Chapter 10: Letsh Get Ready ta RRRUMBLE!
Disclaimer: I disclaim FY. Questions?
A/n: And let me remind you of the Nuriko thing, ok? Please don't flame me 'cause of that (though no-one's done it yet, anyway). I know that'll be something like OOC or something; I know very well what Nuriko's real gender is. But when I refer to him as "her", it's just abstractly.
Previously... (Tasuki's POV)
"Uh, Akire, you listening?" I looked at her, and I see the corner of her mouth slowly curving into a frown. She's probably thinkin', nitwit, I'm numb, not deaf. "uh, right, okay," I stuttered, clutching the Thing, "I know I've been a jerk for some time now, and I ain't sayin' I take it back, but there is one thing I wanna say sorry for." I wiggled my fingers, trying to wave the something for her to see. Looking at the recognition on her face, I said, "Well, guess I don't need to tell you, I found your Ring. Or took it." Hmm, is it just me, or is the look on Ikegai's face telling me he wants the ring too? Boy, sentimental value, yeah right. This ring must be worth a million.
"Hey, you want it? I don't need it," I teasingly said to Ikegai. At the corner of my eye, I see this strange, panicky look on Akire's face. I was gettin' ready to toss it to her, when the Icky guys jumped me! Heh, can't pry my hand open now, eh? Such weak fingers.
"If you can't get it, CUT THE HAND OFF!" Ikegai screamed. Load of help that'll do, he won't even try to join his "siblings".
F-fingers're slippin'! Gotta do somethin' fast before they get – too late. The Ikegai clone jumps in glee, wavin' the sapphire ring in the air. Too bad for him, as I mustered all my strength and kicked the ring free from his grip (not easy with your legs tied together).
Ohh, boy. Time seemed to freeze, as the ring got tossed way into the air, and slowly spun down to the ground. Bumping off the nearest Ikegai to me, I settled for the only way I could catch the thing: my big, fat mouth. Akire must really be in tears now.
"- pfft! – Akire, CATCH!" Turns out, this maybe the last thing I'll ever say, as I spat the ring out of my mouth towards Akire, and losing my balance at the same time. Now, my stupid clumsiness has tossed me into the burnin' hole. Not the way I'd expected to die. This, really, sucks...
...and then there was light...
Akire's POV
I can't move. I'm at the mercy of my most hated enemy. And am about to get, ugh, MARRIED to him. And I'm about to cause the destruction of a (not so much) innocent life. These things run over and over my head as Ikegai carries me off to goodness-knows-what. Far ahead, I see Tasuki, dripping with blood, forced to walk with a manacle fastened to his hands. Stupid, stupid! Why did I let my guard down? Now Ikegai has my ring, and all is lost, all is lost.
Ikegai finally lays me down sideways on a large chamber-like cave. In the middle of the cave is this great, dark hole. After awhile, the Ikegai duplicates walk in with Tasuki. They tie his feet up now, too, and then push him to the ground.
Now, Ikegai lights this torch. What, is he going to burn Tasuki like some Middle-Ages witch? Then, the psycho tosses the torch into the pit, which immediately blazes with fire. Tasuki, I know you can't hear me, but I am so sorry. I let you down, I let everybody else down. Guess I won't be around much longer to receive the sanction the Council plans to give me.
Ikegai tells Tasuki something, and then orders his slaves to pull the latter to his feet. Tasuki mentions something to him, and I see Ikegai's face contort with rage. Good old Tasuki, but all will be over soon enough.
Then, Tasuki fingers something in his belt and says, "Uh, Akire, you listening?" Nitwit, I'm numb, not deaf, I thought, as I tried to frown. Then he says this entire crock about being sorry and being a jerk. Too late for that. Anyway, you're excused. And then, he turns around and wiggles something shiny between his fingers and – oh, good heaven. MY RING! HE HAS MY RING! "Well, guess I don't need to tell you I found your ring. Or took it," he says. Oh, Tasuki, you insufferable, reliable blowhard! But, then, how on earth is he going to give it to me?
Oh, oh, no. The Ikegais are going for the ring. Tasuki, throw it, throw it! Too late! Ikegai has it. Ikegai – wait! Tasuki jumps up and kicks the ring free, and then pushes away one of the Ikegais and, and SWALLOWS MY RING! He, he's getting all his filthy saliva on my ring! Hope he doesn't have rabies.
"Akire, catch!" he shouts, spitting the ring towards me. It lands mercifully near my hands. Quick, girl, move it! Tasuki's falling; HE'S FALLING INTO THE PIT! Just a little more, got it! It takes all my strength to resist the potion and hold the ring tight. Please, oh, please and, yes! I feel the ring's power pushing the potion back! It's working! The ring's working...
- - - - - - - -
A flash of light ensues from the ring, as Akire disintegrates from view and blinds Ikegai and his clones. She closes her eyes, and focuses all her energy to direct the ring's power. Sure enough, she materializes inside the pit, seconds before the flames lick Tasuki, who's got his eyes shut. No time for words, she grabs his hand quickly, and transports them outside.
