* I know 8 is an off number to end on, but I feel this story has reached
its logical conclusion. I'll be off, probably finish all my other stray
fics and make some new ones. I'm working on a Hitomi x Lei-Fang for DOA.
Who knows, maybe someday I'll be back, but till then I love you all! Show
me some reviews, okies?*
Final Chapter: Souls Ascension
Red Dragon held a tournament on his private island, leading to the death of Long Shen.
That was days ago.
Red Dragon was killed in an attempt to select his successor as Guardian of the Well of Souls.
That was minutes ago.
Kane Darkholm revealed himself to be possessed by his "brother" Scott and claimed the Well of Souls as his own.
That was seconds ago.
This is now.
Shina cursed as she bolted down the hallway, closely behind Sarah, Kenji, and Irvine. Behind her, the Temple of the well of Souls seemed to be coming apart at the seams as Scott's maniacal laughter echoed in her ears. "You sanctimonious son of a bitch!" she grumbled to herself.
When they had escaped the crumbling temple, they all took a look back. Scott rose high above the rubble, basking in the glow of the Well that now reached to the sky.
"That old fool! Taking Kane in, knowing full well that I was waiting for my chance! He thought that my weakling brother could contain me!" Scott laughed.
"He could! He did it once, and he'll do it again!" Sarah yelled.
"That was long ago, little girl, and I was weak. Now I am the strong! I am almighty! I am God!"
"Its easy to be almighty from a distance, isn't it?" Shina yelled, milliseconds before connecting with a thunderous blow to Scott's face. He staggered, letting Shina connect with several more, before pushing her away with a telekinetic shove.
"You're as foolish as my brother's woman if you think you can stand before me!" Scott taunted.
"Someone has to," Shina replied.
"Then you will be the first to fall," Scott raised his right arm, and electricity flew from his fingertips, into the body of Shina Gado. She screamed in pain, but retained enough wits to shout instructions to her friends.
"My bag! Find my bag!"
"Great," Irvine said, "of all the time to be worrying about her stuff..."
"She wouldn't be telling us to do so if she didn't have a good reason." Kenji replied. He began searching through the rubble, but was stopped by a familiar figure.
"Victoria? Cronos? Great, he's using the well to bring back the dead and control them. "
"Well then," Sarah said cracking her knuckles, "we'll just have to fight our way through them!"
Shina started to gain ground on Scott. Step by step, she resisted the intense pain in her body and approached the evil being. "Your eyes," he commented, "looking upon your own destruction, standing on the edge of Armageddon, I see not fear, but defiance. I'm impressed."
"I...have...a...job...to do. Whether I impress you or amuse you, I don't give a rats ass." She grabbed Scott's collar. "I'm going to kill you."
To her right, Irvine grabbed a small, leather bag. He searched its insides, discovering a bra and several other unmentionables before being yanked by Sarah. They ran to a safe location. "Damn, its heavy. What's she got in that thing?" he yelled, "a rocket launcher or something?"
"Don't be so sure," Scott replied, intensifying his attack. Shina fell to her knees, still struggling. Then somewhere, in the back of her mind, she sensed a gathering, a gathering of fighters, of heroes, of hope.
"D-dad?" she choked out as Scott's attack abated, and Alan Gado took her into his arms.
"And friends!" another familiar voice said. She turned around. Standing behind her father were Yugo and Alice Ohgami, Uriko Nonamura-Ohgami, Jenny Burtory, Steven Goldberg, even Shenlong and dozens of zoanthropes. It was almost as if instinct led them here, to this place, and to this battle.
Shenlong glared at Gado. "So, we gonna stand around posturing, or are we gonna take this feeb out already? I gotta bar to be attending. With that, Gado ordered the attack. Waves of Zoanthropes pounced, barely being held back by Scott's power.
Meanwhile, Shina lay on the ground, as a man dressed in green approached. "Long?" she choked, "you're alive?"
"As long as Scott controls the Well," he answered.
"It's not fair," she groaned. "To save the world, I have to lose you?"
"Life never is for us, is it? But maybe, just maybe, everything will turn out all right. You know what to do," He said before turning around, and re- entering the fray. Shina sighed, as Irvine and Sarah ran over.
"Kenji's helping the fighters, but they're not doing so well. What do you have in this bag, anyway?"
"A rocket launcher," she replied, removing it from her bag.
