Chapter 29: Final Battle
As the light fizzed out around her, she wondered vaguely were she's end up. What would there be after this? After this huge battle, what ever the out come, would it be a happy ending? Was she really the cure for whatever poison Kakra and co were spreading? She honestly didn't know. It seemed so black and white, with Yami and the crew since they were the good guys. Now, they all had their secrets, fears, and dark sides to struggle with.
Light suddenly broke into a horizontal line, a deep golden crimson ray piercing the shadow engulfing the area around her. It's a wonder she had made it this far, still breathing and thinking, and it was something to be thankful for. She actually was happy for all those dark times, and what she has learned. Now, shifting through her thoughts, she realized she wouldn't have it any other way, and all heroes had their dark spots to over come, and, that was what had made them champions in the first place. The ray spread wider still, and grew in length, and twisted in a pure gold thread beacon, shinning forth and bringing her slowly to what was the real world. Suddenly she found herself smiling, only because there really was not such thing as the real world any more, before a sudden wave of pain struck her and with a sudden thought she would've rather been at home drinking hot coco.
Her eyes threw open into a dark world, except for a brilliant shinning light, on her arm, the bracelet, vibrating violently. Its shriek of warning. For only looking at it for seconds a dark shape flickered in front of her, and found herself slowly turning out of the way as a large metallic sprong sound ringing loudly in her ears.
"DAMN!" Kakra's voice rung out and Ann found herself scrambling despite the cold pain running down her legs, she was far too busy trying to get away from the stream of curses and loud swipes echoing, before a hand grabbed her back and threw her back. She screwed her eyes shut and expected to feel something stab through her back, but found the bracelet vibrating instead as it met the tip of the blade, and propelled away with some twisted motion into Kakra's tan face.
Ann looked at the bracelet curiously, and at Kakra lifting herself off the floor, using her blazing crimson lit sword as a cane a moment. When on her feet she pulled the sword from the concrete with a vibrating sound and watched Ann carefully, with her feet apart and blood running freely from her nose, and ready to leap at her. Ann parted her feet as well, and followed her lead as they began to circle.
"You know, you have no chance of winning this. You should have stayed in your mind." Kakra said, golden eyes burning fiercely through the blackness, vigilant hungry eyes. Ann thought about what she said.
"Yes, that does sound logical," Ann admitted, "but, I have found after these past few days that logic doesn't exist. There are no rules." Kakra lunged, sword thrusting, faster than Ann could dodge, almost reaching her if not for the green ball that zipped through and slammed into the tip of the blade, knocking her aim off and giving Ann enough time to get out of the way.
"YAHOO!" Bill's voice echoed through the gloom, with some other shouts. Ann looked in his direction, but couldn't see him. Actually, she couldn't see anyone now. Her heart slammed in rib cage as her head swung in directions, looking for where she had gone. Then a close voice sounded from everywhere at once, chuckling an evil sounding laugh.
"You forget. I am a magician, a powerful magician, and you can't contend with me." The laugh rung out louder with cackling that made Ann's skin crawl. She felt the bracelet tingling on her arm, creating large amounts of light that grew more and more by the second, expanding and covering more space. She remembered what Bill had said, and wondered if something so simple would work. If you wanted something enough, you can get it? Okay…
"Bracelet," She whispered, feeling stupid, "Please, I want something to protect myself, a spell, a weapon…anything?! Work!" It stayed silent on her arm, only growing in vivid rays and hurting her eyes. This was impossible. You need some kind of chant to do anything like that. If you want something enough, you can get it? How?
Kakra charged out of the darkness, taking Ann by surprise from the back, and slashed down, causing a ripping hot flash of pain and a nightmare scream to erupt from her throat. Kakra took advantage of her helplessness and swung again, only to be met with the tip of a staff. Ammon looked down at her with fierce burning eyes, and swung the staff end into her middle, and sent her falling backwards.
"You ruined my life." He said calmly, looking at Kakra struggling to her feet.
"I was made marry you, and I would have dealt with it, but you ran off with that thief." Ammon approached her with swift strides, and pointed the end of his staff in her face.
"You wanted to kill me, so we wouldn't have to be wed, and you could take the family secret and your love. Give me one reason not to kill you…" Kakra lifted her eyes, grinning a wide smirk, and suddenly plunging a freshly drawn knife out of no where, straight into his stomach. His eyes widened with the sudden pain and surprise that he had fallen for the oldest trick in the book, faking a fall, as his staff fell from his constricting hands, and watched her raise to her feet and look of triumph blazing in her face. Her swift fingers shoved the blade in deeper, and made him fall backwards from the amount of force. The hilt of the blade was barely visible, and the rest had stuck out of his back before he had landed on it.