Meanwhile, back in Hotohori's palace, Nuriko's showing the others the letter Akire left behind. "She didn't even ask for help," Nuriko remarked. Hotohori, after reading the letter, said, "Her bearing seems so, regal. She doesn't fit the position of Chief of the Guard in her country." Chichiri nodded, and turned around to say something to Tasuki, who or course wasn't there. "Hmm, I never did notice when Tasuki left today," he said.
Suddenly, right in the middle of Akire's room, a small orb of light appeared, then, in a flash, it expanded, and Akire and Tasuki's silhouettes were seen. Shielding their eyes, they listened to someone say, "No, no! We're being drawn back!" Akire's voice echoed strangely, as if from afar, and then Tasuki spoke, his silhouette pointing towards the bunch, "H-hey, hey look! It's them! HEY, NEED HELP HEEEEEEEEREE--!" The gateway of light imploded, and the images were gone.
Silence followed. A long, awkward silence. Everyone just tried to absorb what they've just seen, but none seemed to fathom it. Then, Chichiri broke the hush. "I can lead us to the chi trail, no da," he murmured. Tamahome smacked his forehead and said, "THANK YOU for bringing that up!"
- - - - - - - -
Akire and Tasuki materialized back inside the cavern. "Ikegai blocked the gateway with his black magic! It's like hitting a brick wall," Akire said, clutching her head. Tasuki, rubbing his forehead, frowned and said, "Well, at least I already knew he has powers. But what's the deal with YOU?" Not stopping to ponder his question, she hushed him and said, "No time, we have to figure out how to get away from here!"
Ikegai materialized, sweating and breathing hard, with only two Ikegais left. "I had to terminate my slaves for extra power, but don't ever think of trying that again, because the strain will just kill us both! What say we settle this the old fashioned, violent way?" Akire stood still, murmuring something under her breath with eyes closed, as if thinking. Finally, she said, "A-alright, fine. Fine."
Tasuki grabbed her arm and said, "You CRAZY? I don't have my tessen, you don't have your sword, and you can't use your powers which, may I remind you, you haven't spoken about!" Akire, blood boiling again, replied, "Just, shut up. Shut up." (To all Pinoys: remember Dilangalen?) Tasuki tightened his grip, then finally let go. "We're not done here," he said, "if we survive this, we're gonna havta have a little chat."
"Cut the chatter!" Ikegai said, charging at them with his clones. Akire, assuming that he's also a bit wiped out from the gateway-block, lost no time in meeting him halfway. Tasuki blinked in surprise, and then realized that the other two were going for him! "H-hey! No fair! You left me with the other two, OWW!" he said, as he got whacked on the jaw. Rubbing his bruise, he said, "'Least I ain't tied up no more." Grabbing a fistful of dust, he tossed it onto the Icky clones' faces, and alternately kicked them on the stomach. While they recovered their strength, Tasuki smiled maliciously and, well, kicked them between the legs. Again. "Take that again, you, you, damn! Can't even think of a proper insult. Damn you two to HELL!" Unfortunately, one of the clones tackled him, sending him to the ground.
Akire, meanwhile, is barely gaining an advantage. Ikegai kept being distracted by Tasuki's fight, but his hits come really close, too. Akire aimed at his throat, but her move was blocked, causing her to fall back. "Honestly, Akire, we're too evenly matched in hand-to-hand combat, so let me just do a little bit of cheating," Ikegai said, stepping back, concentrating, and letting off a blast of energy.
Tasuki's in the process of strangling one Ikegai, when the other one charged at him. Thinking quickly, he held the subdued one by the neck, and threw him at the other one. Slowly, Tasuki sat on the ground, very much exhausted. "J-just, whew, just gimme a-a, breather," he muttered, right before the wave of energy from Ikegai seared his neck. "Hey, I told you to gimme a breather! You baddies are all the same!" he shouted, taking cover. Akire, being much too near Ikegai, didn't have time to get out of the way, and got blasted to the wall of the cave.
Blacking out for awhile, Akire woke up and saw that the "original" Ikegai disappeared, and in his place were a whole army Ikegais! "Eww! More Icky- guys! Hehe, get it? Icky-guys? You know what I mean," Tasuki said, chuckling nervously.
"Corny, really," Akire remarked, feeling her ribs and pushing herself from the cavern wall. A wall of Ikegais surrounded them, and as they tried to break free, either skill or sheer numbers (the sheer numbers I believe) prevented them. They were pushed back to a tight space, as the Ikegais spoke in unison, "MY AKIRE, AS YOU MAY HAVE REALIZED, AN ARMY IS BETTER THAN ONE, AND SO I USED ALL MY POWER TO ENFORCE MY VICTORY!"
"Now that is evil-guy corny," Tasuki pointed out.
"If you stop it with the corniness, I will think about not shutting you up," Akire replied.
Clammy, bony hands (right out of old zombie movies) clawed at them as their space grew tighter and tighter, until they were against each other's backs. Akire (probably thinking they're perverts rather than mindless automaton- like clones) continually slapped away the hands, to Tasuki's utter annoyance. "What, you think they were reaching for your, OW!" A swift slap stops him from finishing the sentence.