She stood, and aimed the launcher straight at Scott. "No," she grumbled, "he is only a symptom. I have to take out the virus." She turned, and pointed the launcher at the Well of Souls. "Irvine, Sarah, I need you to do one more thing. Go out there and clear me a shot to the Well."
Irvine and Sarah ran out, ordering the fighters to the left and right. Shina smiled as her aim became clear.
"Hey, Scott!" she shouted. "I told you I was gonna kill you!" With that, she fired a single rocket. Scott's eyes opened wide, as the rocket flew true to her aim, and into the well, destroying its physical manifestation and allowing the souls contained to run free.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" he yelled, sinking to his knees. He grabbed his head, as the island began quaking. , and chunks seemed to fall to the sea.
"Everybody off the island, now!" Alan Gado yelled. The Zoanthropes all ran to the boats, as well as Shina, Irvine, and Kenji. Shina looked back, and spotted Sarah running the other way.
"I can't leave him!" she yelled when Shina and Irvine caught up to her. Kane stood, looked at the Well, then at Sarah as she collapsed in his arms. "Its okay," she sobbed, "we can go home now."
"You can," he replied in the old, gentle voice, "but I can't. Scott, the Well, and I are all linked. As long as I live, he does. If I went back, I'd only be a danger. I'm sorry, Sarah." As soon as his words had ended, he kissed her one last time, and swiftly punched her in the stomach. Sarah fell unconscious, and Kane gave her to Shina. "Take her home, she's been through enough."
"You're really going to do it," Shina said softly.
"Yes, I have to."
"It's your choice. Farewell, Kane. And thank you for everything." Irvine gave Kane one last handshake, and produced a beer from his jacket. Shina turned and walked away, with a tear in her eye. She climbed on board the boat, and looked back one last time as the symphony of the islands, and the well of Souls', destruction built to a mighty crescendo and ended with a silence enough to fill the world whole.
Hours later, Sarah looked over the empty waters, wrapped in a blanket. Shina walked up to her, and put her arm across Sarah's shoulder. "So, what do we do now?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know. I always wanted to be something simpler in life, like a masseuse..."
i These wounds won't seem to heal,
this pain is just to real,
there's just too much that time cannot erase,
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears,
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears,
and I held your hand through all of these years,
but you still...have...all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that your gone,
but though you're still with me,
I've been alone all along,
When you cried i'd wipe away all of your tears,
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears,
and I held your hand through all of these years,
but you still...have...all of me /i
................The End.
Final Chapter: Souls Ascension
Red Dragon held a tournament on his private island, leading to the death of Long Shen.
That was days ago.
Red Dragon was killed in an attempt to select his successor as Guardian of the Well of Souls.
That was minutes ago.
Kane Darkholm revealed himself to be possessed by his "brother" Scott and claimed the Well of Souls as his own.
That was seconds ago.
This is now.
Shina cursed as she bolted down the hallway, closely behind Sarah, Kenji, and Irvine. Behind her, the Temple of the well of Souls seemed to be coming apart at the seams as Scott's maniacal laughter echoed in her ears. "You sanctimonious son of a bitch!" she grumbled to herself.
When they had escaped the crumbling temple, they all took a look back. Scott rose high above the rubble, basking in the glow of the Well that now reached to the sky.
"That old fool! Taking Kane in, knowing full well that I was waiting for my chance! He thought that my weakling brother could contain me!" Scott laughed.
"He could! He did it once, and he'll do it again!" Sarah yelled.
"That was long ago, little girl, and I was weak. Now I am the strong! I am almighty! I am God!"
"Its easy to be almighty from a distance, isn't it?" Shina yelled, milliseconds before connecting with a thunderous blow to Scott's face. He staggered, letting Shina connect with several more, before pushing her away with a telekinetic shove.
"You're as foolish as my brother's woman if you think you can stand before me!" Scott taunted.
"Someone has to," Shina replied.
"Then you will be the first to fall," Scott raised his right arm, and electricity flew from his fingertips, into the body of Shina Gado. She screamed in pain, but retained enough wits to shout instructions to her friends.
"My bag! Find my bag!"
"Great," Irvine said, "of all the time to be worrying about her stuff..."
"She wouldn't be telling us to do so if she didn't have a good reason." Kenji replied. He began searching through the rubble, but was stopped by a familiar figure.
"Victoria? Cronos? Great, he's using the well to bring back the dead and control them. "
"Well then," Sarah said cracking her knuckles, "we'll just have to fight our way through them!"