"Is that a good enough reason for you, Ammon?" She sneered, and walked over his glazed eyes, and found Ann missing from her spot. Her sword beaming bright through the clouds of dark rose to attack position, attentive to the slightest sound and light, and poised for the kill.
If you want something enough, you can have it? If you want something enough, you can have it? If you want something enough, you can have it? … I can't. I can't, I don't have that will…I'm going to die. She'll find me, and kill me on spot. It'll be long and painful, and she'll gloat, before the final shadow over takes my mind. If you want something enough, you can have it?
Kakra suddenly heard whispering.
"But wait…there is no logic." Grinning she crept closer, foot falls silent on the floor, eyes blazing, and blood pumping feverishly, being so close to achieving her goal.
"No logic. So, that makes sense on its own. But there's no logic. It's not even that…where am I going with this?" There, in the gloom, a bright light flickered mercilessly, and a dark figure stood tall.
"No, it's not the 'no logic'. Suppose he didn't say it right. Anyone who wants anything can get it, in some form. But that not what he meant." Kakra stood directly behind her, eyes wide, and mind screaming to strike while her pray was caught off guard. End the chase for once and all. She held the sword horizontal at her side, and building power into it, willing it to strike out on her command.
"Wait. When some one wants something, they have to let themselves have it. Suppose that's like getting it?" Kakra stuck, silent and watched the blade go through and the blood splatter flying in directions. Ann's form hunched suddenly, too late to scream, swayed slowly from right to left, realizing what had happened, and soon started plummeting to the side, landing on the arm with the bracelet digging into her side. Kakra walked over her, and sat down, Indian style, in front of her prey's line of vision, and waited for her to die.
The world swum in Ann's sight, making her feel sick, but felt something foreign sticking through her, nested and moving with each labored breath. She felt the life oozing out of her, with every drop of blood collecting around her, staining her hands and shirt. Kakra suddenly entered her vision, smiling a peaceful smile and putting her hands on each check, leaning her head on her arms, and watched her carefully. Ann drooped her eyelids a little, but fought to keep them open, and struggled for a breath, but found her form violently coughing, and bringing up blood. She had struck one of her lungs. She wouldn't survive. Kakra giggled, knowing all a long before her attack.
"I told you. But would you listen?" Kakra said. Ann stared at her, blood running down the side of her lip, and completely silent. Kakra leaned forward.
"Do you feel it?" She whispered, "The cold blackness taking hold? The life exiting your body? I would say I know how it feels, but hey, I've never been dead." Ann didn't say anything, she actually went very still, and gasped a breath, and kept staring.
"Tell you what though, I'd hate be alone at my death, so I'll sit by you, and what you die. Please, take your time…" Ann took another hard breath, letting the blood flow freely, and blinked her eyes slowly, and starting to feel the icy hands of death start to take hold. Everything suddenly blurred, and she closed her eyes, slowly, letting it the blackness comes as a relief. She gave it all she had, and she was far more tired than she had ever felt before. She released her breath and took a sharp stab of pain in her chest as she drew in more oxygen.
"…You know…" Ann stated to Kakra's listening ears. "Death is not so bad…all through I still want to live…far too much to do before death…I can even feel my fingers…" She chuckled, and took a breath, finding it easier all of a sudden. She opened her eyes abruptly and took the wet blade between her fingers, feeling its sharp edges, left it, and let her hands travel to her back. Her sticky hands felt around, and found the handle, dry until she gripped it.
"I want to live my life to old age. I have a lot I want to do." Ann said calmly, watching Kakra with bright eyes, as she watched her with the same vivid eyes, thinking she was about to die and these were her last words. Ann took the deepest breath in her whole life, expanding her lungs painfully and spoke.
"And…I would suppose I'll have to let myself have it." She ripped the sword suddenly from her, teeth clenched with hot pain streaming through her until the brightest light she had ever seen enveloped her, like a huge cloud, and slowly, she got to her feet, holding the sword close to her in the glowing sphere weaving together faster than any spell Kakra could use. Kakra watched with horrified eyes as Ann rose, normal brown eyes full of a new power.
"Its time," She said in her voice, now somehow greater than before, "Its time to end this." Ann raised the blade high, black against all of the brilliant light. For a moment she froze, until she brought it down hard, sailing to the ground, and smashing to pieces like glass.
BookDragon: "One more chapter. Hold on guys!"
Bill: "Please review."