"Only a matter of time," Akire muttered. "Y'know, countin' down the minutes to destruction ain't really inspirational," Tasuki said, still rubbing the slap mark. "No, no, I don't mean that. Okay, why don't you just hold your hands out in front, and when I tell you to, recite your incantation?" Tasuki, puzzled, said, "I'll do it, but I don't see the point." Akire closed her eyes, and then shouted, "NOW!"
"LEKKA SHIEN! WHOAH!"
Instantly, Tasuki's tessen materialized between his hands, and the minute he uttered the words, searing flames burst forward, cutting a path for them. Tasuki was so surprised he almost dropped the tessen. "I thought you still can't, your powers, how?" Akire beamed widely and replied, "Your friends dropped by to lend us a hand. I was 'talking' to Chichiri awhile ago, when he tracked us down"
"Heh, NOW WE'RE TALKIN'!" Tasuki yelled in delight, cutting another path for them after kissing the tessen. Then, one section of the Ikegais flew into the air, courtesy of Nuriko. "Hey, girl, how's your date?" Nuriko hollered, smashing the jaw of an Ikegai who tried to punch her. "Him so NOT my date," Akire hollered back, after ducking a flying kick from an Ikegai. "Ikegai or Tasuki?" Nuriko giggled.
Chichiri literally popped up in the middle of the fray in midair and landed on a clone. "You all know they're gonna reconstruct themselves, right?" he pointed out. Everyone groaned, watching the burnt, smashed, bruised, slashed, blasted, bleeding, weeping and cowering Ikegais melt, turn to living putty, and reconstruct one whole Ikegai. Smiling, he let out another blast of energy and created a fresh wave of clones.
Seeing the energy shockwave, Akire grabbed the nearest person to her, in other words, Nuriko, and braced herself. The others, of course, didn't know what's going to happen, and got tossed around. Tasuki, anticipating the blast, grabbed Chiriko by the collar and ducked behind a rock. Mitsukake took cover beside him, while Chichiri kept Tamahome and Miaka (don't really know why she's here, strictly out of compliance) inside a temporary force field (can he really do that? It's been too long, too long, since I last watched FY!).
Watching the creation of another bunch o' Ikegais, Akire figured out a plan to defeat him. "Guys, can y'all beat the pulp out of these dudes like you did earlier?" she said. "I still don't see the point," Tasuki said, "they're just gonna regroup and do that disgusting thing and then do the energy blast thing, and we'll be doin' all these things all over again." Akire rubbed her temples and just let the statement slide. "If you don't want to get this over with, fine by me. We can always fight and fight them till we're exhausted and he kills us all." Tasuki rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, alright already. Don't be such a nag."
He stopped to ponder for a moment, and then groaned. "That means we're the distraction! I don't wanna be the distraction! I'm the leader of the Mt. Leikaku bandits for cryin' out loud! I'm too important to be a distraction!" Akire shook her head and muttered, "Not anymore, from what I heard." Then, grabbing him by the neck, she pushed him from his hiding place. "C'mon, Napoleon Bonaparte, kiss some butt."
Like a reluctant pupil asked to recite in front of the class, he dragged himself into view (Ikegai's view, that is), and hissed, "C'mon, you guys, back me up here!" Nuriko grinned maliciously and said, "Oh, no, I like my view right here much better thank you." A while of silence ensued, and then Nuriko said, "Fine, fine."
She lifted up the rock where Tasuki hid awhile ago, and tossed it at the group of clones. "Nyeh, nyeh!" they said in unison, sticking out their tongues as they stepped away from the target zone. "NYEH, NYEH!" Tasuki said, as he summoned his fire power and blasted them to smithereens. Unfortunately, he didn't see another bunch of them jump away, and land on him all together like some quarterback in a football game. "Leggo o' me! Leggo o' me! Hey! You idiots! Let me goooo!" Tasuki screamed, long after Nuriko pulled away the clones and broke their arms in the process. "Don't be such a bay-bee!" Nuriko said.
"Why won't you all attack me at once? Are you all intimidated by my forces?" One of the Ikegais said. Tamahome jeered, "You geezer, not even that Seiryuu guy, Nak, says that! Least I don't remember him saying that." And with that line over and done with, (amazing what a hurt pride can do) they attack! Again!
Akire, meanwhile, sneaks as far behind them as possible, partly to watch the plan unfold, and largely because she's tired and doesn't want to join the fray any time soon. Unfortunately though, a large projectile in the form of Tasuki sails oh so ungracefully through the air and lands on her back.
"Great, I only loose half a gallon o' my blood and got kicked around for an hour, and I already can't think straight," he said, as he dusted himself off and made 3 unsuccessful attempts to stand properly. "Don't you agree, Nuriko?" he continued, absolutely NOT thinking straight. "I'm not Nuriko, I'm, I'm uh, your mother telling you to give it a rest for a minute," Akire said, sitting the poor creature down and patting his head. "Yes ma'am," Tasuki said a whimsical smile forming on his face, right before dozing off. Akire rolled her eyes and went right back to watching the fight.
Sure enough, the thing she's waiting for has arrived. The Ikegai army dime- a-dozen began "reforming" again, and tendrils of energy began appearing in the now half-formed body of Ikegai. Bracing herself, Nuriko said, "There's gonna be another energy blast again, hope you know what you're doing Akire, Akire? What on earth are you doing?"
