Disclaimer: **runs around happy** I HAVE ESCA! I HAVE IT!! **men in black suits suddenly appear and grab the hysterical ShadowKat** Hey, no, it's MINE! HANDS OFF WEIRD-OS! LEGGO MY EGGO! **they grab the deed to Esca and disappear, leaving a distraught ShadowKat** They took my Eggo… NO FAIR! **CrimsonFire appears and hands ShadowKat a slip of paper** Oooh, pretty! Hey, it says I do own my characters! Hah! They can't take my Eggo! **runs around happily**
Three Girls
This story is dedicated to the only person I know who has a heart of gold and a talent for the art of story telling. CrimsonFire my friend, you've been there for me when I've needed you and you're always willing to help me out no matter what situation I'm in. So this one is done for you!
Chapter 13: My Everything
Nicole and Alex barely had time to dodge Kat's sword as it came down to behead them. "Aw, are the wittle girls scared of da big bad girl?" Kat taunted as she leapt easily from her horse and landed in front of Nicole, who was the nearest. Kat raised her sword, ready to strike, while the girl was still shocked by the sudden movement she had just executed when suddenly a force like no other swept over her body.
The sword clattered to the floor as her body went limp for a few seconds. She could feel the biting of sharp pain jolting all over her body and could smell the faint smell of dying flesh. Her vision blurred and darkened for a while until everything came back sharper and her body gained strength again.
She whirled around to find Alex standing behind her, in her hands balls of electricity sparked. "DON'T GO NEAR HER!" She screamed at Kat in rage. This had gone far enough. If Kat was willing to actually kill Nicole, the girl Kat admired for strength, then she wasn't sure if they could ever bring her back. Even if we did the memories of what she could've done would kill her, she thought.
Kat simply smiled in return. The Purple One was too weak to satisfy by killing right now. She wanted a real fight and it looked as if the Green One was willing to but up a nice battle. "All right. I'll go after you then, Green One," Kat replied with venom.
Suddenly an image flashed through her mind so fast that she barely had time to process it before it was gone. But something in her subconscious clicked and a bell began to go off. As if bringing up an article from the depths of the sea, a small flicker of recognition flashed over Kat's face as she remembered-no, saw-a girl, with shoulder length brown hair pulled in pigtails and emerald green eyes sparkling as she roller skated down a clear path, the sun shinning behind her and her face smiling. Kat shook her head, clearing the picture from her mind, and charged.
Alex gasped inwardly at Kat using her nickname. Could it be that she was slowly starting to remember? She saw Kat hesitate as a look of recognition flashed quickly over her face and Alex's heart gave a huge leap-until she charged. The charge was fast and she could tell her heart wasn't in it, as if whatever she experienced had clicked something into place. Alex leapt to the side and Kat blew past her.
But Kat had seen that move coming and easily whirled around ready to strike. Alex, knowing Kat's moves, figured Kat would use that move so as Kat whirled around she charged up another ball of electricity and threw it at her. The ball hit the unsuspecting Kat right in the chest and she fell to the ground.
It couldn't have been that easy, Alex thought as she eyed her friend's body. She hadn't moved for a few seconds. The charge should've worn off by now.
Kat had felt the electricity hit her in the chest and jump around her skin and she had fallen backwards from the shock. Pain washed over her as she hit the ground. Another vision popped up in her head as she laid there, her vision darkening again.
The Green One appeared inside her head, soaking wet and carrying an umbrella, giving a pathetic smile. "Your family again, huh?" She heard herself asking. "No problem, you can bunk the night with me. If you want to talk about it we can."
The girl gave her an appreciative smile. "You're the greatest, Kat."
Kat's eyes flew open and she jumped to her feet. A fire was now present in her eyes, rage burning inside of her as she glared at both girls and she hoped they knew that they had just seriously pissed her off. How dare they come into my head and give me these memories! They're not real! She screamed inside her mind.
Alex stepped back towards a now standing Nicole. They both knew that she had just seriously pissed off Kat and a pissed off Kat was a bad thing-a very bad thing. "I don't like being beaten up by little girls. So you will pay for what you did," she growled.
Nicole came to Alex's side standing strong. She wouldn't let her take the brunt of Kat's attacks alone. "Kat, don't do this! You just called Alex by her nickname, so you must remember her a little!" Nicole cried.
