Carolyn's Comments:

Mood: Calm

Rant: Nothing to really rant about. This chapter is pretty serious, but I liked the way it came out. It gives me the warm fuzzies when I read it. (Smiles)

Tal stood on the roof of the tower, soaked in the newly come rain. His eyes wore a fierce look of determination, no longer sadness or anger. He gripped his sunstone in his hand. He squeezed it tightly; it was his only hope. Jade's only hope.

He held it up in front of him. His hand was shaky, but he began to trace the symbol he'd seen Virus make earlier. He summoned up the image in his mind as well as he could. It had been a foreign shape; it had looked like an upside down tear on top of a cross.

(We interrupt this fanfic for five seconds, to bring you a word from the author)

Carolyn: The symbol that Tal is drawing, is an icon I have engraved in a ring I wear all the time. It's the Egyptian symbol of 'life'! Is that symbolism or what?!

(This has been a 'Not Quite Otaku Studios' production. And now, on with the story.)

As he traced the symbol, he thought with all his metal power. Please work. Please appear. Let me go back in time, please appear.

For a moment, the shimmering symbol appeared, but as Tal held out a shaky hand to it, it faded and vanished.

Tal bit back a cry of frustration. He tried again, tracing the symbol in thin air, best he could. This time, the pattern held a little longer. But as his fingertips brushed it, it glittered and vanished. The faint warmth from the symbol's light, lingered on his fingertips for a few moments, before it faded and turned to biting cold.

"Please," He thought frantically, "Let me go back. Let me save her. I love her, she's my daughter. Please let me save her. Let me die in her stead, just let me save her."

He could feel power glowing inside him. It was a rush greater than anything he'd ever felt before. He didn't need to know the symbol would work, he knew now. It would work.

This time, his hand no longer shaking, he drew the symbol. It's lines and curves were aglow with a brilliant shining, light. He knew it would hold, but he didn't want to test this. He thrust his hand into the swirling light. As he did so, he thought, "Take me to Jade."

He felt a jerk in his stomach as he vanished from sight. He was suddenly being sucked downwards in a swirling cyclone. Wind ripped around him, pulling the air from his lungs as he opened his mouth to scream. His world was spinning. The only thing his eyes could detect was broken fragments of color and light.

Suddenly his feet were forced down onto something solid. His legs wobbled as he struggled to stay upright. His knees buckled and he almost fell over. But he steadied himself as he saw what was taking place in front of him. He was back on top of the Violet tower. Virus was holding an unconscious Jade in his arms. She was still breathing seemed unhurt so far. Her eyes opened groggily.

"Virus?" She murmured weakly.

Virus smiled a pained smiled. "I'm sorry Jade. But I'll see you again back in our own time."

As Virus leaned forward to kiss her, he put the tip of his sword to her stomach, about to deliver the killing stab. Seeing what was about to happen, Tal summoned all his courage and darted forward. He slammed into Virus, knocking the boy down. Jade fell to the roof of the tower. Her arms had a few scratches, but she was otherwise unharmed. Tal was struggling to pin down Virus. He tried to wrest the sword away from Virus, but he was thrown off.

"You..." Virus breathed as he pulled himself to his feet, "You used time magic?!"

"You have some nerve, Virus." Tal said, not answering his foe's question, "Killing an innocent girl just to prove your point!"

Virus glared at him. "You...always interfering! You stopped me just now, and you pulled me and Jade apart! Why else do you think I hate you so much?!"

"You're evil," Tal whispered, "And you're crazy. I couldn't let Jade be with you. I did what any loving father would've done."

Virus's eyes lit up. They had a sort of eerie light to them. "Me crazy? You have the nerve to call me crazy?!" He suddenly sprang forward, "I'LL GUT YOU LIKE A FISH!"

CRACK! Tal jumped to the side, just as a flash of psychic energy flew from Virus's hand. Part of the roof exploded. Pieces of wood and stone flew everywhere.

"HOLD STILL!" Virus shrieked, as if that was going to make Tal freeze. His hands were glowing, even the one that gripped his sword was aglow with a strange black light.

