Disclaimer: I don't own the original FY characters; I own Kei, Taki, Lily, Jason, their kids and any other person who isn't a FY character.
Thoughts
Memories
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Eight figures stood silently on a hill top, mere silhouettes against a blood red sky. They were waiting. Though what exactly they were waiting for, they weren't sure.
Kimiko looked out to the eastern sky. She closed her eyes. The others watched her. When she opened her eyes, she frowned.
"What is it?" Hiroshi looked at her.
"Reizo will be here soon…and he's not alone…"
"Who's with him? Other people?" Nyoko looked to the east.
"I don't think they're other people…" The young goddess shivered.
Akane twirled a knife. "Let him come. This fight's been a long time coming."
Hiroshi ran his thumb over the hilt of his father's sword. "So…we meet him here…"
"It's what we've been led to believe." Toshiro gnawed at his thumbnail.
Kimiko sighed. "He'll be here…He wouldn't miss the opportunity to come after us."
"Over there!" Naoko pointed across to the horizon. Toru was the next one to see Reizo and his army.
Within minutes, they were confronted by the general and an army of undead creatures.
Akane raised a hand to her mouth, feeling like she would vomit. "What are those things?"
"Dead Hands." Reizo answered her in his low monotone voice. "My servants. They follow all orders unconditionally. And since they are already dead, no one misses the ones that do not come back."
"That's sick!" Toshiro growled. "Leave the dead in peace!"
"Like I would listen to a child." Reizo scoffed. "I am not particularly interested in personally killing you. That is what they are for." His hand glowed eerily. "I just want the bitch and the whelp."
"Over my dead body!" Kano stood in front of Akane.
"Easily arranged." Reizo raised his hand. Black light engulfed Akane, Kano and Reizo. The black light solidified into a dome at the top of the hill.
The Dead Hands turned on the six remaining kids. Kimiko wasted no time in spreading her wings and blasting the closest one with a large burst of fire. "Come on guys! We've gotta fight!"
Everyone wasted no time in following suit.
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Akane looked around the black void she was floating around in. 'Whoo boy…what now?'
"Akane!" She felt Kano's hand on her arm. She assumed it was Kano anyway, considering Reizo never used her name.
She twisted her body in the 'air' to face him. "Kano…where are we?"
"Damned if know…" He looked around.
"Where do you think he is?" She floated closer to him.
"I don't know…I wish I did though…" He wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Well…we're in this together. We'll get out of it like that…"
Kano nodded. "Yeah…" He kissed her. "I love you Akane…"
"I love you too Kano…" She sighed against his body. "Let's go find Reizo and finish this. The others still have to fight the Dead Hands."
"Yeah…" They reached the 'ground' and looked around. "Come on Reizo! It's time to end this!"
"Oh how right you are, whelp." Reizo's form materialized out of the darkness, sword gleaming even in nonexistent light.
Kano and Akane looked at each other one more time before drawing their own weapons.
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Hiroshi felt as if he wasn't in his own body anymore. He saw himself cutting away at Reizo's Dead Hands with a skill that wasn't his own. He'd never touched a sword until recently.
He saw Kimiko out of the corner of his eye. She had adapted well to her own power. She needed no help from anyone to defend herself.
His eyes shifted to the opaque black dome at the very top of the hill. Somehow, Kano, Akane and Reizo were in there, fighting to the death. Whatever happened out here was nothing compared to the importance of that outcome.
But he quickly brought his mind back to his own battles. There was no time to think about anything else.
His father's sword danced in complicated patterns of attack and defense he only imagined in movies. Though it seemed as if for every creature dead, there were two or more to replace it.
A sudden jolt of immense pain ran through his back.
"HIROSHI!!" Kimiko's scream rose up above everything. Everyone turned to see Hiroshi fall to his knees, eyes wide in disbelief.
Kimiko ran to his side and caught him before he fell to the ground. She saw something sticking out of his back. It was the bloody hilt of a jagged dagger. She had seen one of the undead creatures attack him from behind. He stared off into the sky.
"Hiroshi! Speak to me!" She shook him gently.
"Kimiko?" He choked on her name. His vision was already blurry.
"Hiroshi!" She pulled him close. "Don't die on me…"
By now the twins joined Kimiko and their fallen cousin. Toru and Toshiro combined their powers to create a shield to protect the 6 of them.
