So close to the end... anyway, please forgive me for any spelling/grammatical errors: I'm too lazy to pick them out at the moment.
Hm... this is actually my longest chapter to date...
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Chapter 22: Confrontation of the Flame
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Dark bit his lip as he stared at Akane, who stood before them. She seemed fairly calm with the situation but when he looked at her hands, he noticed that the knuckles were a strained white as they were balled into fists and her eyes had a faraway look to them.
"How... how are you connected to all this?" he managed to ask. She shook her head briefly in reply before stepping up towards the large flame. She placed a gloved hand over the barrier and, as small wisps of power began to surround her palm, Akane spoke calmly without turning to face them.
"You had your suspicions, Dark, and they were correct," she sighed and closed her eyes, "You must remember that one that is bound by blood will forever be."
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he raised an eyebrow.
"It means," started Satoshi coldly, "that one can't be free from the curse that was placed on them from over a period of time."
"You're an idiot," growled Krad, resisting the urge to blow Dark's head off his shoulders, "What we're trying to say is that there's a curse in the blood, and she can't escape from it.
Think Niwa," the blonde finally snapped at the confused Thief.
"... Oh. I knew that," Dark frowned at him before directing his attention back to Akane. By that time, the small amount of power had become incredibly strong and seemed to be pushing against the barrier itself.
"Just a little longer..." she muttered, "The Flame doesn't want us to interfere with the process..."
"Well, why don't we help then?" Dark stepped up and, in the process, dragged Krad with him. "We have more than enough magic to blow a whole city apart."
"Don't touch me," Krad said, but Akane, without turning to face them, nodded.
"Just focus on the power I've already got here in front of us," she explained, "I'm sure it'll break soon. Hiwatari-kun... could you keep an eye out for any... trespassers?"
Satoshi didn't reply as he turned away from the three, his mind trying to work properly.
:Is Scarlet a part of Takada... or otherwise?: he wondered to himself as his eyes wandered around the void aimlessly. He didn't have to turn around to see the bright light that was being emitted by the three people, and he frowned for no particular reason.
:Why does he always get dragged into this?:
He stopped thinking as his eyes caught sight of a moving shadow, and he hissed a warning to Akane.
"Someone's here."
"Almost there..." she replied softly, while Dark and Krad continued to work their magic, "If it comes any closer, find out what it is, or... get rid of it. Delay it, if possible. We have to save Niwa-kun..."
"You don't have to tell me that," he muttered, as he scanned the area around him to find the shadow again. It didn't take him long to pinpoint it, and by then it was closer to them than he expected. Coolly, he walked over to it.
The shadow froze as the blue-haired boy approached it and, before it could move, he had managed to pin it to the floor before it could work out what had happened. It gasped in surprise and struggled to get Satoshi off of it, but to no avail.
"Okay, what are you doing here?" he hissed.
"Do you want to know?" came back the sharp answer. The voice was husky and it seemed that their throat had been parched, "Well, it's none of your business!"
Satoshi resisted the urge to punch whoever it was, but they were spared when they heard Akane and Dark call out in joy.
"Hiwatari-kun, let's go!" she called hurriedly, "It'll close up soon!"
Without another glance, the blue-haired boy jumped off his captive and rushed to the hole that had been blown open. Krad and Dark were already gone and Akane was waiting for him at the entrance of the hole that they had created. He entered and as the hole healed itself, the girl hopped in. The shadow struggled to get up.
"Akane!" it bellowed.
Her eyes narrowed to slits as she noticed who it was and gave the person a contemptuous glare, "I didn't think that you would find a way here. To interfere with my plans... you know that I can't fail this now...
Don't try to bother me again, Chester."
She spun around and quickly went after the others before the boy could reply.
"Damn you..." he hissed, "I will have you one day..."
---
"Are we even going in the right direction?" asked Dark when Akane had caught up to them. Krad twitched slightly and Satoshi had both eyebrows raised in impatience.