Akire ran as fast as she could towards Ikegai who's almost ready to let off another energy blast to form his army anew. "I'm placing my life and the lives of the others on a gamble," she muttered to herself, "but if there's one way of stopping Ikegai, it's to make him lose his powers. Hopefully, my theory works."
Ikegai laughed. "And my love runs towards me willingly! Have I finally made you surrender to my charms?" Akire frowned and said, "Eww, Ikegai, of course not. But I am gonna do something very, very else." In a split second, she sees the energy shockwave coming towards her. She grits her teeth, concentrates on her ring, drawing on what little power his left in them, and leaps right into the storm!
The blast is cut short, and then a tremendous implosion ensues. Everyone else, who were preparing for the onslaught, were surprised to see Ikegai's body convulsing violently, his eyes blank. "But, but where's Akire?" Miaka murmured. They looked around, trying to spot her, and instead made another observation. Chichiri said, "Tasuki's gone too."
Tasuki's POV
What IS this place? Okay, calm down, just think, what was the last thing you did? Okay, I remember dozing off, being really, really exhausted. I remember wakin' up to see Akire totally lose her mind, runnin' towards that Ikegai fella, who's about to blast everything again. I remember ignorin' my pain, and runnin' towards her to pull her back. Instead, I see a blinding light, and, well, heck! Here I am.
Weird. I don't feel pain. I don't feel, period. I don't think I'm breathin', either! Oh, my achin' heart. I'm DEAD!
"No, you aren't. Dum-dum." I whirled around (before I could slap myself awake from this nightmare) and I see Akire, only she ain't wearin' the same outfit she did earlier. What, she had time to change? Uh, any divine forces listenin' to me? I'd rather wake up any minute now, dudes. Please. I mean, she even hears me think!
She holds out her hand to me. Oh, no, no, no, lady. I'm too weirded out to let YOU of all people come near me. I said, "No closer, Akire. I don' wanna turn into anythin' I'm gonna regret later." I tried to reach for my tessen, but well, it just AIN'T WITH ME! "Oh, the humanity!" I shrieked, sinking to my knees and shakin' my fists to the sky. "Anythin' but the tessen! ANYTHIN' BUT MY TESSEN!"
"Life has lost its meanin'! I can't go on! Go on without me! Leave me to die in this stinkin' place! I can't find my 'baby'! Where's my TESSEN?!" I moaned, and I moaned and I ain't leavin' this place till someone gives back my tessen and ends this cruel joke. "This is the second time! SECOND TIME!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Akire roll her eyes and say, "Shakespear you aren't. Stop moping over your tessen, kiddo, and listen to me for a moment."
I tried to slap myself awake, but it ain't no use. Okay, maybe I wanna listen for a moment. "I wan' my tessen baaaack! Gimme my tessen back!" Akire frowned, and then suddenly pinched my ear!
"OW! OW! OW! HEY WATCH THE EARRINGS, WOMAN!" Well, so much for the not feeling anything part.
"We're inside Ikegai's brain, dummy. CAN YOU COMPREHEND THAT? WE'RE INSIDE HIS STUPID MIND! WE'RE IN HIS PLANE OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS! DO I HAVE TO SCREAM FOR YOU TO HEAR ME?" She said, hollering REALLY loud into my ear. It kinda took a little bit more for everything to actually sink in.
I rubbed my ear and said, "So, we're not really here, is that what you're saying? This's all in our heads?" Akire shook her head. "We're really here, body and soul. But we're not limited to our earthly prowess any longer. That's why your tessen isn't with you; you have powers of your own as long as you and I are here. That's also why you don't have your wounds anymore. But if we're sent back to our original state, everything'll be back to normal, as if nothing had happened."
"And you figured this out on your own?" I asked. "I know, isn't it brilliant?" she replied. This time, it was my turn to roll my eyes. Her ego is just unbelievable!
I looked carefully around the place and saw that it just ain't like the real world. I mean, how many places have got green rocks an' purple trees? "Far out," I murmured. Akire said, "Believe me, I won't be surprised if I see my face etched on a rock here somewhere."
"Now what?" I said. I was kinda eager to look around, but I knew there was some serious butt-kicking to be done here first. She grabbed my hand and dragged me towards a hill. "We look for Ikegai. Duh."
"No need. I'm here, princess," said Ikegai, as he appeared in front of them. "Though you both have powers here, this is MY mind, and therefore I am the master." Akire picked up a small pebble and said, "That remains to be seen." With that, she threw the pebble astonishingly hard at Ikegai. He deflected it, but saw Akire leap into the air. No taglines, no funny comments, just ready to rumble.
"H-hey! HEY! Gimme a piece of the action here!" I hollered. I ran towards them, but stopped short and saw something very, very depressing instead from afar. "Is it just me, or is this place starting to, disintegrate?"
(M. Quavers: The word "whacked" is dedicated again to the 24th Altruist, a good friend of mine. The rest of the fic is dedicated to Dylan Michaels and my other friends, who went out of their way and took their precious time to read and review my work.)