"Don't, Nikki. She's pissed," Alex warned.
Another image past by Kat and in her mind's eye she saw a girl with shoulder blade length blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a light blue skating outfit with gold trim around the neck and cuffs and white skates. The girl, Nicole Rosemere a booming voice announced, was just about to go onto the frozen rink to perform.
Kat shook her head harder this time, the look of recognition returning to her face and the disappearing. I don't know any Nicole Rosemere, she thought harshly. Annoyed with the interruptions of the memories she quickly made a ball of dark energy and threw it at the green one. "ALEX!" The blonde one screamed as her friend went flying fifteen feet backwards.
Kat smiled to herself. So Alex is the Green One, and Nicole must be the Purple One, she thought. At least now I know what to put on their gravestones. She made another ball and threw it at Nicole. It hit her and she flew back fourteen feet like her friend.
Alex had by now recovered and was on her feet. "Nicole, we need to fight together!" She cried as Kat fired another round of black balls hoping that Nicole was still conscious. There wasn't a reply and the black balls came in fast-by some twisted luck Alex was able to dodge them.
Nicole, recovered, got to her feet and nodded at Alex. Alex nodded back; she knew what the signal meant. They both created balls of energy in their hands, Nicole Earth energy and Alex balls of electricity, and then both started throwing them at Kat.
Kat merely sighed as she saw the barrage of energy come flying towards her. Don't they have anything fun to throw at me? So far it's been like picking on a mouse, she thought. She held up her hand and all the energy stopped, then flicking her wrist as if shooing away an unwanted guest the balls went flying back towards their creators. Kat made a few balls the size of her head and added them into the hail of energy, just to be sure.
"AH!" Both girls cried as the hail of energy hit them with such force that they went flying backwards a couple of yards and then slide a couple of feet.
"I was really hoping you guys would put up more of a fight," Kat stated as she calmly walked over to the battered bodies of Nicole and Alex. "All ready beaten-how sad. You're very weak and pathetic, you know that?"
"We're not beaten yet, Kat," Alex said as she forced herself to stand up. Her body screamed in protest and she tried to fight the nauseated feeling in her stomach.
"We will never be beaten until we have you back," Nicole added, all ready standing. Her legs were about to collapse and she could faint front the pure pain her body was experiencing but she wouldn't let Alex know how badly she was hurting.
Kat quirked an eyebrow and replied, "Oh, really? You want me that much?"
The look in both the girl's eyes shocked Kat. It was the same look that Dilandau gave her when he thought she wasn't paying attention-the same look of love and caring. But… but this look had another thing… something she couldn't quite place…
More images popped up in her head. Nicole and Alex standing in front of her, both wearing the same shirt, their faces a mixture of fear and doubt. "We can beat them!" She heard herself say confidently. "You know why? Because we're friends and that means we know each other better then anyone! We know each other's strengths and weakness so we can counter for those faults. When we work together we are unstoppable! So let's win this thing not with talent or speed or ability, but friendship."
The scene changed and they were sitting on a stage, Nicole silently crying, dressed in a fancy pink dress, her hair done up in a bun. "I shouldn't have believed he'd be back," she whispered broken-heartedly.
"Non-sense! He was back for a little while but you know he wouldn't stay forever. At least the time he gave you were for the best, right? You got to know him better then you did twelve years ago. You have that to comfort you. So stop looking in the past, look to the future. Who knows, maybe you really touched him."
Another scene change and this time they were sitting in a dark room but Alex and Nicole around her. They sat on cold, hard metal chairs and listened to the rain pound against the windows and roof. "You know… it's stupid, but we're actually better off," she said.
"How?" Alex demanded.
"I don't see a "silver cloud" here." Nicole agreed.
"Think about it guys. We were fighting but this whole getting locked inside the school thing was a blessing. It's given us a chance to think and regroup. Now look at us, we're actually sitting together in a room, unforced, and we're actually looking at each other."
"Yeah well…" Alex said.
"It's better then being alone in a dark room," Nicole said, smiling.
"I'd rather be here with you guys then bunking in the cafeteria." Alex added.
"See? We can't really stay mad at each other over gossip that wasn't started by us. Friends?"
"Friends forever."