Tal clutched his sunstone. Time to stop being defensive. He had to attack. A long blade of glowing orange light grew from the stone. He was now clutching a sword made of light.

At that moment, Jade grabbed a piece of wood of the ground. She ran at Virus, about to swing it into the back of his head. Virus instinctively spun around and stuck out his sword. A flash of light blew Jade backward. A cut exploded on her left cheek and she reeled back to the ground. She was hurt, but she would live. Virus stared at her in horror, hardly able to comprehend what he had just done.

"J-Jade?" He stammered. He spun around to face Tal. "LOOK WHAT YOU JUST MADE ME DO!!"

"What's wrong with you?!" Tal shouted in response.

"DIE!" Virus screamed. He lunged forward and hit Tal square in the chest. Virus would've killed Tal there. He would have taken his sword and run it right through his stomach. But fortunately, Tal was quicker. His right hand, the one that held his sword, was still free. He brought it down and slashed Virus on the shoulder. Virus screamed and stumbled back, clutching his wound.

Tal didn't stop there. All the fury and hatred that he'd felt, since Virus had arrived in his life, was pouring out. He stepped forward, as he took each step he slashed another part of Virus's body. Nowhere vital, but enough to cause him pain. The surface of his stomach, the back of his hand, his other shoulder, and he slashed the surface of his chest. Nothing deep enough to kill though.

Near the edge of the roof, Virus stumbled and fell to the ground. He held his hands up to shield himself from Tal. Tal didn't care. So what if the boy was in pain and begging for his life? He had caused too much hurt and grief to be pardoned now. He was going to end it. He was going to kill him right then and there.

And he would've, if he hadn't heard a choking sob.

Tal looked up. Jade was on her knees. Her right hand was covering her mouth in disbelief. Her eyes were full of tears and his expression was one of heart-wrenching sadness. Her eyes were locked on Virus.

That's when it hit Tal. No matter how much pain he'd put her through, no matter how he hated her father, and despite the fact that he had been willing to kill her only moments ago, Jade still loved Virus. Outside obligations had forced her to put that love aside, but it was real all the same. And the sight of her father killing her love would be too much for her to bear. If Tal killed Virus, Jade would probably throw herself off the tower in a moment of raw grief.

For a minute or two, Tal just stood there, thinking it over. If he killed Virus, he would put an end to all the suffering. But if he did, he would hate himself afterwards. And deep down, Jade would probably hate him as well. And that was something he couldn't handle.

Finally, Tal's nobler side won over. Tal lowered his sword. The blade vanished back into the stone. He heard a gasp of relief come from Jade, as Tall hung the stone back around his neck.

As soon as he sensed the danger was over, Virus lowered his arms. He stared up at Tal in bewilderment for a moment. At that moment, Tal was every bit the strong, wise emperor he would grow to become.

"T-Thank you." Virus managed to stammer.

Tal smiled faintly. Maybe they could work everything out. The three of them could sit down with Crow and Milla and sort it all out. Maybe there was nothing to fear from Virus. He'd just been a young man alone in the dark. A young man, robbed of the only one he loved and who had loved him in return.

But then Virus smiled his twisted smiled again. "Thank you..." He repeated icily. The color drained from Jade's face. "FOR BEING SUCH A FOOL!"

Virus's hand shot out and grabbed Tal by the front of his robes. With one lightening-fast motion, he flipped Tal up and over his head. Jade screamed as Tal began to plummet over the edge of the tower. Tal's hand grabbed around instinctively. He felt his fingers close around Virus's cape. The young summoner gave a yelp of surprise as he fell back along with his enemy.

"NO!" Jade screamed. As Virus had grabbed Tal, she had been sprinting towards him, but she arrived too late. She watched helplessly as her father and her lover rolled off the edge of the Violet Tower. "FATHER! VIRUS!"

Author's Notes: HAH! YOU THOUGHT IT WAS THE LAST CHAPTER! BUT IT'S NOT! IT'S ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! I GET TO DANCE! dances