Disclaimer: I disclaim FY. Questions?
A/n: And let me remind you of the Nuriko thing, ok? Please don't flame me 'cause of that (though no-one's done it yet, anyway). I know that'll be something like OOC or something; I know very well what Nuriko's real gender is. But when I refer to him as "her", it's just abstractly.
Previously... (Tasuki's POV)
"Uh, Akire, you listening?" I looked at her, and I see the corner of her mouth slowly curving into a frown. She's probably thinkin', nitwit, I'm numb, not deaf. "uh, right, okay," I stuttered, clutching the Thing, "I know I've been a jerk for some time now, and I ain't sayin' I take it back, but there is one thing I wanna say sorry for." I wiggled my fingers, trying to wave the something for her to see. Looking at the recognition on her face, I said, "Well, guess I don't need to tell you, I found your Ring. Or took it." Hmm, is it just me, or is the look on Ikegai's face telling me he wants the ring too? Boy, sentimental value, yeah right. This ring must be worth a million.
"Hey, you want it? I don't need it," I teasingly said to Ikegai. At the corner of my eye, I see this strange, panicky look on Akire's face. I was gettin' ready to toss it to her, when the Icky guys jumped me! Heh, can't pry my hand open now, eh? Such weak fingers.
"If you can't get it, CUT THE HAND OFF!" Ikegai screamed. Load of help that'll do, he won't even try to join his "siblings".
F-fingers're slippin'! Gotta do somethin' fast before they get – too late. The Ikegai clone jumps in glee, wavin' the sapphire ring in the air. Too bad for him, as I mustered all my strength and kicked the ring free from his grip (not easy with your legs tied together).
Ohh, boy. Time seemed to freeze, as the ring got tossed way into the air, and slowly spun down to the ground. Bumping off the nearest Ikegai to me, I settled for the only way I could catch the thing: my big, fat mouth. Akire must really be in tears now.
"- pfft! – Akire, CATCH!" Turns out, this maybe the last thing I'll ever say, as I spat the ring out of my mouth towards Akire, and losing my balance at the same time. Now, my stupid clumsiness has tossed me into the burnin' hole. Not the way I'd expected to die. This, really, sucks...
...and then there was light...
Akire's POV
I can't move. I'm at the mercy of my most hated enemy. And am about to get, ugh, MARRIED to him. And I'm about to cause the destruction of a (not so much) innocent life. These things run over and over my head as Ikegai carries me off to goodness-knows-what. Far ahead, I see Tasuki, dripping with blood, forced to walk with a manacle fastened to his hands. Stupid, stupid! Why did I let my guard down? Now Ikegai has my ring, and all is lost, all is lost.
Ikegai finally lays me down sideways on a large chamber-like cave. In the middle of the cave is this great, dark hole. After awhile, the Ikegai duplicates walk in with Tasuki. They tie his feet up now, too, and then push him to the ground.
Now, Ikegai lights this torch. What, is he going to burn Tasuki like some Middle-Ages witch? Then, the psycho tosses the torch into the pit, which immediately blazes with fire. Tasuki, I know you can't hear me, but I am so sorry. I let you down, I let everybody else down. Guess I won't be around much longer to receive the sanction the Council plans to give me.
Ikegai tells Tasuki something, and then orders his slaves to pull the latter to his feet. Tasuki mentions something to him, and I see Ikegai's face contort with rage. Good old Tasuki, but all will be over soon enough.
Then, Tasuki fingers something in his belt and says, "Uh, Akire, you listening?" Nitwit, I'm numb, not deaf, I thought, as I tried to frown. Then he says this entire crock about being sorry and being a jerk. Too late for that. Anyway, you're excused. And then, he turns around and wiggles something shiny between his fingers and – oh, good heaven. MY RING! HE HAS MY RING! "Well, guess I don't need to tell you I found your ring. Or took it," he says. Oh, Tasuki, you insufferable, reliable blowhard! But, then, how on earth is he going to give it to me?
Oh, oh, no. The Ikegais are going for the ring. Tasuki, throw it, throw it! Too late! Ikegai has it. Ikegai – wait! Tasuki jumps up and kicks the ring free, and then pushes away one of the Ikegais and, and SWALLOWS MY RING! He, he's getting all his filthy saliva on my ring! Hope he doesn't have rabies.
"Akire, catch!" he shouts, spitting the ring towards me. It lands mercifully near my hands. Quick, girl, move it! Tasuki's falling; HE'S FALLING INTO THE PIT! Just a little more, got it! It takes all my strength to resist the potion and hold the ring tight. Please, oh, please and, yes! I feel the ring's power pushing the potion back! It's working! The ring's working...
- - - - - - - -
A flash of light ensues from the ring, as Akire disintegrates from view and blinds Ikegai and his clones. She closes her eyes, and focuses all her energy to direct the ring's power. Sure enough, she materializes inside the pit, seconds before the flames lick Tasuki, who's got his eyes shut. No time for words, she grabs his hand quickly, and transports them outside.