"I don't even know why I'm helping you," came the cold reply and the Thief frowned.
"You're mean," he finally said.
"There's only one way to go," Satoshi finally pointed out, "So we just keep going that way."
"And you, to fall in love with someone like Ni--" spluttered Krad indignantly. Obviously the stress had begun to get to him and it wouldn't be long before he decided to blast someone to smithereens, but Akane cut in before anymore damage could be started.
"Like Hiwatari-kun said," she began smoothly, so that they all turned to face her, "There is only one was to go to the heart of the Flame, so we just have to continue."
"So... Daisuke went down here?" Dark suddenly looked worried, as he gave the area around them a long look. All around them was pure darkness that boxed them in all corners. The only form of life that could be located were the spirits that had been consumed over the years, and they shivered.
"No," replied Akane coldly, "As soon as he entered, the Flame sent him right to the heart, so that he couldn't escape."
"We better go then," Satoshi said reasonably, and she nodded, as did Dark, while Krad seemed indifferent with the whole situation.
As they walked in a single file, Dark couldn't help but notice that Akane was muttering under her breath the whole time. Finally, he turned to confront her, and she looked up patiently.
"Yes?" she asked simply.
"Are you worried about the Spirits hating you, then don't be," he said, "They don't blame you for what happened, okay?"
"... Thank you," she whispered, and he shrugged as they continued to catch up to Satoshi and Krad.
They continued in a stuffy sort of silence, until, suddenly, the world seemed to shatter like a million glass shards and a burst of light engulfed the darkness around them completely. Before a word could pass between them at all, the world righted itself on its own, and they found themselves in a dimly lit room.
Almost at once Akane stepped back sharply, her eyes wandering around nervously.
"I've never been here before..." she whispered in the stuffy silence, "But... something doesn't feel right..."
"Some sort of evil is here," Dark muttered, and Satoshi frowned as he took a step forwards.
"It's void of all warmth or life," he finally said, and Krad nodded slowly, as if entranced with the scene before him.
The room itself seemed ancient, and a wooden smell filled their nostrils. When Akane had finally recovered, Krad silently pointed out a door and they went towards it. It slid open at its own accord, and, after a moment of hesitation, they entered together.
At once, they saw the limp body suspended in a large prison, skin pale beyond imagination. Dark ran over to it instantly, but Akane froze, her eyes focused on the actual prison than on the still form before them. She shook her head in disbelief, and backed away slowly, fear reflecting off her eyes.
"This... no..." she gasped.
"Daisuke!" bellowed Dark, as he slammed a fist against the prison. It shuddered at the impact, but remained solid, "Bloody hell! How are we supposed to get him outta there?!"
"Takada," Satoshi stepped up to her, giving her an even look, "You know how to break this, don't you?"
"... This is..." she whispered.
"If you don't hurry, Niwa's life will fade away," Krad pointed out tonelessly.
"I don't think... I don't think that I can break it..." she finally admitted, "But... if you help me... maybe we can..."
"Whatever. Just do it," cut in Satoshi.
Akane raised her eyebrows at this and her lip twitched slightly, giving them the odd impression of Scarlet, "Very well, then. Let's go. We can't waste anymore time."
Dark stopped trying to break the prison and instantly went over to them, having overheard the conversation.
"What do you propose we do?" he asked, obviously trying to remain calm.
"The Flame merges with the sacrifice," she explained, "and, as you might expect, eats away at their soul until only the body remains. We have to hurry. Dark."
He stepped up, "What do I do?"
"You were a part of Niwa-kun, so you're the only one who can contact him from here," she said pointedly, "I'm sure you know some branch of magic that can help, while the rest of us," she nodded at Satoshi and Krad, "have something else that needs to be settled. I'm sure you can manage this."
He nodded briefly and the other three left him on his own. It was only when they were gone did he notice that With was still with him.