Hiroshi licked his lips, tasting his own blood. "Fighting's just not for me…"
Kimiko looked down at him, tears in her eyes. "Hiroshi…please hang on…"
"I'm sorry Kimiko…" He looked up at her with sad eyes.
"No…no! Please! I can't lose anyone else! I just can't! Especially not you!" She began to sob, power slowly building up in her.
"Hiroshi…" Naoko felt her knees buckle. "Don't be a jerk and die…please don't…"
He smirked. "You always had a way with words…" His eyes began to close. "I'm gonna miss all of you…"
"No! Don't you dare die!" Kimiko hissed through her tears. "We've all got to finish this together!"
Hiroshi shook his head. "I wasn't meant for this." He brushed her tears away. "I love you Kimiko…"
His eyes closed again. Kimiko felt his breath stop against her shoulder.
Anger and rage began to flow through her. "NO! This isn't happening!" She lowered his body to the ground. "It won't end like this!" The girls clung to their cousins as Kimiko began to give off a crimson glow. The symbol of Suzaku began to glow brightly on her forehead. Her eyes flashed as she began to change.
Her dark violet hair changed to bright red. Her wings unfolded and she hovered above everyone. What began as a soft glow around both hands became an enormous ball of energy. 'The only person who should have died here was Reizo…'
The twins watched as the girl they'd come to know as one of their own began to slip away. They were scared. They weren't sure who they were looking at anymore. The immortal part of Kimiko had taken over.
Kimiko released her attack, creating a blinding light. Time ceased to exist as every single Dead Hand was burned to ash. When the light died away, only the twins, Kimiko and Hiroshi's body remained. The black dome still crackled with power, but it had been weakened to a point.
Kimiko silently lowered her body to the ground. As she walked towards her friends, they were tempted to ask who she had become, but managed to keep silent.
"Four years and it ends like this…" Kimiko whispered. A touch of her old self returned. "Why Hiroshi…why?" She stared at his face, hair matted with blood, probably his own.
"Kimiko…" Toru reached out to her. "Come on…you can't do anymore…all we can do is wait for Akane and Kano to come back…"
"No." Her crimson eyes blazed and she slapped his hand away. "You're wrong."
"Kimiko please…don't be like this…" Toshiro was as scared as the rest of them.
"I'll be however I damn well please!" She cried. "I won't stand here while I know I can still do something for him!" She crossed her arms and gripped at her shoulders. "I won't let him leave! He can't! Not now! I can't lose him!"
Kimiko's sorrow was so powerful that they could feel it. It was almost too much to bear once added to their own personal sorrows over losing their levelheaded cousin. Hiroshi was the only one that could keep them all in line.
Suddenly, Kimiko let out a shriek of pain. She was changing again, though this time it was more than just her hair. Her entire form began to change…into a giant phoenix.
"Kimiko?" The kids asked in disbelief.
She looked at them, almost apologetically, then took off. After making a circle in the air, she swept back down and took Hiroshi with her. She flew so fast that they couldn't see where she went.
"N…now what?" Nyoko couldn't stand on her own anymore. Injuries from the fight and emotional weariness took a toll on the small girl.
"You have to help Akane and Kano." A deep voice from behind startled them.
They turned to see a tall, blonde man standing amongst the ashes of the Dead Hands.
"Na…Nakago…" Naoko stared at him, unsure of exactly why she knew who he was.
"What are you doing here?" Nyoko asked quietly.
"No time. You have to help your friends." He began walking towards the black dome. They didn't move. "Hurry or they won't win!" He growled at them. His tone made them come running, weariness forgotten.
He positioned them at the 4 cardinal directions around the dome. Nyoko and Naoko faced north and south while Toru and Toshiro took east and west. "Concentrate on them. They need your power to fight Reizo. If you let up for even a moment, it could lead to their deaths."
"But what about Kimiko and Hiroshi?" Toru looked at the dead man.
"I said there was no time! Do you want to help them or not?"
His harsh tone again made them turn to the task at hand. The twins closed their eyes and began to think about their friends. Toshiro risked opening one eye. Nakago was gone. He gave it no thought though. There were bigger problems at hand.
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Akane felt a painful tug in her chest. It took her breath away.
"Akane?"
"Hiroshi…" She whispered. "He's gone…"
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Kano deflected one of Reizo's attacks.
"He'd dead…" She looked up at Reizo. "You killed him!" She screamed and charged at him.