Meanwhile, back in Hotohori's palace, Nuriko's showing the others the letter Akire left behind. "She didn't even ask for help," Nuriko remarked. Hotohori, after reading the letter, said, "Her bearing seems so, regal. She doesn't fit the position of Chief of the Guard in her country." Chichiri nodded, and turned around to say something to Tasuki, who or course wasn't there. "Hmm, I never did notice when Tasuki left today," he said.
Suddenly, right in the middle of Akire's room, a small orb of light appeared, then, in a flash, it expanded, and Akire and Tasuki's silhouettes were seen. Shielding their eyes, they listened to someone say, "No, no! We're being drawn back!" Akire's voice echoed strangely, as if from afar, and then Tasuki spoke, his silhouette pointing towards the bunch, "H-hey, hey look! It's them! HEY, NEED HELP HEEEEEEEEREE--!" The gateway of light imploded, and the images were gone.
Silence followed. A long, awkward silence. Everyone just tried to absorb what they've just seen, but none seemed to fathom it. Then, Chichiri broke the hush. "I can lead us to the chi trail, no da," he murmured. Tamahome smacked his forehead and said, "THANK YOU for bringing that up!"
- - - - - - - -
Akire and Tasuki materialized back inside the cavern. "Ikegai blocked the gateway with his black magic! It's like hitting a brick wall," Akire said, clutching her head. Tasuki, rubbing his forehead, frowned and said, "Well, at least I already knew he has powers. But what's the deal with YOU?" Not stopping to ponder his question, she hushed him and said, "No time, we have to figure out how to get away from here!"
Ikegai materialized, sweating and breathing hard, with only two Ikegais left. "I had to terminate my slaves for extra power, but don't ever think of trying that again, because the strain will just kill us both! What say we settle this the old fashioned, violent way?" Akire stood still, murmuring something under her breath with eyes closed, as if thinking. Finally, she said, "A-alright, fine. Fine."
Tasuki grabbed her arm and said, "You CRAZY? I don't have my tessen, you don't have your sword, and you can't use your powers which, may I remind you, you haven't spoken about!" Akire, blood boiling again, replied, "Just, shut up. Shut up." (To all Pinoys: remember Dilangalen?) Tasuki tightened his grip, then finally let go. "We're not done here," he said, "if we survive this, we're gonna havta have a little chat."
"Cut the chatter!" Ikegai said, charging at them with his clones. Akire, assuming that he's also a bit wiped out from the gateway-block, lost no time in meeting him halfway. Tasuki blinked in surprise, and then realized that the other two were going for him! "H-hey! No fair! You left me with the other two, OWW!" he said, as he got whacked on the jaw. Rubbing his bruise, he said, "'Least I ain't tied up no more." Grabbing a fistful of dust, he tossed it onto the Icky clones' faces, and alternately kicked them on the stomach. While they recovered their strength, Tasuki smiled maliciously and, well, kicked them between the legs. Again. "Take that again, you, you, damn! Can't even think of a proper insult. Damn you two to HELL!" Unfortunately, one of the clones tackled him, sending him to the ground.
Akire, meanwhile, is barely gaining an advantage. Ikegai kept being distracted by Tasuki's fight, but his hits come really close, too. Akire aimed at his throat, but her move was blocked, causing her to fall back. "Honestly, Akire, we're too evenly matched in hand-to-hand combat, so let me just do a little bit of cheating," Ikegai said, stepping back, concentrating, and letting off a blast of energy.
Tasuki's in the process of strangling one Ikegai, when the other one charged at him. Thinking quickly, he held the subdued one by the neck, and threw him at the other one. Slowly, Tasuki sat on the ground, very much exhausted. "J-just, whew, just gimme a-a, breather," he muttered, right before the wave of energy from Ikegai seared his neck. "Hey, I told you to gimme a breather! You baddies are all the same!" he shouted, taking cover. Akire, being much too near Ikegai, didn't have time to get out of the way, and got blasted to the wall of the cave.
Blacking out for awhile, Akire woke up and saw that the "original" Ikegai disappeared, and in his place were a whole army Ikegais! "Eww! More Icky- guys! Hehe, get it? Icky-guys? You know what I mean," Tasuki said, chuckling nervously.
"Corny, really," Akire remarked, feeling her ribs and pushing herself from the cavern wall. A wall of Ikegais surrounded them, and as they tried to break free, either skill or sheer numbers (the sheer numbers I believe) prevented them. They were pushed back to a tight space, as the Ikegais spoke in unison, "MY AKIRE, AS YOU MAY HAVE REALIZED, AN ARMY IS BETTER THAN ONE, AND SO I USED ALL MY POWER TO ENFORCE MY VICTORY!"
"Now that is evil-guy corny," Tasuki pointed out.
"If you stop it with the corniness, I will think about not shutting you up," Akire replied.
Clammy, bony hands (right out of old zombie movies) clawed at them as their space grew tighter and tighter, until they were against each other's backs. Akire (probably thinking they're perverts rather than mindless automaton- like clones) continually slapped away the hands, to Tasuki's utter annoyance. "What, you think they were reaching for your, OW!" A swift slap stops him from finishing the sentence.