Shina started to gain ground on Scott. Step by step, she resisted the intense pain in her body and approached the evil being. "Your eyes," he commented, "looking upon your own destruction, standing on the edge of Armageddon, I see not fear, but defiance. I'm impressed."
"I...have...a...job...to do. Whether I impress you or amuse you, I don't give a rats ass." She grabbed Scott's collar. "I'm going to kill you."
To her right, Irvine grabbed a small, leather bag. He searched its insides, discovering a bra and several other unmentionables before being yanked by Sarah. They ran to a safe location. "Damn, its heavy. What's she got in that thing?" he yelled, "a rocket launcher or something?"
"Don't be so sure," Scott replied, intensifying his attack. Shina fell to her knees, still struggling. Then somewhere, in the back of her mind, she sensed a gathering, a gathering of fighters, of heroes, of hope.
"D-dad?" she choked out as Scott's attack abated, and Alan Gado took her into his arms.
"And friends!" another familiar voice said. She turned around. Standing behind her father were Yugo and Alice Ohgami, Uriko Nonamura-Ohgami, Jenny Burtory, Steven Goldberg, even Shenlong and dozens of zoanthropes. It was almost as if instinct led them here, to this place, and to this battle.
Shenlong glared at Gado. "So, we gonna stand around posturing, or are we gonna take this feeb out already? I gotta bar to be attending. With that, Gado ordered the attack. Waves of Zoanthropes pounced, barely being held back by Scott's power.
Meanwhile, Shina lay on the ground, as a man dressed in green approached. "Long?" she choked, "you're alive?"
"As long as Scott controls the Well," he answered.
"It's not fair," she groaned. "To save the world, I have to lose you?"
"Life never is for us, is it? But maybe, just maybe, everything will turn out all right. You know what to do," He said before turning around, and re- entering the fray. Shina sighed, as Irvine and Sarah ran over.
"Kenji's helping the fighters, but they're not doing so well. What do you have in this bag, anyway?"
"A rocket launcher," she replied, removing it from her bag.
She stood, and aimed the launcher straight at Scott. "No," she grumbled, "he is only a symptom. I have to take out the virus." She turned, and pointed the launcher at the Well of Souls. "Irvine, Sarah, I need you to do one more thing. Go out there and clear me a shot to the Well."
Irvine and Sarah ran out, ordering the fighters to the left and right. Shina smiled as her aim became clear.
"Hey, Scott!" she shouted. "I told you I was gonna kill you!" With that, she fired a single rocket. Scott's eyes opened wide, as the rocket flew true to her aim, and into the well, destroying its physical manifestation and allowing the souls contained to run free.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" he yelled, sinking to his knees. He grabbed his head, as the island began quaking. , and chunks seemed to fall to the sea.
"Everybody off the island, now!" Alan Gado yelled. The Zoanthropes all ran to the boats, as well as Shina, Irvine, and Kenji. Shina looked back, and spotted Sarah running the other way.
"I can't leave him!" she yelled when Shina and Irvine caught up to her. Kane stood, looked at the Well, then at Sarah as she collapsed in his arms. "Its okay," she sobbed, "we can go home now."
"You can," he replied in the old, gentle voice, "but I can't. Scott, the Well, and I are all linked. As long as I live, he does. If I went back, I'd only be a danger. I'm sorry, Sarah." As soon as his words had ended, he kissed her one last time, and swiftly punched her in the stomach. Sarah fell unconscious, and Kane gave her to Shina. "Take her home, she's been through enough."
"You're really going to do it," Shina said softly.
"Yes, I have to."
"It's your choice. Farewell, Kane. And thank you for everything." Irvine gave Kane one last handshake, and produced a beer from his jacket. Shina turned and walked away, with a tear in her eye. She climbed on board the boat, and looked back one last time as the symphony of the islands, and the well of Souls', destruction built to a mighty crescendo and ended with a silence enough to fill the world whole.
Hours later, Sarah looked over the empty waters, wrapped in a blanket. Shina walked up to her, and put her arm across Sarah's shoulder. "So, what do we do now?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know. I always wanted to be something simpler in life, like a masseuse..."
i These wounds won't seem to heal,
this pain is just to real,
there's just too much that time cannot erase,
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears,
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears,
and I held your hand through all of these years,
but you still...have...all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that your gone,
but though you're still with me,
I've been alone all along,
When you cried i'd wipe away all of your tears,
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears,
and I held your hand through all of these years,
but you still...have...all of me /i
................The End.