"Kyu?"
"I know, I know," he mumbled, "You keep an eye out and I'll get Daisuke back."
The creature nodded in reply and hopped off him before Dark brought both hands out in front of him. Almost instantly, a large amount of dark energy began to form itself into a shape of a feather. The power radiated through the room, creating visible shock waves until the Thief directed it to the small redhead. The power vanished in a wisp of smoke and entered through the walls of the prison and entered Daisuke.
Daisuke?! he called mentally. He felt the boy's presence stir slightly by the spell and breathed a sigh of relief as he called again, Yo, Daisuke!
... Dark?
Well, at least you're there.
What... what are you doing here? How did you get past... when it took me here... I...
We're getting you outta here.
I... I can't control my body, suddenly the voice seemed strained and panicked, Dark, what do I do?
He was about to reply, but felt the spell being eaten away, Damn! Don't worry, we'll find a way, so just don't let this thing consume you completely, 'kay?
Okay...
When the connection broke, Dark found himself pushed forcefully back and he fell heavily to the floor. He lay there for a moment, trying his best to remain calm.
"Kyu!"
"Dark, did you manage to..." started Akane, and he sighed.
"Yeah, but only briefly."
"Well, at least we know now," Satoshi said coolly, as he gave the large prison a disgusted look.
"Know what?" perplexed, the Thief blinked.
"Are you sure this is right?" Krad raised an eyebrow at the other two, who nodded in unison.
"Bloody hell, tell me what's going on!" Dark finally yelled.
While Akane and Satoshi went towards the prison, Krad was forced to be the one to explain to Dark what the plan was.
"The Flame takes over the body once the soul is consumed," he said lazily, "So Satoshi-sama and Takada are going to talk to the Flame's spirit. Apparently, if the Flame drops its guard, Niwa can fight back, with a combined spell."
"But won't the Flame die?"
"How am I supposed to know?" the blonde answered coldly as he turned away.
"Niwa-kun," Akane called softly, "We're here to bring you back."
The head moved up slowly, and the boy's eye's fluttered in reply. Satoshi frowned as he watched Daisuke look up at them with empty eyes, like a void ready to pull them in.
"What..." he rasped, not in his usual tone but one that belonged to someone else, who hadn't spoken for a long time, "What are you doing here? Interfering with my resurrection? Once I have consumed this boy's soul, then it won't matter."
"It does matter," Satoshi cut in, "Niwa's coming back with us, and you can't do anything about it."
"But don't you think that it's too late?" asked the Flame with a grating voice, "And once I have finally consumed the soul of a Niwa, then I will be free from this curse. And he will take my place."
"That won't happen."
"And what makes you believe that?" Daisuke's lips curled into a smirk, which didn't look right.
Satoshi cast a quick glance at Akane and then turned back to the possessed redhead and spoke in an even tone, "And do you believe that we're going to leave Niwa here?"
"I don't see why not," came the cool reply, "he came to me willingly, and that is all I need."
"Can you help me?" asked Akane, while the Flame was occupied with Satoshi, "Please... we can't let this happen again... I don't want people to be hurt because of me."
"Akane...?" called one voice, "Is it finally time for us to show that this is not the way to live?"
"You've... you've been waiting for this? All this time?" taken by surprise, she could only blink at as the thirteen supporting spirits appeared before her, while Dark and Krad watched from the shadows in silence, "But how..."
"You were different from most," Elena said calmly, "and we could see that you would not tolerate with such a sacrifice... so we waited patiently for your being."
"And now's the time, right?" asked the Spirit of Wind, Milea, "We can finally be free after this!"
"Well, more free than before," nodded Zeike, "and this time we have a say in the matter."
"But how... how did you know that I would do this?" Akane inclined her head, "How did you know that I would be around for this... one last time?"
"You brought us back together," Raine smiled calmly, holding Ryu's hand in the process, "And no one has ever done that before. So we know that you alone are the one."
