Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! No I have not turned into a sheep, I'm just annoyed with myself for this damned writer's block…but it looks like it's actually helping me instead because I'm working harder on making this good. (sighs) Does that make any sense to anyone? No? I didn't think so somehow.
Vampy-Thanks for the reviews and the support. I know I've been tedious recently and that I've been a pain in the ass and all, but thanks for the reviews! I'll try and get more people to read your fanfic in return, okay? ^_^
Chasm-my secret? Uhm…I sit down in front of my computer, try and think of what to write and then write down the first thing I think of and then struggle from there on in. The notes at the beginning of my chapters just come naturally. I never think about those…as for the chapters…^^;; Well strawberry milk is always good, but if you don't like strawberry milk then you could always try chocolate milk. There's nothing like writing when on a sugar rush.
You know who belongs to me. You know who doesn't. But for all those who just like to see me repeat myself over and over and over and over again…here goes.
Dante, Trish, Xyhos and Minako do not belong to me. Arson, Ash and Rayne DO belong to me. So does the new person that's mentioned at the end of this chapter too. So there. :P
Oh and did I mention I'm working on a new comedy fic? WITHOUT ARSON??? Curious? Well then keep your eye out for it.
Chapter 11
Death was coming ever closer. Death was all around. Arson was in his room, packing his belongings. He had to leave. Now. Immediately. He paused as he heard a noise outside. His whole body tensed up and he froze in the same spot. The footsteps receded down the hallway. He was safe. Arson continued to pack his bag with feverish energy.
He tensed as he heard the door knock. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened slightly. He found himself instinctively crouching down into his fighting stance, ready to spring into action if need be. He relaxed as he heard someone's voice outside the door.
'Arson? Are you okay?' It was Ash. Arson recognised her voice straight away and immediately, his whole body became slack as he breathed out deeply. He mentally chided himself. If it had been Ophelia, she wouldn't have bothered with knocking on the door. She would have just barged straight in, slit his throat and then be done with it. And the curse would have died. It would have all ended. His suffering as well as the suffering of those who went near him.
That was why he was leaving. If Ophelia was after him, then he had to leave and keep his friends safe. He had to keep Ash safe. She had the same aura as him now, and even she might not be safe from Ophelia. Minako too was a full blooded demon, and Arson owed too much to Rayne to put her life in danger. Rayne had been his first friend, and for a time, his only one.
Ash's voice cut into his thoughts again. She sounded slightly panicked.
'Arson? Are you in there? Let me in!' Arson quickly got to his feet and opened the door. Ash stepped back a pace as her eyes fell upon his face. She looked at him critically. He was a mess. His hair was tousled from when he ran his hand through it, distracted and tense. His face was pale and his eyes were dim. He looked on the verge of a nervous break down. Ash was filled with pity for him but didn't comment on the way he looked.
'I know what's wrong. You could have told me.'
'Nothing's wrong.'
'So you say.' Ash unfolded the letter and showed it to Arson. Arson took it speechlessly but did not look at it. He didn't need to. The handwriting in the red ink was all that he needed to see. 'This fell out of your pocket, Arson.'
'I've got to leave.'
'No…you've got to fight.' This seemed to force Arson into a rage.
'You think it's that easy don't you! You don't know any of the crap that monster put me through!' Ash narrowed her eyes.
'No…I don't expect I do, do I? Especially after I told you your own life story. Oh yes, I know exactly what she put you through. I know that even I'm not safe here. I know her hatred for anything that even resembles a demon.' Arson's eyes widened and he calmed down slightly. He stared at her speechlessly.
'What?'
'You heard what I said. Don't make me repeat myself.' Arson took a step back from Ash, looking at her as though in disbelief. Ash folded her arms obstinately. 'Well?'
'You really were telling the truth that day, weren't you?'
'What makes you think that?' Alarm bells had begun to ring in Ash's mind. She was treading on thin ice. One wrong word or move would blow her cover. She looked at him blankly as Arson sat down on the edge of his bed, his hands cradling his head.
'How else could you know about Ophelia? How else could you know of her hatred?' Arson looked up at her dully. 'She'll come after you too.'
'I know.'
'How could you have known that she'll go after you though? Ash…were you really telling the truth that day? Is there really a parallel world?' Ash swallowed hard, unsure as to what to do or say.
'Arson…' she managed to murmur, but then she stopped as Arson's eyes fastened onto her and slowly slid down to her chest. Ash recoiled and put her arms up defensively but then understood as she caught sight of a red flash. She looked to her right, at a mirror that hung on the wall there. She gasped. Her amulet was showing. The amulet that only people with Sparda blood could inherit. Arson was shaking his head, disbelief written all over his face.