"Friends forever."
"We'd do anything for you, Kat, and we know you'd do anything for us. We're friends, and that's what friends do," Nicole said.
"Friends are there for each other. Just like we were so many times. Kat, come back to us. We know this isn't really you. Please, remember us," Alex added.
Kat stared at them for a second… something inside of her screamed at her. She couldn't make out the words but it was like it was telling her to give in… she could feel her mind starting to drift as if moving towards a light… and then it happened. A searing hot pain inside her head came forth causing Kat unbearable pain. She let out a scream of pain and fell to the ground, her body shaking uncontrollably.
"KAT!" Both Nicole and Alex screamed, rushing to their fallen friend. But Kat was far from their help now. Her eyes were blank as her body shivered and for a few seconds it looked as if they could reach her but then her body went still.
"Kat, Kat! Kat, are you okay? Kat?" Nicole cried, shaking her now still friend resting in her lap as her eyes drooped shut.
"Kat, answer us! Please, Kat! Kat, don't leave us!" Alex cried, hot tears forming in her eyes.
"She won't awake," a voice said from above them. Nicole looked up and saw Dilandau, muddy and covered in blood. His eyes didn't hold the same fire or iciness that they usually did.
"What did you do to her?!" Nicole demanded.
"I didn't do anything except love her. Folken was the one who changed her," he replied quietly.
Nicole's eyes went wide at his reply. So the rumors were true. "Oh dear God," she whispered, looking down at Kat.
Alex, who seemed to not have heard him, continued to mutter Kat's name as if it would help the situation.
Dilandau kneeled next to Alex and took Kat's hand in his. He knew what was happening to her and he knew that the others would want to know.
"What's happening to her?" Alex asked Dilandau, turning to him as if realizing he was now there, tears running down her face.
"She's fine. It's just that you two have been putting too much pressure on her, causing the chip that Folken installed in her brain to work overload to keep her memories from resurfacing. Now that chip's exploded-not a big enough explosion to cause her any harm-but right now she's remembering everything," he explained. Once she remembers, everything will go crazy, he added to himself mentally.
Just then Kat slowly blinked her eyes. She sat up and looked around her eyes showing her confusion. "Alex? Nicole? Dilandau?" She asked wearily, looking at each face in turn. It was as if she was just waking from a dream.
Alex nodded and glomped Kat and Nicole joined in too. Dilandau just watched; he knew what would happen know. He had to get out of there-he didn't want to see his love lost to him. He stood up and ran back the way he came. I wish you the best, love, he thought as he ran.
Only Kat noticed him go. "DILANDAU! WAIT!" She screamed after his retreating form, her hand stretched out as if trying to grab him. But it was no use. Kat closed her eyes and let the tears come. She knew he was going back to the battle and she knew that he wouldn't come back to her.
She would never see him again. Memories flashed through her head. "Sleep well, my love."
"You look good in blue. That's the reason I gave you that."
"Why don't you listen?"
"Little kitten, are you lost?"
"Hush, you're being stupid."
"I'll be by your side in the battle."
"You live for action, it's in your blood, it's in your heart your soul! You can't escape the craving for bloodshed and the fight!"
"Listen to the fire Kitten, what's it telling you?"
His voice echoed in her mind. She held her two friends close and kept her eyes closed. It's telling me to love you Dilandau… I wish that you'd come back to me…. I wish that we'd go home… I wish that Zaibach would be destroyed! She cried inside her head.
Suddenly familiar warmth filled her and her eyes flew open. She inhaled sharply as she was slowly lifted from the ground, bathed in a blue light. She saw Nicole and Alex being bathed in two lights too-Alex a green light and Nicole a purple light. Both were being lifted off the ground like Kat. The trio closed their eyes and felt themselves being pulled somewhere else.
AN: AW! Sob story! That was so sad… Dilandau's final words to Kat… Oh, and for reference, I didn't include those scenes in the story. Those are saved for a new story I'm playing with (I know, how many can I write?) so just keep an eye out. Wow, are they really going home? Where's Dilandau going? What's going to happen to Gaea? WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?! The final chapter is coming and will this be the final chapter for the Protectors? Maybe… time will tell, time will tell. Until then, use your time to R+R 'cause I love hearing from y'all! R+R!
~ShadowKat