"As long as the elements are in balance, that's all we ask," nodded Ryu.
"Okay... I'm sure Niwa-kun has a chance this time," the Time Keeper returned the nod, "we can't let anything happen this time... the Fire inside was nearly killed so... let's do this."
Dark and Krad approached her, and she nodded in recognition. With a slight twist of her hand, she indicated that they were needed to distract the Flame, and they agreed, Krad not as enthusiastic as Dark.
Once they had gone off to join Satoshi, she held out one hand and was joined by the Spirits in turn. She closed her eyes, and began to talk under her breath.
"Within the Light and Darkness... I seek you now... to know the truth, to face the truth, to be able to stand up and accept the truth... I am ready.
My soul was bound by fate, one that I didn't want... Time frozen for my being, allowing me to see the world before me... unable to control my destiny, I waited for you..."
"As we are one, of many, our lives in perfect balance," intoned Raine and Ryu, "From who we are, to who we know, the power within us must forever be in its limits."
"Nor to see life and death as opposites," the Spirits of Wood and Nature, the twins Leah and Zeike continued, "our calling to both sides is both right and just... to know who we are loyal to, to who we want to be with."
"To know or not to know, we will always find out," Elena, Farea and Shia called out softly, so that their voices were in tone, "for life cannot be without hand in hand with death... as it is who we are."
"Broken hearts and wishes, never to be seen again," Milea and Clef said calmly, "it is our only wish that, once more, we are given another chance."
"As purity is known in life," Shiro and Undine uttered, hand in hand, "so is the darkness between us all."
"Whether this is the truth or not, we will one day find out," finished Kain solemnly.
"In my blood and in my heart, seek and find... let me have once last chance to change this... change our fate..."
The flashes of light were blinding, but seemed to be only seen by those who were there, and Akane sighed. A strange aura seemed to be surrounding her as she spun around to face the Flame, and could see that Daisuke seemed ready to fight back. She took a step forward, and looked down at what she was holding: a small necklace that held thirteen different shades of crystal glittered and sparkled with a power that she recognised, and she smiled.
"Then this is it."
---
"The Niwa is nearly gone," hissed the Flame, "You cannot get him back."
"You're lying!" called Dark, still smirking, "Daisuke's there and we know it! So just hand him over and we'll be on our way."
"Too late..." repeated the Flame, "Too late..."
"If you knew, then you wouldn't be saying that," whispered Akane, and Satoshi turned slightly.
"Took you long enough," he commented.
"Just who I am," she replied, and then faced Daisuke, "Niwa-kun, we're ready now."
"You're too late!"
"In my heart, soul, blood, the knowledge of who I am," Akane closed her eyes, "Spirits, release the power within you, and help in this time of need. To change what was to happen... allow us to see the truth."
The necklace flashed white for a moment, before a transparent beam hit the prison, shattering it almost instantly. The Flame hissed in pain as he clutched his chest, pain in his face. He struggled to get up, as he waved one hand, in an attempt to force the power away from him.
"No... not after all this time... when I finally had someone to take over me... why do you try to resist me...? No..."
"To try and take a life that isn't yours," whispered Akane, ignoring the shattered shards of the prison, "you were wrong. I couldn't let them... after I got to know them as people... I'm sorry."
The light lifted itself away from Daisuke's body, along with it a transparent figure. As the redhead fell, Satoshi ran up to catch him, and they were instantly bathed in a warm aura.
"Okay, what's going on this time?" asked Dark in annoyance.
"You'll see," replied Akane, as their world seemed to become too bright to keep their eyes open.
---
Daisuke groaned slightly, his head throbbing painfully as he tried to open his eyes. It seemed oddly quiet and he was too dizzy to work out what had happened. Images began to flash in his memory as he lay there: a void consuming his soul, the pain and agony that they had been feeling, Satoshi and Dark's voices, Akane calling through the darkness.
