Chapter 26: Cotton-Candy Clouds
Ann kept down as Joey's head popped up over the edge of the table, much like one of those Whack-A-Mole games, even though they couldn't see very far into the blackness. It was still a good time to check, especially with those things running around. All the blonde strains landed as Joey averted his brown orbs to her, vague in emotion.
"Nothing I can see." He said this with a sort of muffled accent since his lip was increasing in size. The deep ragged cuts in the arms of his shirt where soaking the access blood, making one almost afraid to wonder how bad the wounds were underneath.. He didn't seem to give the injury any care. There was also a large hole in the side of his green shirt, self inflicted. Ann reconsidered the pattern from the bloodied patch Bakura had brought. When she asked about it he replied,
"Yeah. They ruined my favorite shirt." In an angry tone. Ann noticed his eyes kept glancing at the bright light erupting from Ann's middle.
Her sweater was still, but she could feel the light needles being sown in and out as if by invisible hands, making her wince every so often with sudden jolt of discomfort, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Perhaps she was a bad actor or Joey knew a lot about injuries due to the many fights in his past. That or both.
"If we make a run for the stairs I think, maybe, we could get a sky view, maybe see where everyone is…are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, fine. What happens if we get attacked?" Joey shrugged.
"Oh, that makes me feel better…"
"On three?" Ann looked at him nervously, twitched her fingers with a short period of discomfort and nodded. The blonde peered over the table, keeping watch incase of a sudden change of plans and held a finger up to her.
One
A pause.
Two
Second pause. Ann fidgeted uneasily in her crouched position, eyes darting to his stern face to his and his hand. What would she do if he was mortally injured? Could she do anything? What happens if they run into TombRobber or anyone of their other enemies? What if they run into all of them? Ann had no time to calculate that because the two pale fingers turned to three and a hand gruffly pulled her to her feet by the shoulder.
They ran.
Joey's strides were even and well placed, out running Ann easily with about three steps. She would have feel behind if he hadn't claimed his hand down on her shoulder and was almost dragging her faster than she could run. She was at her limit and trailing behind him. It took them a moment to reach another table and duck behind it, catching the short amount of rest that was handed to them and started off again. They did this in quick repetition, diving behind what ever they could find at the moment, until finally they stopped behind a desk and Joey popped his head up again. His face came back down, added with a widening grin, going from ear to ear, on his face.
"I can see the stairs." He said in a gleeful whisper, panting a little, not as much as Ann. She could have created a mini tornado with the amount of air coming out of her lungs. This was horrible, having no active nature in the past, and being the nerdy kid in her class. She took rapid deep breaths, looking at him tiredly. He didn't notice. He grabbed her shoulder again and started sprinting, forcing her rebelling muscles to hail his and work. They screamed in her thoughts, not allowing her to think, until they were suddenly brought to a halt, when Joey threw her away from him and disappeared somewhere near by. Where she wasn't sure, she was too busy having her face meet the cement. When she finally got her head to stop spinning she picked herself up, and turned around as fast as she dared.
No monster stood there. Only a very red-faced Kaiba with a messy whirl-winded hairdo, bright eyes staring. He stood rigidly, unlike his usual high-headed royal appearance, but a bit unsure in footing and puffs of breath, his face anxious and most certainly horrified, and Serenity hugging his neck weakly.
This did not go over well with Joey Wheeler.
Joey's right eye twitched and his fingers curled and uncurled as his whole body shook, much like a man about to go violently insane. Ann was noting he probably was insane now. He looked like he was going to erupt, his facing going beyond a plum color, a purple-color that had no name. His breathing was labored, with unknown rage building from every point in his body, his eyes flashing fiery crimson, his jaw clenched, and his fingers cracking as they writhed into abnormal positions.
Kaiba took an involuntary step away from him, shifting uneasily from his right foot to his left, just gazing at him with actual fear printed out on his face, turning his crimson completion whiter than any white imaginable. The powerful CEO, in fact, started to shake. Kaiba was frightened. Ann's eyes widened with the sudden realization, gawking at this whole wordless affair with a ghastly atmosphere, unable to move, or think, of anything logical to attempt. Joey was probably beyond all help.
It was either Ann's blank face or Kaiba's wide navy eyes that made Serenity look at her brother. Her hazel eyes bloomed with concern turned to worry and fright. For whose safety we will never know.