"Only a matter of time," Akire muttered. "Y'know, countin' down the minutes to destruction ain't really inspirational," Tasuki said, still rubbing the slap mark. "No, no, I don't mean that. Okay, why don't you just hold your hands out in front, and when I tell you to, recite your incantation?" Tasuki, puzzled, said, "I'll do it, but I don't see the point." Akire closed her eyes, and then shouted, "NOW!"
"LEKKA SHIEN! WHOAH!"
Instantly, Tasuki's tessen materialized between his hands, and the minute he uttered the words, searing flames burst forward, cutting a path for them. Tasuki was so surprised he almost dropped the tessen. "I thought you still can't, your powers, how?" Akire beamed widely and replied, "Your friends dropped by to lend us a hand. I was 'talking' to Chichiri awhile ago, when he tracked us down"
"Heh, NOW WE'RE TALKIN'!" Tasuki yelled in delight, cutting another path for them after kissing the tessen. Then, one section of the Ikegais flew into the air, courtesy of Nuriko. "Hey, girl, how's your date?" Nuriko hollered, smashing the jaw of an Ikegai who tried to punch her. "Him so NOT my date," Akire hollered back, after ducking a flying kick from an Ikegai. "Ikegai or Tasuki?" Nuriko giggled.
Chichiri literally popped up in the middle of the fray in midair and landed on a clone. "You all know they're gonna reconstruct themselves, right?" he pointed out. Everyone groaned, watching the burnt, smashed, bruised, slashed, blasted, bleeding, weeping and cowering Ikegais melt, turn to living putty, and reconstruct one whole Ikegai. Smiling, he let out another blast of energy and created a fresh wave of clones.
Seeing the energy shockwave, Akire grabbed the nearest person to her, in other words, Nuriko, and braced herself. The others, of course, didn't know what's going to happen, and got tossed around. Tasuki, anticipating the blast, grabbed Chiriko by the collar and ducked behind a rock. Mitsukake took cover beside him, while Chichiri kept Tamahome and Miaka (don't really know why she's here, strictly out of compliance) inside a temporary force field (can he really do that? It's been too long, too long, since I last watched FY!).
Watching the creation of another bunch o' Ikegais, Akire figured out a plan to defeat him. "Guys, can y'all beat the pulp out of these dudes like you did earlier?" she said. "I still don't see the point," Tasuki said, "they're just gonna regroup and do that disgusting thing and then do the energy blast thing, and we'll be doin' all these things all over again." Akire rubbed her temples and just let the statement slide. "If you don't want to get this over with, fine by me. We can always fight and fight them till we're exhausted and he kills us all." Tasuki rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, alright already. Don't be such a nag."
He stopped to ponder for a moment, and then groaned. "That means we're the distraction! I don't wanna be the distraction! I'm the leader of the Mt. Leikaku bandits for cryin' out loud! I'm too important to be a distraction!" Akire shook her head and muttered, "Not anymore, from what I heard." Then, grabbing him by the neck, she pushed him from his hiding place. "C'mon, Napoleon Bonaparte, kiss some butt."
Like a reluctant pupil asked to recite in front of the class, he dragged himself into view (Ikegai's view, that is), and hissed, "C'mon, you guys, back me up here!" Nuriko grinned maliciously and said, "Oh, no, I like my view right here much better thank you." A while of silence ensued, and then Nuriko said, "Fine, fine."
She lifted up the rock where Tasuki hid awhile ago, and tossed it at the group of clones. "Nyeh, nyeh!" they said in unison, sticking out their tongues as they stepped away from the target zone. "NYEH, NYEH!" Tasuki said, as he summoned his fire power and blasted them to smithereens. Unfortunately, he didn't see another bunch of them jump away, and land on him all together like some quarterback in a football game. "Leggo o' me! Leggo o' me! Hey! You idiots! Let me goooo!" Tasuki screamed, long after Nuriko pulled away the clones and broke their arms in the process. "Don't be such a bay-bee!" Nuriko said.
"Why won't you all attack me at once? Are you all intimidated by my forces?" One of the Ikegais said. Tamahome jeered, "You geezer, not even that Seiryuu guy, Nak, says that! Least I don't remember him saying that." And with that line over and done with, (amazing what a hurt pride can do) they attack! Again!
Akire, meanwhile, sneaks as far behind them as possible, partly to watch the plan unfold, and largely because she's tired and doesn't want to join the fray any time soon. Unfortunately though, a large projectile in the form of Tasuki sails oh so ungracefully through the air and lands on her back.
"Great, I only loose half a gallon o' my blood and got kicked around for an hour, and I already can't think straight," he said, as he dusted himself off and made 3 unsuccessful attempts to stand properly. "Don't you agree, Nuriko?" he continued, absolutely NOT thinking straight. "I'm not Nuriko, I'm, I'm uh, your mother telling you to give it a rest for a minute," Akire said, sitting the poor creature down and patting his head. "Yes ma'am," Tasuki said a whimsical smile forming on his face, right before dozing off. Akire rolled her eyes and went right back to watching the fight.
Sure enough, the thing she's waiting for has arrived. The Ikegai army dime- a-dozen began "reforming" again, and tendrils of energy began appearing in the now half-formed body of Ikegai. Bracing herself, Nuriko said, "There's gonna be another energy blast again, hope you know what you're doing Akire, Akire? What on earth are you doing?"
