood waiting for her.
Mitsuko went for the middle of Tahra's body, the faerie quickly defending herself in that area. Feinting, though, Mitsuko circled around her body and hit Tahra's back with her feet hard, flaring her boosters to burn the organic flesh of her body. Tahra spun around, grabbing Mitsuko's tail that flailed around in the air and pulled her downwards, though, slamming her against the ground. She aimed a beam of energy directly at the panel on Mitsuko's forehead, but Mitsuko recovered just in time to dodge the attack, tilting her head to the side. The seemingly organic flesh of the right side of Mitsuko's face was blasted off by the attack, leaving only the framework exposed, making her look that much more like she was made purely of metal.
Slipping underneath Tahra's opened legs, Mitsuko focused her attack on the places where she had burned the faerie, stabbing at the area. Tahra leapt into the air, the attack instead bouncing off of her hips, made of metal. She came coming back down at Mitsuko with a ferocity, pinning Mitsuko's chest to the ground with her feet, bending over to impale her with her metal wing. Mitsuko grabbed the wing and forced it back upwards, throwing Tahra forwards. Leaping to her feet, she grabbed Tahra by the hair, preventing her from falling, but flung her easily back at the wall.
Tahra would not remain stunned for long. She recovered surprisingly quickly from the blow at the wall, her face snarling with a shocking ugliness. She shot forward and reached for the tip of Mitsuko's blade. Mitsuko pulled it back, and thrust it forwards, nearly impaling the former Space Faerie if she had not managed to dodge just in time, her stomach, however, receiving a slight flesh wound. As she zoomed past, she turned around her body and slashed Mitsuko's framework with her blade-like metal wing, cutting her deeply through the middle, oil beginning to spring from the injury. Tahra wound up on the other side of Mitsuko, holding her arm backwards. Though she was bleeding on her stomach and her foot, she seemed unaffected by the injuries.
"You're an ample replacement for a Space Faerie-but you cannot compete with a metal-and-flesh version."
A laser sudden flashed from the metal eye that Tahra possessed, sending Mitsuko's arm bearing the sword against the wall whereas Mitsuko remained where she stood. The wires crackled and hissed angrily, Mitsuko hardly seeming to notice the injury. She lunged forwards as more lasers were fired at her, weaving through the rain of death. Tahra did not expect the suddenly slug to her chin, the crack of bones being split resonating through the room. She grunted in pain, but struck back at Mitsuko, who was now up close, aiming the lasers directly at the panel on her forehead. Mitsuko ducked downwards, grasping Tahra by the legs and pulling them upwards, flipping her upside down.
Tahra, however, was not about to be disoriented by the suddenly loss of the sense of up and down. Rooting her hands firmly on the ground, she pulled her legs from Mitsuko's grasp and did a flip, landing on top of Mitsuko's shoulders. From there, she swung downwards and aimed a laser straight through Mitsuko's back, nearly blasting her in half. Mitsuko, hardly phased by the attack, flipped over in the air, throwing Tahra off as if she were the bull and Tahra was the rider. With Tahra on the ground, Mitsuko looming above her, she punched her fist downwards onto the robotic eye of Tahra, smashing it into pieces, allowing her to see what remained of her organic eye-a black, empty socket, nothing more.
Tahra threw her off of her body, an enraged look on her face. "This place is much too cramped. . .what say we. . .widen the arena?'
Opening up her arms upwards, Tahra looked to the ceiling, seeming to concentrate for a moment. The ceiling seemed to shiver, as if something above the room was shaking the room that they were in. With a suddenness, however, the ceiling broke away, as if being completely sucked into oblivion when in reality, it was being knocked outwards. As Mitsuko looked up, she could hardly believe her eyes-through some unseen power, Tahra had managed to rip off the entire roof of the castle, including all of the levels above them. Mitsuko hated to think of what would become of the faeries unfortunate enough to be in the levels above them.
The two shot into the air almost simultaneously, becoming higher and higher up into the air. It was almost as if they were competing in a contest to see which could achieve a higher altitude. Mitsuko thought to attack, but before she could execute her attack, Tahra had seized her, grabbing her by the wings and shoving them closed, just as the 01 clone had done to her. Grasping Mitsuko by the crack in her framework, Tahra pushed downwards with all of her might, sending Mitsuko helplessly back downwards, her wings having been crushed by Tahra's hands smashing her wings into a folded position.
She found herself back in the roofless room in a moment, feeling quite sore. She found it difficult to move, and almost smashed through the floor into the next room beneath them. Blinking her eyes hard, she looked up to see herself next to the unconscious form of Dr. Sloth, his eyelids flickering slightly, as if he were about to wake up. An idea lighted up inside of her mind, knowing that there was little chance that she would be able to out-muscle Tahra now that they weren't in closed quarters. Not to mention the fact that it would be a most appropriate vengeance.
Getting to her feet as quickly as her battered body would allow her, she grabbed Dr. Sloth from his wheelchair with her one remaining arm. She managed to retract her wings as best she could, her boosters still in order, even if one was a little bit bent in the wrong direction, and then launched herself upwards, the burden of Dr. Sloth's weight once again in her hands-this time, however, it was dead weight, making him significantly heavier. Tahra looked curiously down at the Shoyru robot.
"What do you think you're doing, Rose?" she asked, cocking her head quizzically as the two got on even levels.
"Let me get this straight," huffed Mitsuko, trying to catch her breath, even though in all honesty she didn't need to catch any breath. "At one point in time. . .you loved this man, didn't you?"
"Yes. But I was naïve, and gullible. He is nothing more than scum-he caused me to end up like this. He is the source of all my woe."