"Joey?"
Joey exploded. He blasted all the hot air from his lungs with a bellow so inhuman it took Ann by surprise that Kaiba wasn't a heap on the floor. His voice was a full tilt, screaming, bellowing, shouting, growling, and most certainly spitting in all one sound that made their hands leap to their ears. His shout was beyond swearing. He was threatening. He was making a promise to kill Kaiba personally. Something about getting him no matter where he went, he would find him and gut him? Kaiba would never sleep again because Joey would never rest until he was dead? Some pretty damn scary stuff.
With this whole speech about how the reaper would soon be visiting Kaiba. Ann finally got a clear though her skull, a thought about him attracting attention with all this screaming, a thought enough to jolt her immobile limbs.
"SSHHH…Shush…stop, cease, silence, shut up," Ann yelled, but only came out into the air as an easily ignored whisper.
"JOEY! YOU'RE TOO LOUD!" Serenity's voice suddenly broke, quelling his fit to a small yelping whisper. The youngest always has the stronger yelling talent out of any number of siblings. Always.
His face turned to its normal color shade and his hands and the rest of him finally relaxed at the sudden mad pout on her face seeped into his brain. But her warning made things only worse. Something moved in the small silence around them, making everyone freeze. All eyes were on the darkness engulfing them. Watching diligently for any source of movement, as their ears listened hard for the smallest pin drop or noise.
Either the shouting had dulled their ears and the poor light made it hard to see, or they were just that talented. Out of no where Ann was grabbed by the back of the shirt and lifted easily into the air by a strong fist and hurtled threw the air very, very, very fast. Her arms meet the ground with a rigid cracking sound, sending her world into a great deal of pain. A distant scream rung out and met her ears; it was her own.
The hollering and fury in Joey must have made the adrenaline in his system kick in twice as much as normal. He struck out and his fist met Marik straight in the jaw and sent him rapidly to the floor. The blonde curled his fingers roughly around the tomb keeper's shirt and simply picked him up and slammed him harder into the floor, causing the dust to leap from the cracks and cover them a bit. Joey was brought down a second later by TombRobber's swift fire ball into the back of his knees, scorching them. He calmly walked up to the blonde and began to talk.
"It's not the strength you put into an attack. It's location. Location, location, location." He kicked Joey squarely in the shoulder, bring a loud crunch and wincing shriek from the blonde. His arm fluttered limply to the ground, dislocated.
"Now this is hard." The white haired teen placed all lot of force into his leg and thrusted into Joey's side hard enough to cause his eyes to roll into the back of his head and go to the ground.
TombRobber simply cracked his knuckles as he peered down at Marik, looking him over carefully and watched him climb to his feet, for only a few seconds, until he boredly looked for the other two that had disappeared into the fog. He didn't much like hide and seek as a child, and still didn't now. He turned and watched Kakra smartly walk about the open pocket of air, looking around the floor. When her eyes meet Joey's body she distastefully turned away and looked at her beloved.
"Where are the two?" TombRobber shrugged uncaringly.
"Gone to hide, I suppose. That fool Kaiba wasn't much of a fighter, and the girl was a coward."
"And Her?"
"Ask Marik where he threw her." TombRobber inspected the blood on his boot and whipped it off on Joey disgustedly. Kakra rolled her eyes and crossly grabbed Marik's shirt and lifted him off the ground.
"Where is she ?!" Marik pointed weakly to somewhere in the thickening darkness. Kakra dropped him with a sigh and gave TombRobber that 'your in charge' look and went off in the direction Marik indicated, tired of the game, and wanting ever so much to finish it.
Ann's eyelids twitched…then slowly drew open. Vivid colors of blue and dark green flooded her vision not at all painfully. Actually, it brought her tense muscles to a lull, and let her eyes wonder about this familiar place. The clouds hung over her tenderly, as a sweet wind brushed out her hair tranquilly. The grass didn't prickle her skin, but instead, stroked it softly. Her mouth twitched. Then gradually spread into a happy smile. It brightened her face; from the usual blank look she gave the world to a joyous hue of emotion. Her eyes twinkled with delight as she made out what kinds of animals where roaming the sky, disguised as big cotton ball clouds. There were herds of deer, a tiger leaping, a turtle eating grass, a griffin clawing at its prey, and many more creatures drifting lazily across the atmosphere. And she intended to enjoy it until she was rudely interrupted.