Akire ran as fast as she could towards Ikegai who's almost ready to let off another energy blast to form his army anew. "I'm placing my life and the lives of the others on a gamble," she muttered to herself, "but if there's one way of stopping Ikegai, it's to make him lose his powers. Hopefully, my theory works."
Ikegai laughed. "And my love runs towards me willingly! Have I finally made you surrender to my charms?" Akire frowned and said, "Eww, Ikegai, of course not. But I am gonna do something very, very else." In a split second, she sees the energy shockwave coming towards her. She grits her teeth, concentrates on her ring, drawing on what little power his left in them, and leaps right into the storm!
The blast is cut short, and then a tremendous implosion ensues. Everyone else, who were preparing for the onslaught, were surprised to see Ikegai's body convulsing violently, his eyes blank. "But, but where's Akire?" Miaka murmured. They looked around, trying to spot her, and instead made another observation. Chichiri said, "Tasuki's gone too."
Tasuki's POV
What IS this place? Okay, calm down, just think, what was the last thing you did? Okay, I remember dozing off, being really, really exhausted. I remember wakin' up to see Akire totally lose her mind, runnin' towards that Ikegai fella, who's about to blast everything again. I remember ignorin' my pain, and runnin' towards her to pull her back. Instead, I see a blinding light, and, well, heck! Here I am.
Weird. I don't feel pain. I don't feel, period. I don't think I'm breathin', either! Oh, my achin' heart. I'm DEAD!
"No, you aren't. Dum-dum." I whirled around (before I could slap myself awake from this nightmare) and I see Akire, only she ain't wearin' the same outfit she did earlier. What, she had time to change? Uh, any divine forces listenin' to me? I'd rather wake up any minute now, dudes. Please. I mean, she even hears me think!
She holds out her hand to me. Oh, no, no, no, lady. I'm too weirded out to let YOU of all people come near me. I said, "No closer, Akire. I don' wanna turn into anythin' I'm gonna regret later." I tried to reach for my tessen, but well, it just AIN'T WITH ME! "Oh, the humanity!" I shrieked, sinking to my knees and shakin' my fists to the sky. "Anythin' but the tessen! ANYTHIN' BUT MY TESSEN!"
"Life has lost its meanin'! I can't go on! Go on without me! Leave me to die in this stinkin' place! I can't find my 'baby'! Where's my TESSEN?!" I moaned, and I moaned and I ain't leavin' this place till someone gives back my tessen and ends this cruel joke. "This is the second time! SECOND TIME!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Akire roll her eyes and say, "Shakespear you aren't. Stop moping over your tessen, kiddo, and listen to me for a moment."
I tried to slap myself awake, but it ain't no use. Okay, maybe I wanna listen for a moment. "I wan' my tessen baaaack! Gimme my tessen back!" Akire frowned, and then suddenly pinched my ear!
"OW! OW! OW! HEY WATCH THE EARRINGS, WOMAN!" Well, so much for the not feeling anything part.
"We're inside Ikegai's brain, dummy. CAN YOU COMPREHEND THAT? WE'RE INSIDE HIS STUPID MIND! WE'RE IN HIS PLANE OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS! DO I HAVE TO SCREAM FOR YOU TO HEAR ME?" She said, hollering REALLY loud into my ear. It kinda took a little bit more for everything to actually sink in.
I rubbed my ear and said, "So, we're not really here, is that what you're saying? This's all in our heads?" Akire shook her head. "We're really here, body and soul. But we're not limited to our earthly prowess any longer. That's why your tessen isn't with you; you have powers of your own as long as you and I are here. That's also why you don't have your wounds anymore. But if we're sent back to our original state, everything'll be back to normal, as if nothing had happened."
"And you figured this out on your own?" I asked. "I know, isn't it brilliant?" she replied. This time, it was my turn to roll my eyes. Her ego is just unbelievable!
I looked carefully around the place and saw that it just ain't like the real world. I mean, how many places have got green rocks an' purple trees? "Far out," I murmured. Akire said, "Believe me, I won't be surprised if I see my face etched on a rock here somewhere."
"Now what?" I said. I was kinda eager to look around, but I knew there was some serious butt-kicking to be done here first. She grabbed my hand and dragged me towards a hill. "We look for Ikegai. Duh."
"No need. I'm here, princess," said Ikegai, as he appeared in front of them. "Though you both have powers here, this is MY mind, and therefore I am the master." Akire picked up a small pebble and said, "That remains to be seen." With that, she threw the pebble astonishingly hard at Ikegai. He deflected it, but saw Akire leap into the air. No taglines, no funny comments, just ready to rumble.
"H-hey! HEY! Gimme a piece of the action here!" I hollered. I ran towards them, but stopped short and saw something very, very depressing instead from afar. "Is it just me, or is this place starting to, disintegrate?"
(M. Quavers: The word "whacked" is dedicated again to the 24th Altruist, a good friend of mine. The rest of the fic is dedicated to Dylan Michaels and my other friends, who went out of their way and took their precious time to read and review my work.)