"Worthless scum anyway." Reizo scoffed and prepared himself.
But he underestimated what sorrow could do to a person. She came at him nails out and clawed at him. Her movements were too unpredictable to come up with a decent defense. Her best strike came when she managed to get her nails into his right eye. He screamed and backed up. Blood dripped out of the corner of his eye. Kano knew he'd never see out of that eye again.
"You'll pay for that bitch!"
"You'll pay for my cousin's death!" Akane drew her weapons and went after Reizo, Kano right behind her.
Reizo formed another sword out of the darkness. Now wielding one sword of metal and another darkness he fended off attacks from both the young bandits.
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"Nakago, I assume you're ready?"
"Yes."
"You understand the possibility you will die, correct?"
"I'm already dead. I don't fear walking into death a third time."
"You are prepared to help them at whatever cost?"
"I have always been the children's guardian. I won't stop now. Not when it's almost over."
"There's light at the end of this for you Nakago."
"I don't care anymore. Eternal damnation or peace…I'm the past. The future is important now."
"You've changed."
"…"
"I mean that in a good way…"
"Could I have changed in a bad way? I couldn't have gone much lower."
"You're too hard on yourself."
"I am not…"
"Good bye Nakago…"
"Good bye."
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"AKANE!!!!!" Kano screamed at the top of his lungs. He struggled against the dark magic that held him in place. Reizo had caught him off guard and bound him to the void with the sword of darkness, leaving Akane to fight on her own. Not that he felt she was incapable of winning, but he couldn't stand only watching something so important.
"Die, bitch!" Akane heard Reizo yell as she rolled over and saw Reizo's blade coming at her.
Her eyes widened in fear. Her arms were too sore to move her body. She shut her eyes and inhaled sharply, waiting for the blade.
Though she never felt it. Instead she heard a male grunt. She opened her eyes expecting and fearing to see Kano in front of her. A bloody sword blade was inches from her face, stuck in someone else. Her eyes traveled upward and instead of the navy hair she thought she'd find, it was golden blonde.
"Nakago…" The name tumbled from the three fighters' mouths.
Nakago drew in a ragged breath. "Akane, get up." He had a firm grip on Reizo's sword hand, not allowing him to let go nor remove the sword from his own body. With his other hand he shot a ki blast at Kano's confines, freeing him.
Kano fell forward in pain. The dark magic was more detrimental than any blade wound he'd ever gotten. Akane picked herself up. She stared incredulously at the man. "Nakago…what are you doing? Why did you do that?"
"I have my reasons…" While he spoke, he kept his eyes locked with Reizo's.
"I can't believe you're helping them…" Reizo spat.
"I'll do whatever it takes to stop you." Nakago grabbed the blade with his free hand, cutting deeply into his palm. When the blood began to flow freely, he smeared it across his son's face, blinding him.
Reizo screamed, his eyes burning with the viscous red liquid. He let go of the sword and stumbled backwards. Nakago's vision blurred, but he could see Kano tackle Reizo.
"Nakago…" Akane knelt next to him.
"Go fight Reizo…" He winced. He gripped the hilt and tried to pull out the sword.
"But you're hurt…"
"And dead twice over. Third times a charm." He muttered.
"Why the hell did you do that?" She pulled the sword out for him.
"You and Kano have to keep on living. Reizo needs to be stopped."
"So this is just about Reizo?" She tossed the bloody sword to the ground.
He looked up at her. "Akane, I have a debt to pay off with your family. I intend to pay it back."
Memories suddenly flooded her mind. Her eyes filled with tears. The sounds of Kano and Reizo fighting became distant as her mind floated back to her childhood.
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A seven-year-old Akane tossed and turned in her bed. She'd been sick with a terrible fever for days. Her parents were worried. Nothing was helping her.
Akane cried softly as she began to wake up for the 5th time that night. She hadn't gotten much sleep since she'd gotten sick.
"Shhhh…no need to cry." Akane felt a cool, gentle hand on her forehead.
She eased back into her bed. "Who's there?" She looked around and saw the faint shadow of a person next to her. "Who are you?"
"Nobody."
She could make out golden hair and blue eyes. The shadow seemed a bit more solid now. It was definitely a man. "Why are you here?"
"Just because…" He wiped away her sweat and tears. "You'll be better soon."
She sniffled. "How do you know?"