Another body shook the earth around her as it collapsed next to her, startling her a bit, but not enough to stir from her spot to look. She watched a dragon hoard its gold reluctantly against a greedy knight when a familiar voice met her ears.
"You know, you can not stay here forever. She will get in."
"Calendae? How did you get here? Where am I?" The girl chuckled lightly, then in a morose voice said.
"I'd think you'd know your own daydreaming room…"
"You got into my room?"
"Yes, I had to pick the lock while you were sleeping, I'm sorry, but I had to disappear from your thoughts awhile. You had to go through an ordeal I couldn't help you with…I find your creations very impressing." Ann wasn't sure if she should have been thankful or terribly anger with her for entering a forbidden zone. A loud banging and snarling suddenly disrupted her thoughts.
"What was that?"
"That's her, she's trying to break down your barrier. Soon she will succeed in her wishes."
"Her?"
"Kakra." Ann jolted up from her laying position at the sound of her name and looked terrified at Calendae.
"SHE'S IN MY HEAD?!?!" Calendae looked up at her gloomily.
"Yes. She used the power of her sword. She will hack her way through in a few minutes."
"MINUTES?!?!?" Her double nodded her head sadly. Ann's actions were suddenly anxious and desperate as jumped to her feet and rounded a few moments in panic, trying to think, until she grabbed her double's hand.
"Calendae! You've got to help me!" Her eyes looked depressed and weak.
"…I can not, Ann, I'm not allowed to help." She pulled her hand from Ann's grip and downcast her eyes.
"…I'm sorry." Ann stood rooted to the spot, letting her eyes glaze over in horror. There was nothing to be done. It was true. You can't escape death. Ann wobbled down to the grass and felt she could have wept if she had wanted to. She didn't. Her knees hit the grass lightly as her hands, motionless stayed to the ground.
"I'm going to finally get what I deserve." Ann said in a horse whisper. Her eyes were going watery at the thought of it.
"What you deserve?" Calendae asked unsurely.
"Yes. What I deserve." Ann agreed.
"What is that?"
"Death." Ann said, calmly.
"What for? You haven't done anything worse enough for death…have you?" Ann was silent. Then, she turned slowly and met Calendae's face with a wide stare, and ignored the growing pounding far off. Ann sighed.
"It does not matter know if you know…I caused someone's demise. It was stupid. I should have warned him…but my damned pride…I didn't shout for him to get off…and…he died." Ann's head lowed as she let the wetness drip off down her cheeks.
"I was seven…only fricking seven…and I caused someone to die. Why didn't I tell him, warn him, that the board would break? Because I had to beat him in that little trivial childish game, curse my pride, curse how much I felt for that kid, I did actually like him in that sense…and when he didn't like me…that got me so angry. I challenged him to go into the house we were building, to walk across the boards. I crossed safely, when he followed…damn myself to hell." Calendae looked at her.
"That wasn't your fault Ann."
"Yes, it was."
"Even if it was, you've punished yourself enough…I mean living in guilt for that long…"
"It can never be enough. His life is gone. Snatched away from him. He can't grow up and live any of the dreams he had. He can't. All because I killed him." Ann whispered. She let her head sag with her arms; tears ran freely down her face. And finally, the big hole in herself somewhere became painfully aware. The wind tickled and iced the tears on her face, as Calendae took her chin with one finger and lifted it to face hers.
"Dieing is not enough, being guilty is not enough, you must make amends." Ann stared at her.
"If you die right now, Kakra will win, and even if he…who ever he is…was alive right now he wouldn't have a chance. A lot of people won't have a change…a lot more…hims…and may other people…even his family…this is a change given to you to…make things right…" Even this speech, as corny and shaky as it was, made the hole close a little, but through life it would never entirely leave her, it would be her scar. Calendae whipped some of the dampness off her face with her forefinger, smiling with tears in her own eyes. But the conversation was brought to an abrupt end, when a large and sharp blade gently was placed tipped on Ann's shoulder.
BookDragon: *head down in shame* "That was the bad. OMG did that suck…"
Bill: *looks at the paragraph* "Er…Well… it could have been…worse? Leave a review."