"Niwa-kun, are you alright now?"
"Eh?" Daisuke bolted up, and gave Akane a long look, "How..."
She shook her head shortly, "I can't tell you just yet, Niwa-kun, but... there will be time. You saved the Flame."
"Wha-? How did I?" perplexed, he could only blink, "He... it was in so much pain..."
"I know," she sighed, "but I can help it now. But since you and the others have completed your tasks, I'm going to send you back now."
"Takada-san," Daisuke frowned, "Why didn't you tell us?"
Akane gave him a small smile, "There are many reasons, but that, like I said, will have to wait."
"Yo, Daisuke!" called Dark, seeing that he was awake, "You okay now?"
"Yeah, thanks Dark," the redhead smiled, when he saw them, "You too, Hiwatari-kun."
Satoshi nodded slightly before Akane held out both hands. As they were swallowed into the portal, she smiled, along with the Thirteen Elements.
"We owe you so much. Until we meet again."
And then the world was still.
---
Satoshi looked up at the moon, frowning at the darkened sky as he dusted himself off.
:So we're back again,: he thought.
::She has a lot to explain, Satoshi-sama,:: muttered Krad as he drifted off to sleep.
:Like I didn't know.:
Tucking his hands into his pockets, the blue-haired boy made his way out of the museum.
A gentle breeze stirred as he exited, and the moon shone softly through the blanket of gray cloud. Silence fell.
---
Are we back again? asked Dark.
I guess so, replied Daisuke, as he sat up.
His bedroom was exactly the same as the last time he'd seen it, and the moons light was penetrating the ill feeling he'd had when the Flame had almost completely consumed him.
I know I said this before, but... he started, smiling, Thanks, Dark. Thanks for helping me...
Whatever, his alter ego dismissed it almost instantly, You've done it for me as well.
Daisuke continued to smile unconsciously before his eyes fell on a small card he remembered that Risa had given him only a few hours ago. As his mind processed the information, he jumped up in alarm as he noticed the time.
"I'm going to be late!"
Not waiting for Dark to answer, the redhead jumped out of the folds of his bed and pulled his wardrobe open, while With, who'd been there for as long as they could remember, clung to his shoulder. Dark muttered a few things under his breath, but Daisuke was no longer paying enough attention to care.
"I promised Harada-san that I'd see Riku-san!" he burst out, "So I can't just..."
Stop talking and get moving, the Thief finally cut in smoothly, Or you will be late.
Nodding, Daisuke started to dress.
---
Emiko softly stepped up to Daisuke's bedroom door and pulled it open, only to see the redhead rush out, nearly running into her.
"Dai-chan!" she exclaimed, "Are you feeling better again? Are you going out at this time of day?"
"It's important," he replied hurriedly, "So... I really have to go now!"
"Of course, but first," smiling, Emiko pulled something out of her pocket and held it out to her son, "If you are going to see Riku-chan, you shouldn't let her leave without a present."
Not bothering to question how she knew, Daisuke accepted the item and hugged her briefly, "Thanks mum!"
Kosuke turned as he saw Daisuke rush out of the front door, slamming it in the process, "Well, it looks like he recovered from that illness pretty well, didn't he, Emiko-san?"
"That's one thing we can be glad about," she nodded in agreement as she went down the stairs to join him, "We should be glad that both he and Dark managed to come back safely. Do you think that she'll come back...? After all this?"
"I'm sure," Kosuke smiled at his wife, "she doesn't have anything to hide anymore, so it would be right... and by the looks of it, Daisuke still doesn't know."
"Well, in any case," Emiko sighed, "we should just be ready for it."
"Of course."
---
You're gonna be late at the rate you're going, Dark pointed out.
DARK! Stop telling me that! replied the redhead in exasperation, as he cut corners to reach their destination.
The dark clouds had moved away by that time, and the moon shone brightly as Daisuke made his way to the bridge. When he arrived, he instantly caught sight of someone waiting, and slowed down. He took a few hesitant steps before speaking.