"Maybe.maybe he is. Perhaps your anger is justified, Tahra. But I must ask you-do you really hate him?"
"Of course I do. Give him to me, and I will kill him promptly. That will clear up a few things."
"Okay."
Mitsuko held him forward, and Tahra reached forward, her hands just inches from his body. But before her hands could grasp around his body, Mitsuko released her grip, Dr. Sloth's body falling from the high position where they were. From the height they hung at, he would most certainly die as soon as he hit the ground. And with that, Mitsuko received just the reaction that she had been looking for-the one organic eye that Tahra still possessed enlarged, and she dropped downwards like a stone, managing to get underneath Dr. Sloth's free-falling body before he landed. Mitsuko followed after, the two managing to come to a stop a few yards above the opened castle.
"WHAT do you think you're doing? Are you trying to kill your very creator."
"No. Instead of trying to break your body. . .I am trying to break your heart." The former Space Faerie scoffed at this suggestion, and promptly dropped Dr. Sloth the remaining height (which wasn't much) to the bottom of the room. The doctor gave a little moan, stirring, his eyes opening slightly.
"Tahra. . .?"
"You err again, Shoyru, even after I've told you it so many times- leaving you weak." And then Tahra spun around faster than Mitsuko could react. The metal wing sliced through her neck easily, Mitsuko's head popping off of her head like an overripe fruit. She was not dead, though- not in the least. Her head, still functioning, fell from atop her body and to the ground below her, the useless body falling after her, crashing to the ground, remaining limp. Her head finally came rolling to a stop, looking up at Dr. Sloth's weak body. Tahra descended from the height above the castle, a smug look on her face.
"Disappointingly easy," commented Tahra with a roll of her eyes, floating above Mitsuko's head.
"I'm still conscious. . ." warned Mitsuko. Tahra laughed heartily at the suggestion, wiping her eye of tears.
"What are you going to do, Rose? Leak oil on me? I'm threatened," she mocked, and then promptly turned her attention away from Mitsuko, holding out her right hand, turning towards Dr. Sloth. Her right hand began to glow a bright white color, and from it seemed to grow a long staff with a moon- shaped blade on the end. Her hand returned to its normal color as the staff fully emerged from her hand, the staff returning to its original colors: a black staff with a glinting metal blade. Gripping it with both hands, she turned the point of the blade towards Dr. Sloth, a sinister grin spreading across her face. "And so, it ends."
An undeniable sense of déjà vu struck Mitsuko's head, as she had no body to speak of, and she could do nothing more than watch the events that unfolded. Her confidence in Tahra's still-present love for the man quickly diminished upon seeing Tahra in the poise above him, pressing the tip of the blade against the tender flesh of his throat.
But instead of bringing the blade across his throat, subsequently ending Dr. Sloth's life, Tahra hesitated. Dr. Sloth was just coming to as she held the position, his eyes slowly opening, looking up at Tahra. Fear, an emotion that Mitsuko was unused to seeing on Dr. Sloth's face, crept onto his countenance, mixed with a bit of pity and regret, as if a deep pain were prodding his insides. As the blade was pressed harder against his throat, he squeezed his eyes shut, his lips moving slightly. "I'm sorry."
"You're a little late on your delivery, Frank-you should've done it a long time ago," growled Tahra. Mitsuko was sure she would slit his throat then-but against she paused, hesitating in the inevitable ending. She wrinkled her nose, as if disgusted at her inability to commit the crime, gritting her teeth. "Traitorous. . .your mistakes led me to this. . .you reduced me to this. . ."
"I didn't do it on purpose-it was an accident," replied Dr. Sloth lamely. This only seemed to provoke Tahra, her teeth baring themselves.
"An accident?! Is that what you brush it off as? I loved you, Frank-I honestly loved you. No lies here. I would've come with you. . .but it was all ruined. You overlooked something, Frank. Your mistakes have brought me here-and your mistakes will now end your life."
"Don't."
"Why shouldn't I?!"
"You didn't do it before."
"What makes you so confident that history will repeat itself? Perhaps I aimed too low that time, Frank."
". . .maybe you did. But I have to at least try to believe. . .that you still have feelings for me somewhere. Because that's the only thing that's been getting me through everyday."
"Pathetic."
"Maybe. But I still care for you, Tahra. I care for you as much as the moment I met you-more, even. The truth is. . .you could slit my throat right now, and my last words I would still be apologizing for all the things I've done to you. I'm. . .I'm so sorry, Tahra." His red eyes seemed to glisten with oncoming tears, his jaw clenching. "I don't know exactly what I did to you. . .but. . .I would do anything to make it up. . ."
"Shut up! You're lying!" screamed Tahra, in an absolute flurry of rage. Tears, although she didn't seem to notice them, had begun a course down her face, dripping downwards. "Shut up! What do you know of forgiveness? You're a killer-a damned killer! I don't know why I ever loved you-why I ever risked anything for your love!" Her face began contorting into all sorts of odd expressions, some seeming to not even fit the words she spoke. Judging by her expression, Mitsuko wondered if she was fighting some kind of internal war between two sides of her brain-perhaps she had an organic and a machine side just as herself?
For just a moment, Tahra's face softened, looking like the face of the faerie that Mitsuko had seen within the grasps of the Swamp Ghouls. For just a moment, the blade, already slightly stained with Dr. Sloth's blood, pulled away from Dr. Sloth's neck, and she looked as if she would lean forward and assure him that everything was okay, wiping away the tears that threatened at his eyes. But this, unfortunately, was only for just a moment- and soon, the maniacal side of Tahra returned, the blade suddenly pulling backwards and then launching itself forwards, aiming directly for Dr. Sloth's neck.