Nina's Treachery

(A/N: This is the third time I've retyped this chapter!  I HATE computers!!!  I hate em!  May they all die in hell!)

Ryu was exhausted.  After his fencing  battle with Jean that morning, he had also undergone a battle of wits with Spar, and a fierce magic competition against Bleu.  He had barely survived the latter, but luckily he remembered that his Dragon Sword could deflect magic, and that allowed him to disorient Bleu and win the match.

He sighed as he looked around  Township.  He was relieved that he was almost finished with this nonsense.  Then he could relax and be with the one he loved.  He walked into the mansion to try to find Katt.

"Hey Katt?"  he called.  No response.  "Katt?"  The kitchen and the living room were empty.  He walked up the stairs.  "Hello, anybody home?"  Still no response.  Ryu yawned.  "Maybe while I'm waiting for everyone to get back, I'll take a nap.  I'm so tired…"

"Rest then…" whispered an icy voice, and cold hands gripped the back of his neck and he collapsed unconscious.

Darkness.  That's the first thing Ryu was aware of when he came to.  The darkness was all around him.  He reached out, and felt nothing.  He called out and got no response.  Suddenly, a cold white light was cast down from the ceiling, and Ryu gasped when he saw who was standing before him.

"Nina!"

"That's right, Ryu-kins," Nina snickered.  "So good of you to join me here!"

"What do you gain from bringing me here?"

"I am putting an end to all this nonsense."  Nina said.  "I didn't expect you to get this far, but now that you have, it's time to put you down before you can do more damage."

Ryu was filled with hatred.  Pure, bald hatred at Nina.  He reached behind him for his sword, and was surprised to find nothing.

"Hah!" Nina laughed.  "Looking for that?"  She pointed to the Dragon Sword, lying on the ground several feet away.  "Go get it!"

Ryu dove for his blade, and a strong magical force field electrified him and sent him reeling back several yards.

"There is no escape," Nina said softly.

"I don't think so." Ryu growled, and he drew a knife from his boot and advanced.

"Ah ah aah!" Nina said, wagging her finger.  "You won't attack me if you want to protect the one you love!"

"What?"

Another light was cast down behind Nina, and Ryu gasped as he saw Katt strapped to a table, unconscious.  A large tube was connected on one end to her head, on the other to a large, glowing crystal.

"I'm draining her energy quite nicely," Nina said, grinning.  "So this is how we can do things.  Either you can surrender to me, and Katt's life will be spared.  Or, you can choose to fight, and if I lose, I take Katt with me, or if I win, well… you won't be around to see me dance."

Ryu's heart filled with rage.  He never knew that Princess Nina of Windia was capable of such treachery.  And he would fight her, he would slash her to bits, he would…  no he wouldn't.  He didn't doubt for a moment that Nina would destroy Katt if things didn't go her way.  The rage was replaced by sorrow and despair.  He had no other choice…   He cast the knife down and collapsed to his knees.

"Good boy," Nina cooed.  "So you surrender?"

Ryu's eyes filled with tears.  "Yes."

"You're very intelligent," she told him.  "I'll turn off this machine, then."  She walked over to the crystal and pressed a button.  The glow faded.  Then she turned around and began walking towards Ryu.  "But, don't think this will end that easily," she said, her voice taking a sinister tone.  Before Ryu could respond, Nina shot a lightning bolt from her fingertips and knocked Ryu backwards.

"What are you doing?" he cried.

"Silence!"  she cast another bolt at him, and then another.  Ryu shook on the ground, intense pain filling his body.

"You are paying for all the misery you've caused me!" she snarled, continuing the magical assault on our hero.  "You're paying for all the pain I went through from being so close to you and not being able to have you!"  She zapped him again.  "This pain will not end, but will bind you to me!  You're mine now, Ryu!"

In the midst of the excruciating pain that Ryu was experiencing, the rage filled him again.  He didn't need this!  He was beginning to lose consciousness, and in his anger he made a decision.  He dove for his knife, got to his knees, and slashed Nina's hand off.

Nina stared at where her hand once was, dumbfounded for a moment.  Then her eyes narrowed, and she nodded.  "I see…" she whispered.  "I see now… I see that you don't even care about the one you swore to love and protect!"  She walked over to the table where Katt lay.  "It's time for the kitty to die!" she gloated, and a huge magic ball began forming in the air above Nina, and Ryu knew she meant to fling it into Katt, obliterating her life.

"No!" Ryu screamed, and he transformed into a huge dragon, and he flew into Nina, knocking her over and sending the ball of magic into the center pillar of the temple.  The ground began to shake as the building prepared to collapse.

"You fool!" Nina cried.  "Now we'll all die!"

Ryu shot chain lightning at Nina, knocking her to the floor.  He then flew into the table, and it gave way and Katt fell onto his back.  Stones and columns were beginning to come down as Ryu flew up and broke a hole in the roof.  Ignoring Nina's screaming as the temple collapsed around her, he flew off into the night sky, Katt resting on his back.