"Riku-san..."
The figure turned.
"Niwa-kun...?"
###
"Why did you let me live?"
The Flame gave Akane a long look as she stepped into the chamber, which was darker than usual. The spell that had been created had practically destroyed the power from the Flame itself, and she gave it a long look.
"Why do you ask me that?" she finally said.
"After all I did," hissed the Flame, flickering gently against the dim light, "After all the people that I hurt. After I continuously took the life of other's... and what I was about to do to the Niwa boy as well..."
Akane shook her head, "None of that... none of that was your fault, really. It looks like you've forgotten that you're the very source of life itself, and you don't need to do the things that you did."
Without another glance, she turned away, "We'll talk more later. I have to... deal with other things."
When she was gone, the Flame pondered over what she had just said.
"The very source of life itself..."
---
The circular room was completely shattered, and glass and crystal shards were spilled across the floor. Ignoring, Akane moved to the center, and bent down to inspect the floor.
'So... this is what was left after that...' she frowned, 'Why don't I feel surprised?'
"Scarlet?" breathed a voice behind her, weakly.
"Don't call me that," Akane made no move to turn around to face whoever it was, "And what made you think that I didn't know what was going on?"
"Please..." Celes stepped out of the shadows of the room and gave the younger girl a pleading look, "You do not understand... at least allow me to explain..."
At this, she stood up and whirled around, the frown still in place, "Then explain. I don't have all day."
"When the Flame first thought that it was going to die... it called to me... to help it..." stammered the priestess, "but... a Time Keeper would not me in place in the time period. So... it asked that one of the present Time Keepers to be frozen in time so that... so that they could help when it came..."
"You made me live in there," hissed Akane, "You forced me to watch life pass by me for over thousands of years... and only then did you work out that I could change everything... Both you and the Flame tried to break my soul..."
"Please, you have to understand..." pleaded Celes.
"... We'll talk later, Celes," was the only reply she got as Akane disappeared in another portal.
"Scarlet... if you had known who had been behind all this... would you still forgive me?"
---
'What am I doing?' wondered Akane as she reappeared in the Azumano district, 'I doubt that anyone wants to see me after all this... this was my fault from the start...'
"Now don't say that, Akane," Raine appeared, smiling at her, eyes sparkling happily, "You saved us all... the entire world is in your debt."
"But..." she sighed.
"As the Elements, it's our responsibility to keep ourselves in perfect balance," Leah explained, "But we couldn't do it without all of us together again. And you managed to do it."
Akane held up the necklace, "You mean this?"
"Yes," Elena nodded, "It was shattered many years before, as were our powers, but you have managed to bring them back together, so you are the rightful owner."
"Besides, who else would it be?" winked Shiro.
"As the elements, we'll always stay with you," continued Ryu, "Just call us and we'll be there."
"... Okay..." finally understanding, Akane nodded and tucked the necklace away. The spirits nodded in reply before fading off and left her on her own.
"The moon is so bright tonight..." she breathed, "But... I guess I shouldn't be thinking that...
I have a lot of explaining to do."
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Yup! Just one chapter left! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! And then it's the epilogue! wink And here we go with reviewer talk back!
-- Yes, I blab a lot, but who cares?
-Staryday: I did? Hm... I can't recall that... (shrugs) Oh well. There is definately one more chapter and the epilogue to the end. Why do I know? Cause I already finished it! Hah! Anyway, about Krad after this... he is a bit strange/odd in this chapter, isn't he? Well... I guess I have a lot to learn about him... Ah well, I couldn't have him kill anyone after all this...
-myinuyasha04: Well, as you can see, Daisuke's fine. (smile) And I'm really happy that you liked it that much! I'm really surprised at that!! (mumbles) Thanks for the nice comment and I hope you like the end!
Okay, onwards to the end!