"I just do." He pulled the blanket back up around her body.
Before she could speak again, the shadow disappeared. His cool touch lingered on her body, making her feel much better. Her door opened slightly. Kei stepped in.
"Akane…who were you talking to?" She looked around the dark room.
Akane smiled. "Nobody…"
Kei walked over to her daughter's bed and touched her forehead. She blinked in surprise. "Your fever's gone down…"
Akane yawned. "I'm sleepy…"
Kei smiled. "Then get some sleep…"
Akane watched her mother leave the room. She just barely caught Kei whispering 'Thank you' before closing the door and falling asleep.
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"Crap!" A ten-year-old Akane wandered aimlessly around a summer festival. She'd been separated from her whole family.
She ran around in her sandals and bright red kimono. Her ponytail swung back and forth when she ran. Many people walked past her without even giving her a passing glance.
The more she looked, the more hopeless it seemed. She sadly trudged to a large fountain in the park. She sat on the edge of the fountain and sighed. "I'm never gonna find them…"
"Find who?" A cool hand touched her shoulder.
She jerked up. A tall man with golden hair and blue eyes was looking down at her. "I…I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."
"I'm not a stranger. I've known your parents a long time."
She gave him a strange look. He did seem familiar. "Then what are their names?"
"Tasuki and Kei."
"Oh…well…you got that right…" She shuffled her feet on the ground. "I can't find them…"
"Come on. I saw them a little while ago." He offered his hand to her.
She looked him over one more time then took his hand. There was definitely something familiar about him. They walked through the crowds of people together. "Who are you?"
A small smile crossed his face. "Nobody." He let her hand go. "Your parents are over there."
She looked over and saw her parents. Then she realized something. "Hey! You're that guy who…" She turned back to face him, but he was gone.
"Akane!" Her father's voice made her turn around.
"Daddy!" She ran over to him and jumped into his arms.
"Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you."
"I got lost. Sorry." She hugged her father.
"Well…the important thing is that you're alright." Tasuki smiled and carried her back to Kei.
Akane looked over her father's shoulder. She caught a glimpse of the man again. She smiled and waved.
"Who are you waving to?" Tasuki looked back.
"Nobody." She smiled.
Tasuki gave her a funny look. "Nobody, huh?" She nodded.
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Akane shook her head. "You aren't nobody Nakago…"
"I am who I choose to be." He muttered and stood up.
"Thank you for everything."
"Don't thank me yet."
"So…how do we kill him?"
"He's not immortal. He'll die if you stab him like any other person."
"Like Hiroshi…" Akane felt her throat tighten.
"Kimiko won't let him die."
"But I already felt him die!"
"Concern yourself with the matter at hand. Everything will be fine. Need I remind you that your mother has died before?"
"Oh…yeah…" Akane picked up Reizo's sword and looked at Reizo and Kano. She saw something sticking out of Reizo's shoulder. After a moment she realized it was a knife, one of Kano's. She'd dropped them during the fight. He must have found one of them. Kano must have managed to get him. "I don't know if I can do it…"
"Yes, you can." Nakago grunted in pain again. He wouldn't last much longer. "You have to…to stop him…sometimes…the ends justify the means…"
Akane closed her eyes a moment. She could feel her friends and family with her, her parents, her aunts and uncles, her cousins, Kimiko and her family, even Hiroshi, especially Kano. "I'll do it. I'll stop him…" Though unaccustomed to a sword, she held it confidently. Her eyes met with Kano's in a brief moment of understanding before she charged. 'This is it…everything…everything will be okay after this…everything…' The sword she held glowed blue. She felt the last of Nakago's power in it. The one time enemy of her family was now with her, willing to anything to make up for the past.
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Oi…that took entirely too long. I'm sorry. School seems to have been the death of me. But this was the hard part and so it should be smooth from here on out.
Now here's the way I see it: One more chapter, possibly combined with the epilogue because it's definitely not going to be that long. Then after that, I could do four Afterthoughts like the first story, but I won't if y'all don't want to wait. I'd understand if you didn't since this took so long and all. If you guys want to see Afterthoughts, I've already come up with all four, it's just a matter of typing them up, which would take maybe a night each, maybe one weekend. Those would definitely not take long.
So I leave it up to you.
Final chapter combined with epilogue? Yes or no?
Four part Afterthoughts? Yes or no?
~*~Shadow Hawk~*~