'I can't believe it…you were telling the truth the whole time…' Ash looked around desperately for anything that she could say.
'Arson…no…I-'
'Save your lies! I've heard enough of them! You forced me to actually believe that you were really Ash…where is she???' Ash blinked, unsure of the question. It was a good one. If he had taken over this girl's body, then where was the girl? Something suddenly spoke into her mind, taking her by surprise. Arson saw the shock written on her face and it only infuriated him more.
'Answer me damn it!'
'She's…She's dead…' Ash heard herself speaking as though in a daze. The words tumbled from her mouth before she had time to gauge what the hell she was saying. Arson frowned, the girl who stood in front of him was not his Ash at all…she was…she was him? This didn't make any sense. How could it be this way? His Ash was dead. He would never see her again. This had to be some dream. That was it. He was dreaming. He was in the throes of a terrible nightmare.
He broke out into hysterical laughter.
'This is a joke right? Of course it is…it has to be! So much can't happen in a single day…'
'Arson…'
'Don't talk to me! Don't talk damn it! What the hell are you going to say next?' Arson had turned away from her and had resumed packing his bag. His face had become deathly white by this time. Ash tried again.
'Arson…'
'GET AWAY FROM ME!' Ash froze in the spot for a split second but then quickly took her leave, cursing herself quietly. She had said too much. She quietly walked through the corridors to her own bedroom and then took off her amulet. She should have known better then to keep wearing this. She had to hide it somewhere, in a place where no one would be able to find it. Needless to say, she was slightly perturbed about the way Arson had acted. Soon, she felt a feeling of relief pass over her. She allowed herself to smile thinly. If Arson really was going to leave, it would make her life a hell of a lot easier. She needed all the breaks she could get.
She sighed and then closed her eyes. She knew somehow that she would not be able to get a good night's sleep. Especially when she knew that Ophelia was somewhere around. She felt strangely unprotected. But she knew that the time had come for her to rely totally on herself. A sudden understanding washed through her. This was the test? To learn self-reliance? Well then, she'd show them who was boss around here.
'His name is Acedeca. He is a being of immense power and his strength surpasses even that of Argosax. You, Dante had a hard enough time trying to finish him off.' Dante said nothing but remained silent. Sparda was right. Argosax had been hard enough, but in some ways, the Despair had been even worst. He hated to admit it, but by the time he had destroyed Argosax, he was exhausted. He remembered feeling a pit of dread settle into his stomach and immense feelings of fatigue come over him, but then he had summoned up strength from deep within. It had been enough for him to carry on the fight.
If this Acedeca was stronger then even the Despair, then the future was very bleak indeed. Trish looked slightly worried. Though she hadn't been there, she knew the troubles that Dante had faced. Dante could tell just be looking at her that she was feeling the same way as he. Xyphos looked both terrified and excited. It was almost as though she didn't understand the true dismalness of the situation. Xyphos seemed to live only for adventure. Well, it speared as though she would get more than her fair share. Dante sighed at this thought.
'Isn't there any way we can beat this guy?'
'You have to combine your power and work as a team.' Xyphos looked even more thrilled at this prospect.
'That doesn't sound too hard.'
'But are you just a child. Others have tried to combine their energy together and have failed, miserably. The huge amount of energy that they summoned was too great for them to control. It destroyed their enemies, but it also destroyed them as well.' Xyphos looked subdued.
'Woah…that's not a good thing, huh.' Trish shook her head in mild exasperation. Dante ignored them both and continued to listen to what the spirit had to say.
'At tomorrow's dawn, you will need only one more person to attain enough energy to destroy Acedeca.'
'But there's only three of us,' piped up Xyphos.
'Arson will be back tomorrow,' said Dante, his face expressionless. Trish nodded her agreement. Xyphos' face brightened up at the mention of his name. Dante however, had more important things to think about.
'So let me get this straight. After Arson returns, we only have to find one more person to be able to destroy this new force, right?'
'Indeed.'
'That shouldn't be too hard.'
'Keep in mind that first you have to survive the journey.'
'It's only to the North West of here though! We could just drive there!' cried Xyphos. If Sparda had eyes, he would have surely glared at him in the way Dante was doing so now.
'Use your sense, kid,' growled Dante. 'Ever since I've felt that power, I've felt more and more demon surges around here. All of them powerful. We have to use our stealth.' Xyphos was silent. Trish sighed.
'Looks like this is going to be our hardest battle yet,' she said gloomily. Dante silently agreed with her. If this "combining the energy" routine backfired, hey would all be killed. Dante's eyes narrowed. Even if he died, at least he would go down with a fight.